Commercial Assistant - German Desk

The Commercial Assistant sits within our Global Operational Hub in Warsaw and is part of the finance team. Working at Clifford Chance’s Global Operational Hub in Warsaw means working alongside our colleagues across the world on delivering the best possible client experience, whether it is about IT, Business Development, Finance, Compliance or Communications. You can be part of our goal to grow the hub gradually over time and to contribute to our firm’s ambition to be the greatest global law firm.

The specific purpose of this role is to assist finance and secretarial colleagues in Continental Europe (particularly Germany) and be able to work as part of a team to deliver work to tight deadlines. You will be assisting with, and taking ownership for, a range of activities across the order to cash cycle to drive efficiency and reduce lock-up.

You will predominantly be working with finance and secretarial colleagues from Continental Europe (particularly Germany) as well as the offshore team in Delhi, but you may also have contact with fee earners, including Partners when required.

Operational Activities and Tasks:
 

• Support the Matter Inception process and ensure matters are compliant with client agreements. This will include monitoring and chasing any missing client and matter billing information such as PO Numbers and Client Matter IDs;
• Enter and maintain fee-earner charge out rates, including where appropriate, working with the offshore team in Delhi to do so;
• Prepare WIP provision information and support colleagues with provisioning at month-end;
• Support with the preparation of client fee updates;
• End-to-end billing and collections support including finalising bills and performing billing reconciliations, chasing outstanding debt and escalating issues to senior team members; and
• Working with the Delhi cashiering team to support cash allocation, client to office transfers and client fund reimbursements.

Skills:

You should be familiar and confident in following a pre-determined set of processes.

You should have excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to escalate/collaborate with team members in achieving successful outcomes that meet business needs. You should possess the confidence to communicate with people at all levels both internally and externally.

You should be able to demonstrate excellent organisational skills, with an aptitude to understand new concepts quickly.

You will need a flexible working approach and be solution focused in delivering the role's responsibilities. 

You will be open to change and will demonstrate can-do attitude and proactive approach.

You will be motivated and have a willingness to learn. 

You demonstrate, attention to detail, commitment, high levels of accuracy and diligence.

Knowledge:

You are fluent or native in English and German.  Polish language skills would be desirable but not necessary.

You have very good knowledge and command of Microsoft Office tools (especially Excel) and have a certain affinity for IT systems.

You have a good understanding of the financial processes that underpin order to cash activities.

Qualifications/Experience:

Bachelor's degree in Business/ Accounting/ Finance/ Economics preferable.

Experience in commercial roles would be an advantage.

We are one of the largest international law firms in the world. With over 30 offices across the globe, we strive to exceed the expectations of our clients, providing them with the highest-quality advice and legal insight, which combines the firm’s global standards with in-depth local expertise.

Our firm, work and people span jurisdictions, cultures, and languages. We offer our clients a truly international perspective. We believe every career should be rewarding and stimulating - full of opportunities to learn, thrive, and grow. That’s why we’re so proud of our inclusive, friendly, and team-based approach to work.

Our one firm global strategy is focused on targeted growth led by the needs of our core clients, those who we can best support with the breadth and depth of Clifford Chance expertise, across the sectors and geographies, which matter most to them.

You’ll find our clients in commercial and industrial sectors, the financial investor community, governments, regulators, trade bodies, and not-for-profit organisations. But no matter who they are or why they’ve reached out to us, we provide a world-class service every step of the way. And that’s possible thanks to the entrepreneurial spirit and conscientious approach to work that you’ll find across all of our teams.

Whichever area of the business you join, you’ll become an integral part an innovative, diverse and ambitious team of people. Clifford Chance is a place where the brightest minds and the best of colleagues meet.

Equal Opportunities

At Clifford Chance, we understand that our true asset is our people. Inclusion is good for our team and their families, our firm and society.

We are committed to treating all employees and applicants fairly and equally regardless of their gender, gender identity and expression, marital or civil partnership status, race, colour, national or ethnic origin, social or economic background, disability, religious belief, sexual orientation, or age.  This applies to recruitment and selection, terms and conditions of employment including pay, promotion, training, transfer and every other aspect of employment.

We have a variety of flourishing employee networks. These networks are a place for colleagues to share experiences and advocate for change wherever they see an opportunity for improvement.

Our goal is to deliver an equality of opportunity, an equality of aspiration and an equality of experience to everyone who works in our firm. 

Find out more about our inclusive culture here.