Working Capital Controller

Job description / Role

A Working Capital Controller is required to manage the billing and collection function for all of the Middle East offices. The position reports to the Financial Controller, Middle East and supervises a team of five (four based in Dubai and one in Riyadh).

The Working Capital Controller is expected to maintain a high profile presence across the offices. This will require regular travel within the region.
- Liaise directly with clients and develop relationships with stakeholders in key client organisations to facilitate the billing and collection process.
- Provide training and guidance to secretaries and new starters on billing procedures, time recording and other working capital matters.
- Manage a team of five working capital coordinators and have responsibility for work allocation within the team along with line management responsibility for appraisals and performance management.
- Be involved in the preparation of bills. These may be highly complex with time breakdowns, and in differing formats in accordance with client billing arrangements.
- Instigate regular monthly and quarterly billing processes and ensure that bill narratives and rates are in accordance with client agreements.
- Take part in monthly Finance partners' meetings where you will provide updates on the working capital position and agree any remedial action required.
- Be responsible for the prompt resolution of billing queries, estimates, time transfers, creating Excel reports on ad hoc basis and assist partners with pricing analysis.
- Correspond with and chase overseas offices and counsel to obtain details of costs.
- Be required to be involved in client and matter profitability analysis, and in large client relationship reviews, working closely with the partners and with the Business Development team.
- Increasingly be involved at the start of matters in the review of engagement letters to ensure billing is set-up correctly at the start in terms of pricing and efficient billing logistics.
- Take part in the annual audit process assisting the Regional Financial Controller in the provision of information to the auditors for both management and statutory/tax audits.
- Take part in the provision of information during the internal audit process.
- Look for opportunities to improve billing and collection processes and implement best practice.

Intermittent travel to Saudi Arabia.

Requirements

- Bright, highly motivated and proactive self-starter, accustomed to working in a very busy environment.
- A graduate and have a minimum of three years' working capital experience.
- Have excellent interpersonal and influencing skills with the ability to communicate confidently with partners and senior staff within client organisations
- Have proven experience of working to and achieving deadlines.

About the Company

Oil and Gas exploration is evolving on a global scale, putting the need for specialist talent at the top of the agenda. Its a vast, political, complex, heavily candidate-lead market with the emphasis on dynamic, multiple project opportunities, rather than the pre-recession security of long-term positions.

For businesses, the need to innovate in emerging, competitive markets has put the pressure on and with major oil companies selling off their assets to smaller independent operators, the games gained plenty of new players too.