Commercial Billing Accountant

A newly created opportunity is available for a commercially minded Accountant to join an impressive growing business based in Darlington. The Group has gone from strength to strength exceeding growth targets and this role has become available to help facilitate further growth plans.

Role purpose

To take end-to-end ownership of commercial billing control, ensuring that complete and accurate billing values are obtained, validated and approved on time. The role is responsible for internal billing coordination and challenge, oversight of client billing issues, leadership of the accounts receivable activity, and preparation and maintenance of the full-company cash flow forecast for weekly review with the Financial Controller.

Key responsibilities

• Billing control: Own the monthly billing cycle and timetable across the allocated entities, clients and contracts, ensuring all required information is received, reviewed and approved before invoicing.
• Internal coordination: Proactively chase operational and commercial teams for billing values, purchase orders, approvals and supporting evidence. Challenge incomplete, inconsistent or unsupported submissions.
• Value validation: Corroborate proposed billing against contracts, prior periods, service information and other available evidence, investigating unusual movements or omissions before approving information for processing.
• Billing instructions: Maintain a complete and current record of customer-specific billing rules, contacts, portals, deadlines, purchase order requirements, invoice wording and supporting documentation.
• Invoice oversight: Provide confirmed billing information to the Accounts Receivable Clerk, monitor invoice completion and resolve internal issues that prevent accurate or timely billing.
• Queries and disputes: Oversee the resolution of customer billing queries and disputed invoices, coordinating internal input, monitoring ageing and ensuring corrective action is completed promptly.
• Cash flow forecasting: Produce and maintain the full-company cash flow forecast, incorporating expected customer receipts, supplier payments, payroll, tax, funding and other known cash movements.
• Weekly cash review: Review the cash flow forecast with the Financial Controller each week, explain material changes and variances, highlight liquidity risks and agree follow-up actions.
• Receivables oversight: Review aged debt, promises to pay, overdue actions, disputed items and collection risks with the Accounts Receivable Clerk. Define clear escalation routes and thresholds for overdue invoices, ensure agreed escalations are carried out promptly when those thresholds are reached, and provide direction on further action where required.
• Line management and cover: Set priorities for the Accounts Receivable Clerk, provide support and development, review performance of the process, ensure appropriate handover arrangements and provide operational cover during periods of leave.
• Reporting: Prepare concise and accurate reporting for the Financial Controller and Finance Director on billing status, unbilled values, aged debt, disputes, cash expectations and key risks.
• Controls and improvement: Maintain a clear audit trail, support month-end reporting and reconciliations, and identify opportunities to automate, standardise and strengthen billing, AR and cash forecasting processes.

Key relationships

Financial Controller, Finance Director, Accounts Receivable Clerk, operational teams, account or contract leads, other finance colleagues, customers where escalation or clarification is required, and external system or Sage support partners.

Skills and experience

• Relevant experience in commercial billing, revenue, management accounts, accounts receivable or financial control.
• Practical experience of preparing and maintaining cash flow forecasts.
• Strong analytical skills and confidence investigating movements, variances and incomplete information.
• Advanced or strong intermediate Excel skills; experience of Sage 200, Power BI or Power Platform tools and Co-Pilot would be advantageous.
• Ability to build effective working relationships while providing appropriate challenge and maintaining deadlines.
• Clear written and verbal communication, sound judgement and the confidence to elevate risks.
• High level of accuracy, personal ownership and process discipline.
• Part-qualified, qualified by experience or holding a relevant accounting qualification.

This company offers fantastic benefits, career progression and a competitive salary. It is an exciting time to join the business and a great opportunity to shape a new role, strengthen commercial control and make a visible contribution to billing performance and cash management across the business.