Controller

***(DC or NYC)

Reporting to the Chief Financial Officer, the Controller is responsible for the firm’s global financial operations, including accounting, compliance and treasury, across 16 international offices. The role requires a seasoned financial leader with extensive experience in global financial operations management, accounting, treasury and financial strategy within a large, complex organization.

The Controller will lead a global team of approximately 40 individuals, including 8-10 direct reports and is responsible for defining team objectives by developing both short-term and long-term goals in support of firm goals.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

ACCOUNTING OPERATIONS

• Oversee operational accounting responsibilities managed by local Finance Managers, including cash receipts, accounts payable, payroll and related general ledger activities

• Oversee the timely and effective U.S. and international employee payroll payment process, including Workday Payroll, finance and banking systems integration, wire transfers, and check generation

• Responsible for timely and efficient vendor and expense payment processing through Chrome River, including partnering with Procurement Team to ensure optimal use of systems and processes related to the purchasing and payables process

• Standardize department and office expense reporting, supporting the firm’s CFO, COO and Global Operations Committee expense analysis and review.

• Key contributor in systems upgrades, when applicable, managing and testing for all areas within the accounting operations team.

INTERNAL CONTROLS AND COMPLIANCE

• Oversee successful completion of year-end global and local statutory audits, including employee benefit plan audits.

• Ensure compliance with all relevant accounting standard and regulatory requirements.

• Ensure all business activities are executed with strong internal control discipline

• Work closely with Global Risk Team and General Counsel’s Office, where necessary to ensure finance policies and procedures adequately mitigate risk of fraud and other finance-related risks

TREASURY

• Oversee the firm’s global treasury operations, including cash management, liquidity management and risk management.

• Develop and maintain relationships with global banking partners to optimize banking services and reduce financial cost

• Ensure adherence to global treasury policies developed by Treasury Manager, including FX and hedging strategies, to mitigate currency risks

• Oversee the firm’s agreements with financial institutions, including committed line of credit and review of related quarterly compliance reporting prepared by Treasury Manager.

TEAM LEADERSHIP AND DEVELOPMENT

• Lead and mentor a highly capable group of finance team members and managers, fostering a culture of high performance and continuous improvement and ensuring alignment of financial practices and goals

• Review department staff capabilities and recommend improvements and development plans, when necessary.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

The Controller is a hands-on position requiring a confident and self-starting team player with the ability to advance the capabilities of this longstanding function. The successful candidate will need to have strong people-management skills and possess an analytical and practical approach to problem-solving. The ability to build rapport and collegial working relationships with coworkers and partners across departments is critical.

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance, CPA required (MBA preferred).

• A minimum of 10 years of professional services industry experience (legal service industry preferred but not required), with notable experience in treasury. Big 4 Accounting experience a plus, but not required.

• Experience with law firm technology such as Aderant and high proficiency in Microsoft Excel.

• Experience handling multiple international currencies.

• Excellent analytical, strategic planning and communication skills.

• Extensive experience in developing, implementing and automating processes and controls in a dynamic environment.

• Strong work ethic, attention to detail, and organizational skills, including the ability to work independently, consult with appropriate management team, and multi-task.

• Proven success mentoring, developing and managing a team.

• Excellent problem-solving skills, with the ability to adapt in a fast-paced, high-pressure, and deadline-driven environment; anticipate requirements and consistently deliver exceptional customer service.
• Exceptional oral and written communication skills with the ability to effectively collaborate within a diverse cultural business environment (including directly with the client).
• Superb interpersonal skills with the ability to build consensus-based support for goals and processes.
• Ability to both inspire confidence and maintain confidentiality.