The law firm of Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP is searching for a Controller to oversee accounting functions and elevate the success of the Accounting Department. This role will support firm-wide initiatives, and will be based in our Atlanta office.
The Controller position entails a high level of professionalism and visibility and requires skillful communication and adept workload prioritization. This role will be responsible for managing various accounting functions, driving organizational excellence, and guiding and managing accounting services, policies and programs for the Firm. Areas of focus include managing accounts payable, expense reimbursement, accounts receivable, collections, general ledger, financial statement preparation, act as project lead on various system implementations and process improvements, and various monthly and annual tax filings.
Responsibilities
Financial Reporting
- Lead financial reporting improvement projects currently in process working closely with members of Accounting team, IT and external consultants.
- Develop and lead formal annual budget and mid-year forecast processes working closely with Firm Directors and Practice Group Leaders.
- Preparation and distribution of various monthly, quarterly and annual financial statements (balance sheet, income statement and cash flows) as well as practice group reports (hours, realization, profitability, etc.).
- Analyze monthly financial results and report on material variances, historical trends and outlook for future.
- Lead Firm’s annual rate setting process which includes preparing submission of data to various rate surveys, analyzing results and working closely with Practice Group Leaders in determining appropriate rate increases.
- Manage general ledger account maintenance including performing a thorough review of existing chart of accounts and make recommendations on where accounts can be consolidated/deleted.
- Develop and implement a formal monthly balance sheet reconciliation process.
- Ensure journal entries and all system generated postings to general ledger are properly approved, recorded and maintained.
- Oversee the bank account reconciliation process for all firm bank accounts ensuring all discrepant items are resolved in a timely manner.
Accounts Payable
- Develop and implement best practices, policies and procedures to ensure vendor invoices and employee expense reimbursements are processed in an efficient, timely, and accurate manner.
- Manage a team of Accounts Payable Specialists, monitoring workflow and performance management.
- Act as project lead for further enhancements to the invoice module in Chrome River ensuring the firm is fully utilizing the functionality of the system.
- Work directly with IT and Chrome River in assessing existing set-up of expense reimbursement module and implement any necessary improvements, e.g. direct feed from the Firm’s credit cards into Chrome River
- Ensure compliance with federal and state regulations governing payments to vendors, including preparation, review, and processing of 1099 forms.
Accounts Receivable and Collections
- Manage the Accounts Receivable team in monitoring and tracking of daily client receipts in a high-volume, fast-paced environment.
- Support the analysis of client accounts and provide ad-hoc reports to Firm leadership and partners.
- Implement effective and efficient collections strategies, processes and workflows.
- Maintain strong cross-functional communication throughout the department to facilitate timely and accurate cash collection and application.
Required Skills
- Proficient in leveraging accounting programs such as Aderant, Microsoft Office applications, document management systems, and Chrome River.
- Demonstrated knowledge of accounting principles, concepts and procedures.
- Ability to deal with sensitive financial information with the utmost confidentiality.
- Ability to understand and enforce client service standards and expectations within a law firm and/or professional services environment.
- Must be detail-oriented and demonstrate a commitment to accuracy and thoroughness.
- Ability to effectively supervise others, including hiring, training, managing workflow, and managing performance.
- Demonstrated ability to organize and prioritize work in a dynamic and complex environment to meet deadlines and daily requirements.
- Must be able to identify, recommend and implement opportunities for policy, process, technology and system improvements.
Education and Experience
- Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Business, or related field required; CPA preferred.
- A minimum of ten (10) years of experience in accounting within a law firm or professional services environment.
- Aderant and Chrome River experience preferred.
- Demonstrated leadership experience managing teams of employees.
The Firm offers a very competitive salary and benefits package, including medical, dental, 401K and PTO. A background check will be completed on the final applicant to whom an offer is made.