Marten enjoys a national reputation as a leader in environmental energy and natural resource law. Our team of lawyers includes recognized authorities in water resources and water quality air quality climate change wind and solar development endangered species forestry public lands fisheries environmental cleanup and environmental and energy project review and permitting. The firm has grown from its roots in the Pacific Northwest and today practices globally.
The firm has grown to the point where it recognizes the need to strengthen its finance department both by elevating the caliber of the team and strengthening internal processes. This is therefore a challenging opportunity to further professionalize a business that has grown organically and needs greater structure and stronger financial management.
The successful candidate will be a member of the firm s management team reporting to its equity owners and senior management team. The Controller will interface with the Executive Management Team and manage other professionals in the department. The successful applicant will be expected to work in the Seattle office five days per week and to occasionally travel.
Requirements
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
- Oversee the firm s accounting function including client billings accounts payable payroll tax compliance and other important functions
- Prepare accurate and timely accounting information both at month end and on an ad hoc basis as needed.
- Ensure effective internal controls are in place and operating as designed.
- Oversee payroll reporting and related tax compliance. Work with an outside CPA firm on all federal state and local tax reporting and compliance requirements.
- Review and manage large accounts receivable and unbilled work in progress to maximize collection and billing efforts.
- Maintain positive relationships with the firms primary financial institutions to maximize the firms cash management and keep all loans lines of credit and other financial obligations current and compliant with applicable agreements and restrictive covenants.
- Ensure the firm has adequate insurance protection for the risk tolerance defined by the firm s objectives.
- Supervise and mentor members of the accounting department.
- Communicate business insights to the firm s owners and management team in a way that improves the firm s profitability.
- Provide leadership in developing and continuously evaluating short and longterm strategic financial objectives (including developing appropriate performance metrics).
- Maintain open communication with the firm s owners and senior management so that they are up to date with all pertinent business issues.
- Develop evaluate and implement financial management tools including tools using the firm s cloudbased legal accounting/firm practice management software platform to timely report performance on all key law firm metrics including profitability forecasting utilization A/R A/P unbilled work in progress budget to actual on both hours and expenditures as well as other key client data.
Position Responsibilities:
- Oversee daily weekly monthly and annual accounting processes including timely payments to vendors and appropriate efforts to collect receivable.
- Financial reporting both internal and external.
- Forecasting budgeting and planning.
- Financial transaction analysis and reporting.
- Managing vendor relationships and other firm contracts.
- Client prebill and invoice creation editing and submission via USPS email and/or client websites.
- Banking including credit cards operating and trust accounts transfers ACH payments etc.
- Tax planning and compliance (in coordination with outside tax accountants).
Specific requirements:
- Experience working as the Controller or equivalent position of a rapidly growing multistate professional service firm.
- Demonstrated ability to add strengthen or automate processes needed to improve speed enhance internal controls and support and scale a growing firm. Strong preference for those candidates with experience working with key third party partners such as tax advisors payroll processors benefits consultants banks insurance brokers etc.
- Strong business acumen sound and consistent business judgment and an entrepreneurial mindset.
- CPA or MBA from a leading business program strongly preferred.
- 10 years of experience minimum; preference for experience in a law firm accounting department.
- High level of professional integrity and accountability.
- Outstanding communication skills (written verbal and presentation) with the ability to successfully advise senior management and favorably reflect the firm s image to outside parties.
- Exceptional ability to build credibility quickly and develop and maintain effective working relationships with individuals at all levels within the firm.
- Demonstrated ability to prioritize move things forward and get things done.
- Positive upbeat personality with creative problemsolving skills.
- Extensive experience and understanding of professional services businesses that generate revenue by billing for time incurred; strong preference for experience with SurePoint LMS or other Microsoft SQL based law firm management software such as ProLaw or Juris.
- Advanced Excel skills.
- Experience with creating and using budgeting and forecasting models to prepare annual operating budgets model yearend discretionary expenditure scenarios and prepare pro forma financials for strategic planning.
- Demonstrated success influencing decisions based on the use of data and other analytical tools.
Benefits
You can expect the following:
You can expect a respectful diverse working environment:
- Marten recognizes the importance of recruiting talented professionals from the widest possible range of backgrounds. Environmental issues cannot be decoupled with discrimination issues and we believe a core tenet of addressing systematic racism and discrimination is through representation. We continue to work towards our goal of employing a more representative diverse staff through our hiring process. We evaluate each applicant as an individual and consider not only their experience but also their potential.
- The firm is an equal opportunity employer. We believe every employee has the right to work in an environment that is free from all forms of discrimination. Consistent with applicable laws the firm makes all decisions involving any aspect of the employment relationship without regard to race; color; gender orientation and identity; religion; age; marital status; national origin citizenship or immigration status; the presence of any sensory mental or physical disability; genetic information; honorably discharged veteran or military status; family relationship or status; political ideology; status as a victim of violent crime including domestic violence harassment sexual or stalking; offduty use of illegal substances; or any status or characteristic not listed above that is protected by applicable local state or federal law. Discrimination and/or harassment based on any of those factors are inconsistent with our business philosophy and will not be tolerated.
- Applicants must be able to pass a background check and drug test and are expected to be truthful in all respects throughout the interview process.
Experience growing a multi-state and/or international professional service firm. Strong strategic-thinking ability and business acumen, sound and consistent business judgment, entrepreneurial mindset. CPA or MBA from a leading business program strongly preferred. Minimum of 10 years of experience; preference for law firm leadership background. High level of professional integrity and accountability. Outstanding communication skills (written, verbal and presentation) with the ability to successfully advise senior management and favorably reflect the firm s image to outside parties. Exceptional ability to build credibility quickly and develop and maintain effective working relationships with individuals at all levels within the firm. Demonstrated ability to prioritize, move things forward and get things done. Positive, upbeat personality with creative problem-solving skills. Extensive experience and understanding of time and billing software systems required; strong preference for significant experience with SurePoint LMS or other Microsoft SQL based law firm management software such as ProLaw or Juris. Advanced Excel skills. Experience with creating and using budgeting and forecasting models to prepare annual operating budgets, model year-end discretionary expenditure scenarios and prepare pro forma financials for strategic planning. Demonstrated success influencing decisions based on the use of data and other analytical tools.