Senior Credit Controller

Jobtrain; West of England; Hybrid; GBP 42,000 - 55,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Private Medical Insurance

Health Cashplan

Job summary

Thrings is seeking a Senior Credit Controller to join the Finance team in Bristol. You will supervise credit control activity, manage a portfolio of high-value debts and drive effective collection strategies while maintaining strong client relationships.

The role offers hybrid working with opportunities for progression within the team and the firm’s growing finance operations. You will collaborate across Finance and the wider business to ensure accurate debtor records and timely cash collection.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in credit control within a professional services environment.
• Previous supervisory experience within a credit control team is desirable.
• Proven experience managing complex debtor portfolios and aged debt recovery.
• Strong negotiation, influencing and relationship-building skills.

Responsibilities

• Manage and recover a portfolio of high-value, aged debt with proactive communication.
• Develop tailored collection strategies and negotiate payment arrangements.
• Lead and support the credit control team to meet targets and provide guidance.
• Build relationships with Partners, fee earners, clients and staff to resolve billing issues.
• Maintain debtor records across ARCS, Lawman and other finance systems.
• Investigate and resolve invoice and payment queries with fee earners and clients.
• Monitor high-risk accounts and provide updates on debtor performance.
• Identify process improvements to reduce debtor days and test system changes.

Skills

Credit control experience

Supervisory experience

Debt recovery

Negotiation

Communication

Finance systems knowledge

Tools

ARCS

Lawman

Finance systems

Job description

We are Thrings; a successful full-service law firm with sector expertise in Agriculture, Banking & Finance, Development of Land, Private Client, and Business Growth. Our dedicated Business Services teams are key to how the firm runs smoothly, including corporate functions, HR, Marketing, Finance, Quality & Risk, Facilities, IT, and legal support teams.

Our teams collaborate with internal colleagues and fee-earners to deliver work for our clients in a diverse range of practice areas. We are proud to be ranked in many areas by the Legal 500 and Chambers, due to our client-centric approach.

Our welcoming and inclusive culture provides an attractive place to work, including the valuable benefit of hybrid working.

About the role

We’re looking for a Senior Credit Controller to join our Finance team in our Bristol office. This is an exciting opportunity to become part of a friendly, flexible and collaborative team that plays an essential role in the day-to-day financial operations of the firm.

Working closely with colleagues across Finance and the wider business, you’ll take responsibility for supporting effective credit control processes, maintaining strong customer relationships and helping to ensure the smooth management of outstanding accounts.

This is a supervisory-level role, where you’ll provide support and guidance to colleagues and contribute to the continued development of the credit control function. With the firm continuing to grow, there is also excellent potential for progression and career development for the right candidate.

Day to day, you can expect your responsibilities to include:

• Managing and recovering a portfolio of high-value, complex and aged debt, proactively pursuing outstanding invoices by telephone, email and written correspondence
• Developing and implementing tailored collection strategies, negotiating payment arrangements and escalating challenging accounts where appropriate
• Managing team performance and ensuring targets are being it, providing support and guidance to ensure effective collection activity
• Building strong working relationships with Partners, Legal Directors, Fee Earners, support staff and clients, using effective communication and influencing skills to resolve billing and payment issues
• Maintaining accurate and comprehensive debtor records within ARCS, Lawman and other relevant finance systems, ensuring all collection activity and recovery plans are fully documented
• Investigating and resolving invoice, billing and payment queries, working collaboratively with fee earners and clients to remove barriers to payment and ensure invoices are accurate and appropriately supported
• Monitoring high-risk accounts and potential bad debt exposure, considering appropriate bad debt provisions and providing regular updates on collection activity and debtor performance
• Identifying opportunities to improve credit control processes and reduce debtor days, supporting the implementation and testing of system and process improvements while working towards agreed cash collection and aged debt targets

Whilst this role is based in Bristol there will be occasional travel requirements to our other offices.

About you

We’re extremely proud of the relationship we’ve built with our clients and referrers, being recognised as their trusted legal partner.

Your ability to communicate clearly and collaborate with our fee-earning teams will play a key role in delivering exceptional client service and driving successful outcomes:

• Significant experience in credit control, ideally within a legal or professional services environment, with strong knowledge of credit control procedures and debt collection techniques
• Previous supervisory experience within a credit control team is desirable, or demonstrable readiness to progress into a supervisory role
• Proven experience managing complex debtor portfolios and aged debt recovery, including the successful collection of both high-value debts and smaller balances
• Strong negotiation, influencing and relationship-building skills, with the ability to build credibility and communicate effectively with senior stakeholders, clients, companies and private individuals
• Excellent IT skills, with experience using finance systems; knowledge of ARCS and Lawman, legal billing processes, Solicitors’ Accounts Rules and WIP-to-cash processes would be advantageous
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to adapt your approach and communication style depending on the audience, combined with a professional, confident and results-focused approach

What’s on offer

By joining Thrings you’ll become part of a supportive, inclusive firm offering a relaxed and trusting environment allowing balance between being in the office and working from home. We also offer a great working environment and plenty of social/networking events to get involved with!

In return for your hard work, you can expect to receive a variety of flexible benefits which can be tailored to your personal and family needs including Private Medical Insurance, , Life Insurance, Health Cashplan and much more.

We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of their race, gender, disability, religion/belief, sexual orientation or age.