Billing Manager

Sidley Austin•New York, NY

8d•$170,000 - $190,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Billing Manager oversees and coordinates the activities of the billing team while working closely with fellow Billing Managers in a highly collaborative and cross-functional environment. This role is responsible for managing workloads, ensuring the timely and accurate issuance of invoices in alignment with client deadlines and the Firm’s internal accounting close calendar, and serving as a key liaison for the Firm’s partners. The Billing Manager also leads efforts in staff recruitment, training, supervision, and professional development. This position is highly visible and requires a strong leader with the ability to prioritize, plan, and direct the department. The Billing Manager must be very organized and collaborative, comfortable interacting with partners and senior management, and must be able to manage multiple priorities in a fast paced, complex environment.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or other Business field, or equivalent work experience
A minimum of 7 years of relevant experience in role with significant operational and supervisory responsibilities
Demonstrated ability to effectively communicate verbally and in writing with senior management, and to work collaboratively across departments and with multiple stakeholders
Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, Access, and Adobe Acrobat
Strong organizational skills
Strong attention to detail
Good judgment
Strong interpersonal communication skills
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
Able to work harmoniously and effectively with others
Able to preserve confidentiality and exercise discretion
Able to work under pressure
Able to manage multiple projects with competing deadlines and priorities

Nice To Haves

Work in a law firm or other professional services firm
Experience with eBilling Hub, and electronic billing vendor sites
Experience with Elite 3E

Responsibilities

Maintain a comprehensive understanding of complex clients, billing arrangements, Outside Counsel Guidelines (OCGs,) and e-billing challenges to proactively anticipate risks, and ensure appropriate resources are focused on managing the successful execution of managing risks and issues
Monitor operating metrics to identify delays and bottlenecks in invoice processing
Direct billing staff to complete activities in a timely and efficient manner – focused on meeting key deadlines and service expectations
Manage escalation of issues requiring support from other team members and functions to ensure issues are identified appropriately and in a timely manner
Ensure that billing staff follows up on and resolves rejected invoices, unallocated and unapplied balances and bill packet preparations
Oversee the workload of team members and collaborating with the broader billing management team to balance work by identifying available resources; allocate work accordingly and oversee clean transitions
Ensure accurate and efficient preparation of client invoices. Follow up with the Billing Partners and/or their delegates; escalate to office or practice leadership, as necessary
Provide mentoring, coaching and career development direction for the members of the department to provide service excellence to all internal and external clients. Complete annual performance reviews for the billing staff
Work in a collaborative fashion with other departments within the revenue cycle (conflicts and new business, financial terms management, pricing, e-billing, accounts receivable, and revenue management) to minimize potential delays in the billing/collection cycle
Identify and evaluate ways to improve accuracy and efficiency of the billing process, collaborate to ensure best practices are implemented, and lead the implementation efforts
Monitor adherence to Accounting policies and procedures.
Other duties as assigned.