Assistant Controller

Zinda Law Group; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 70,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Zinda Law Group is seeking an Assistant Controller to lead financial initiatives in a dynamic environment. The role combines financial analysis with innovative strategy development to support aggressive growth targets. Ideal candidates should possess an MBA and relevant experience in finance, specifically within high-growth firms.

Qualifications

• 1-3 years experience in accounting or finance roles.
• Experience in fast-growing companies or legal tech preferred.
• CPA or actively pursuing CPA exams desired.

Responsibilities

• Manage month-end close, supervise bookkeeping team.
• Drive financial analysis and revenue forecasting.
• Customize dashboards for performance measurement.

Skills

Financial Analysis

Budgeting

Data Analytics

Leadership

Education

MBA in Finance, Accounting, or Strategic Management

Undergraduate degree in Accounting, Finance, or Economics

Tools

Excel

Job description

At Zinda Law Group, we’re on a mission to redefine how personal injury law firms leverage technology, analytics, and relentless drive to deliver unparalleled client outcomes. We don’t just want to win cases; we aim to conquer the world of legal innovation by building AI-powered platforms and next-generation practice-management tools that elevate every attorney and paralegal on our team. Our fast-growing, tech-driven culture thrives on ambition, ownership, and a hunger to outperform the status quo. If you’re an MBA-level finance professional who wants to own both the “books” and the “business,” join us and help lead the charge.

What We’re Building (and Why)

• A World-Class Personal Injury Firm + Tech Platform in One:
  We’re not content to be “just another” personal injury law firm. Zinda Law Group and our sister product, Zlayt AI, are fusing top-tier legal expertise with cutting-edge software. Our goal is to be as indispensable to every attorney as the firm’s best associate or paralegal—no exceptions.
• Dominate with Data & Dollars:
  We aim to harness real-time analytics, predictive revenue modeling, and streamlined billing to stay three moves ahead of the competition. You’ll help us build the financial infrastructure that allows our attorneys to dodge pitfalls, seize opportunities, and scale revenue exponentially.
• Conquer the World of Legal Tech:
  In five years, we want our platforms to be the standard in every boutique and midsize personal injury firm across North America. We believe that by embedding intelligent reporting, seamless trust-accounting controls, and adaptive compensation models, we can change how legal services are bought, sold, and delivered.

Role Overview

• As our Assistant Controller, you will be the financial backbone of a firm that refuses to settle for “good enough.” You’ll manage our accounting & bookkeeping team, own the month-end close, and partner directly with attorneys to hit—and exceed—aggressive revenue targets. You’re early in your career, have startup experience, or fresh from an MBA program (with 1–3 years of relevant experience), but you’re already hungry to tackle high-stakes challenges. You’ll translate our “conquer the world” vision into actionable budgets, forecasts, and internal controls that make exponential growth not just possible, but inevitable.

Key Responsibilities

1. Drive Revenue & Profitability with Analytics

Collaborate with Partners: Join weekly “war-room” huddles with practice-group leads to translate qualitative case pipelines into quantitative revenue targets (e.g., “We expect 3 major trucking cases to settle—what does that translate to for April revenue?”).

Build High-Velocity Forecasts: Maintain and update a rolling 12-month financial forecast—revising top-line projections, expense budgets, and cash-flow models on a monthly basis so we can pivot instantly.

KPI Dashboards to Win: Develop and distribute concise dashboards tracking realization rates, utilization, average case value, WIP aging, and collections. Present your analysis to the CEO and partners each month, highlighting where we’re winning—and where we need to double down.

2. Oversee Bookkeeping & Month-End Close

Team Leadership: Supervise a lean bookkeeping team (AP/AR, client ledgers, trust‐accounting). Instill a culture of accuracy, speed, and continuous improvement.

Month-End Mastery: Own the full month-end close process—reconcile G/L accounts, validate revenue recognition, and package financial statements (P&L, balance sheet, cash-flow) for immediate partner review.

Bulletproof Controls: Design, document, and enforce internal controls around billing cycles, collections escalation, and trust fund management so nothing slips through the cracks.

3. Implement Strategic Process Improvements

Collections Acceleration: Identify bottlenecks and spearhead a collections task force to reduce days-sales-outstanding.

Systems & Automation: Lead implementations of new financial tools. Whether it’s migrating from QuickBooks to Sage Intacct or integrating our case-management platform’s billing module, you’ll own the project plan, timeline, and training.

Comp-Plan Design: Partner with HR to craft bonus/incentive structures that directly tie attorney compensation to revenue metrics (e.g., realization-rate tiers, collections milestones). We want every attorney to feel financially motivated to “conquer” their practice area.

