Debt Control Assistant

Knights has always done things differently; in 2012, we were the first organisation of our type in the UK legal sector to attract private equity investment, enabling us to move from the traditional partnership model to a corporate structure, creating a clear separation between management/ownership and fee earners.

The success of our model was reflected in very attractive growth over the following 6 years and since our listing on the AIM market in June 2018, we have reported year on year growth in both turnover and profits.

With over 1450 colleagues across 26 locations and our strong organic growth, combined with a number of high-quality recent acquisitions in Newcastle, Bristol, Lincoln, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Nottingham, Exeter, Weybridge, Sheffield, York and Teesside means we are now a more diversified business with strengthened positions in our key target markets. We have the team and financial resources in place to deliver our organic and acquisitive growth strategy as we scale up to be the leading legal and professional services business outside London.

Our business model and culture remain a clear differentiator from many legal services businesses enabling us to recruit individuals who wish to work in a modern professional services business.

Due to team expansion we are now looking to recruit a key role within our Business Operations team which is set out below.

What will I be doing?

You will be liaising extensively with the portfolio of debtors (individuals and companies) via telephone, email and/or letter in order to effectively recover money that is owed to the business within the agreed payment terms, whilst adhering to the payment request timetable.

Main responsibilities:

• Building and maintaining sustainable relationships with our Client Service Directors and your other Knights colleagues nationwide, in order to obtain the most effective and efficient results in cash collections.
• Investigating and resolving queries, negotiating, and agreeing payment dates. Complex issues will arise from time to time, where you will need to consult with senior team members for clarification and resolution.
• Liaising internally with various teams within Knights Legal Services from Operations to our extensive Legal teams.
• Recognising early warning signs of a an individual and or company in distress that may prevent the debt being paid when it falls due.
• Consulting with others at all levels, in order to agree a consensual approach in order to reduce our exposure/risk to the business.
• To be involved in the decision-making process in respect of customers that are inactive, ensuring we recover monies owed to the business and mitigating further possible loss.
• Escalating accounts for legal recovery, continuing to be aware of those accounts throughout the process, and maintaining awareness and possible involvement if the case proceeds to court. This includes assisting in responding to points raised, if a defence is filed and where guidance may need to be sought from senior team members.
• Organising and managing own workload that fall outside of the chase timetable, always ensuring a very high standard of customer service is maintained.
• Carrying out administrative tasks with a large amount of digital paperwork and spreadsheets.
• Dealing with queries in a timely manner.
• Supporting and buddying new team members and providing training on new tasks where necessary.

What we ask of you:

• Strong communication skills, both verbal and written with a proven ability to problem solve and work in a dynamic environment.
• High standards of attention to detail.
• Ability to process in high volumes.
• Working within an office environment and a similar industry would be advantageous.

Experience required:

• You must be computer literate and be familiar with Microsoft applications – Excel, Outlook and Word.
• Experienced and comfortable with working on the telephone in both incoming and outgoing calls.
• Extensive administrative experience.
• Credit control background is of help.
• Working within an office environment and a similar industry would be advantageous.

We offer a unique environment; you will be part of a one team culture that promotes direct responsibility with an expectation to always deliver the best service possible for clients within a collegiate, team-based environment.

Most excitingly of all, you have the opportunity to help change the way we all think about and deliver the future of legal and professional services in a friendly, caring business, with little (if any) hierarchy. Our culture of positivity and transparency, provides a great platform for the right people to take their careers to the next level.