Practice Group / Department:

Job Description

We're Norton Rose Fulbright - a global law firm with over 50 offices and 7,000 employees worldwide. We provide the world’s preeminent corporations and financial institutions with a full business law service. At Norton Rose Fulbright, our strategy and our culture are closely entwined. We know that our expansion will mean little unless it is underpinned by truly global collaboration and we understand that pioneering work only takes place when our people have room to move and think beyond boundaries. As well as the relevant skills and experience, we're looking for people who are innovative, commercial and value the work that they do. 

Reports to: Revenue Management Team Leader (UK)

Based: London. Hybrid working with minimum 2 days per week in the office

Hours: Monday to Friday 9.30 to 17.30  – although a level of flexibility is needed to cover peaks in workload and ensure business objectives are met.

The Commercial Finance and Revenue Operations function and our focus (12 month FTC) :

Part of EMEA Group Finance, the Commercial Finance and Revenue Operations function encompasses Client Financial Decision Support (which includes Pricing & Commercial Insight and Client Finance Support), Finance Business Partnering (strategic financial business management and financial planning and analysis activities), Finance Business Intelligence and Revenue Operations. We support NRF leadership and wider stakeholder groups to run a successful legal practice by providing financial leadership, timely insights and initiatives designed to improve commercial confidence and decision-making quality.

Revenue Operations

As part of a recent review, Revenue Operations has been refreshed and fully integrated across EMEA creating a strong network of professionals which work closely together to provide best-in-class support to the Partnership. Revenue Operations is made up of c. 85 colleagues across EMEA spread across three service pillars: Newcastle Revenue Operations (c. 45 FTE), Credit Management Business Partnering (c. 15 FTE) and Revenue Management Business Partnering (c. 25 FTE).

The Role

This role sits within the Revenue Management Business Partnering pillar and is the first line of contact for fee earners in relation to WIP management, client exposure, and Revenue planning and profitability optimization. These are future-facing roles, reflecting the needs of an ambitious and successful law firm to have proactive, value-add support from Finance. In order to be successful in delivering revenue management advisory services the successful candidate will wear many hats: -

• Analyst – using data and business intelligence to help inform priorities
• Storyteller – bringing numbers “to life” confidently and clearly delivering insights, recommendations and actions
• Relationship builder – gaining and maintaining trusted advisor status to ensure maximum influence and effectiveness
• Problem solver – taking issues away from fee earners and owning until resolution, using other SME’s as required
• Planner – always being “on the case”: anticipating and preparing for issues before they arise, taking a methodical approach to workload planning and ensuring sufficient value-add activities are being conducted to improve decision making and business profitability

The key components of the role include, but are not limited to, the following:-

• Organising and holding monthly WIP review meetings with partners to promote instructions for billing and matter maintenance requirements. Ensure that matter billing estimates (Pledges) are obtained from partners and updated in the central database.  Attending to dormant WIP balances
• Identifying, evaluating and prioritising actionable improvements to liberate significant cash from working capital
• Identifying areas for improvement in cash flow optimisation and billing forecasting practices. Implementing processes to improve cash management and create the frameworks to sustain those improvements
• Review billing guides, invoices and credit notes received from fee earners and secretaries for compliance with the firm's policies and local regulation
• Housekeeping of client and matter ledger balances, including investigation of disbursements
• Acting as the senior escalation point for partners where revenue management or matter setup issues occur, working closely with SMEs across Revenue Operations. Owning queries around the Revenue and billing process until resolution
• As an expert user of First Finance suite, promote and train fee earners in its use
• In conjunction with the other Finance Business Partners, attend partner meetings and provide working capital updates
• Under the guidance of the Pricing and Commercial Insights (PCI) team, provide basic pricing support and client analysis
• Assisting in the annual client rate review process
• Working with Finance colleagues to provide training to improve fee earner confidence and commercial acumen
• Risk management – ensuring compliance with relevant regulatory bodies and EMEA working capital policies
• Assisting Revenue Operations leadership in formulating, maintaining and enforcing working capital policies to drive best practice and risk reduction
• Contributing to the EMEA community of Revenue Business Partners, sharing best practice and providing support as needed

Key stakeholders

• Partners and fee earners for allocated teams / offices
• Secretaries and PSEs
• Business Partner colleagues across Finance (pricing, commercial finance, credit management)
• LPM Managers
• Revenue Operations colleagues based in Newcastle (billing, rates, helpdesk)
• Head of Working Capital Management - EMEA

Essential requirements