Billing Executive

The Economist is a leading source of analysis on international business and world affairs, published weekly in print and digital editions, and daily through our apps and websites. We deliver our information through a range of formats, from newspapers and magazines to conferences, films and audio. What ties us together is the objectivity of our opinion, the originality of our insight and our advocacy of economic and political freedom around the world.

The Billing Executive works in the Sales Services team within the Client Solutions team. The Sales Services team is responsible for providing support to the sales teams globally from order to invoice, and for advertising revenue reporting on a global basis across print, digital and online platforms. Additionally, the team is responsible for processing Daily Sales Orders (DSO) for other parts of the business. Finally, the team performs an important role in data quality of the customer database, as well as checking invoices prior to dispatching to clients.

How will you contribute?

Invoicing

• Carry out pre-billing checks prior to invoice runs checking for commissions, local taxes, completeness of addresses, etc.
• Produce weekly, quarterly and annual invoicing from the Elan booking and invoicing system for any product processed by the Sales Services team.
• Dispatch invoices, voucher copies and tear-sheets to customers as required.
• Prepare pre-payment invoices when required to gain payment from customers.
• Handle voucher copy requests from clients and Sales teams, and manage copy archive

Order processing

                -    Reserve positions and handling the queuing process of positions in all publications

      -    Receive advertising orders and checking that all necessary back-up documents have been provided by the sales team

      -    Process and prioritise advertising orders according to strict deadlines

      -    Seeking credit approval for new clients or ensuring that pre-payment is received prior to publication

      -    Responsible for entering the order details accurately, clarifying any ambiguity, and liaise with the Ad Production teams to ensure successful delivery.

                -    Handle queries arising from order input

DSO process

• Reviewing opportunities in Salesforce to ensure that they are in line with signed contracts for billing and revenue recognition purposes
• Approving opportunities and generating invoice instructions for Billing team
• Liaising with different parts of the business to generate correct product codes
• Assist with credit and rebill matters: reopening opportunities and updating information
• Assist in guiding Sales teams from contract signing to invoicing
• Liaise with Sales, Finance and Billing teams to facilitate the Salesforce process

Other duties as and when required

• Provide analysis and reports from Qlikview and Elan as required on a weekly, monthly or ad hoc basis for sales teams, finance teams or directors.
• Assist in keeping the customer database up to date and clean, and participate in data cleansing when required.
• Assist with system testing as required
• Assist or provide cover for other team members as necessary.
• Other tasks as required by the Billing Manager or Sales Services Manager

The ideal skills for this role are:

• Educated to at least A level (maths), or the equivalent
• Finance or accountancy related background desirable
• Experience of working with databases and data entry is a must
• Experience of working in a multi-currency support function
• Experience of publishing desirable by not essential
• Experience in a sales support function desirable but not essential
• Knowledge of reconciling numbers effectively
• Experience of presenting numbers to stakeholders effectively
• Good working knowledge of Microsoft Office package (Excel in particular) essential
• Experience in using reporting packages an advantage (Qlikview, Business Objects)
• Attention to detail and an organised and methodical approach
• Numerate - good with numbers
• Process driven attitude
• Be proactive and responsive team player
• Strong interpersonal & communication skills, both verbal and written
• Strong customer service ethic
• Ability to work with sales teams from around the world
• Ability to work to a high level of accuracy and under the pressure of deadlines
• Professional, flexible and conscientious approach