4. Be the Voice of Finance in Every Key Decision

M&A & Growth Projects: As we explore new product features or consider strategic partnerships (e.g., referral-network acquisitions), you’ll run pro forma models to illustrate impact on firm-wide profitability, cash needs, and ROI.

Budgeting & Capital Allocation: Drive our annual firm budget process. You’ll collaborate with department heads to allocate resources where they’ll generate the highest incremental return—no sacred cows.

Executive Reporting: Package quarterly “State of the Firm” financial decks for partner retreats, detailing key wins, challenges, and growth opportunities. Your analysis will shape where we invest next—whether it’s new hires, marketing channels, or additional software development.

Candidate Profile & Qualifications

1. Educational & Professional Credentials

• MBA: Preferably with a Finance, Accounting, or Strategic Management concentration from a top-tier program (ideally UT Austin McCombs, Texas A&M Mays, or similar). OR
• Financial / Accounting Experience: Experience in fast-growing companies, law firms, or SaaS.
• Accounting Foundation: Undergraduate degree in Accounting, Finance, or Economics is a plus. CPA or actively sitting for CPA exams is strongly preferred, though not strictly required.

2. Experience (1–3 Years)

3. Professional Services Exposure: 1–2 years as a Financial Analyst, Senior Accountant, or Assistant Controller—ideally in a law firm, consulting firm, or other professional services environment.

4. Supervisory Background: Demonstrated leadership of a small accounting/bookkeeping team (even if it was an internship or rotational role). You know how to delegate, train, and hold others accountable.

5. Hands-On FP&A: You’ve built dynamic financial models (revenue, expense, cash-flow) and run variance analyses—even if you weren’t the “final” presenter. You speak “Excel” fluently.

What You’ll Achieve in Your First 12 Months

• Forecast Engine Live: Build, present, and maintain a rolling 12-month forecast that leadership can use to make real-time decisions.
• Month-End Close—Slashed: Refine our close process so that financials are in partner hands no later than the 5th business day of each month (currently it takes 8–10 days).
• Revenue Target Alignment: Partner with every practice group to translate their case pipelines into monthly targets. Close any gap between budgeted vs. actual revenue by identifying at least three process fixes.
• Collections Reduction: Decrease AR aging above 90 days by 15–20% through a revamped collections escalation workflow.
• Comp-Plan Blueprint: Work with HR to design compensation and bonus structures that directly tie attorney compensation to revenue metrics.
• Controls: Ensure that all A/P, A/R, and reconciliations are done accurately and with minimal room for error.

Application Requirements

To be considered for this role, you must submit all of the following items. Applications missing any of these will not be reviewed:

• Resume
• Cover Letter that highlights your most ambitious accomplishment and explains why you’re hungry to help Zinda Law Group conquer the world of personal injury law and legal tech
• Sample Financial Models (e.g., budgeting/forecast spreadsheet, KPI dashboard) demonstrating your Excel/FP&A capabilities

Why You’ll Love This Role

Direct Impact on “Conquering the World”: Your work will fuel our aggressive growth plans—both for the firm and our proprietary AI tools. You won’t be a “behind-the-scenes” number-cruncher; you’ll be on the front lines of decision‐making.

High Visibility + Rapid Growth: You’ll have immediate access to firm leadership, and your recommendations will shape our trajectory. Perfect runway to accelerate your growth.

Innovation-First Culture: We’re investing heavily in technology (Zlayt AI, enhanced practice-management systems, automated reporting). You’ll have the chance to implement truly next-gen solutions, not just maintain legacy processes.

Compensation & Upside: Competitive base in the $70K–$85K range, plus an aggressive bonus structure tied to firm revenue and profitability. As we crush targets, you share in that success.

Our Core Principles

Quality Over Quantity: We prioritize delivering exceptional legal outcomes for every client rather than chasing volume.

Client-Centered Excellence: Every decision we make starts with what’s best for the client’s success and experience.

Innovation & Technology: We embrace cutting-edge tools—like Zlayt AI—to elevate our efficiency, accuracy, and competitive advantage.

Data-Driven Decisions: We rely on real-time analytics and predictive modeling to guide strategy, not gut feelings.

Hustle & Ownership: We hold ourselves to the highest workethic standards: take charge, iterate quickly, and never settle for “good enough.”

Continuous Improvement: We constantly refine processes, learn from mistakes, and implement scalable systems.

Collaboration & Accountability: We act as one team—partners, attorneys, staff—each owning outcomes, and we hold each other accountable for excellence.

Ready to join the charge? We’re moving fast—and we need someone who’s ready to sprint alongside us.