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Billings Manager

Kirkland, WA

Who We Are

About Sweeney Conrad

At Sweeney Conrad, our foundation of “people first” begins with our employees—because we know the success of our firm stems from the relationships within it. We consider our employees family and foster a positive work culture, encouraging a healthy balance between work and life; building a career over having a job; continuing education and skill development; and being actively involved in the Puget Sound community where we live, work, and play.

We’re proud of our employees and our culture and have been recognized by Accounting Today as one of the “Best Accounting Firms to Work For” and by Puget Sound Business Journal as one of “Washington’s Best Workplaces”. For more information, visit www.sweeneyconrad.com.

About Ascend

Backed by private equity from people-focused Alpine Investors, Ascend is building a dynamic platform for regional accounting firms that enables them to stay independent while accessing the resources of a Top 25 firm to help them grow. Ascend provides access to growth capital, robust talent acquisition and training, leading quality management resources, best-of-breed technology, AI tools, an offshore captive, shared back-office services, a catalytic leadership system, and modernized equity incentives so that firms can surmount today’s industry challenges to reach their full potential. For more information, visit www.ascendtogether.com.

 

Billing Manager

We’re looking for a hands‑on, systems‑savvy Billing Manager to own Sweeney Conrad’s end‑to‑end billing and accounts receivable (A/R) operations. You will run a disciplined prebill-to-cash process, partner closely with Partners and other partner firm Billing Managers, and use CCH Axcess Practice to drive accuracy, speed, and profitability in our billing cycle. You’ll also improve cash flow by tightening our DSO and AR aging, modernizing client payment options, and elevating visibility with actionable reporting across the firm.

Responsibilities:

Billing Operations & Client Invoicing

  • Own the monthly billing calendar—collect prebills, lead review meetings with engagement leaders, finalize, and post invoices on schedule. Use CCH Axcess tools (e.g., Billing Wizard, Billing Groups, invoice templates/master paragraphs, recurring/progress bills) to standardize and accelerate workflow.
  • Ensure accurate engagement setup (fee arrangements, rates, billing addresses, tax settings) and maintain clean client/billing data for reporting and profitability analysis in Axcess Practice.

WIP, Prebills & Profitability

  • Monitor WIP daily; perform WIP enquiries and filters to surface billable items, scope creep, and budget variances before billing. Recommend writeups/downs with clear rationale; document all adjustments.
  • Track realization and margin trends by client, engagement, partner, and service line; educate teams on drivers and alternatives (e.g., value pricing, fixed fees) to support profitable growth.

Collections & Cash Applications

  • Lead collections with a professional, relationship‑oriented approach; segment accounts, set contact cadences, and partner with engagement leaders to resolve disputes quickly.
  • Reduce Days Sales Outstanding (DSO) and AR > 90 days through targeted tactics (e.g., earlier billing milestones, progress billing, clearer terms, modern payment methods).
  • Oversee daily cash receipts tracking, ensuring all deposits are accurately logged and properly allocated; reconcile cash tracker against Practice Engine cash receipts monthly and manage exceptions including returned deposits and unidentified payments.

Accounts Payable & Expense Management

  • Own paying, posting, and tracking firm invoices in alignment with our firm budget.
  • Support approving and monitoring submitted expense reports that align with our firm budget.
  • Prepare and file monthly reports with the Washington State Department of Revenue (WA DOR) for both firm entities (Inc. and CPA LLP); manage excise tax returns and use tax compliance, including monitoring AP invoices for applicable tax obligations.
  • Conduct annual reconciliation of accounts with the Washington State Department of Revenue.
  • Manage quarterly and annual Business & Occupation (B&O) tax filings across multiple Washington jurisdictions (including Bellevue, Seattle, Bellingham, Issaquah, Tacoma, and Mercer Island) and maintain associated business license renewals; coordinate annual income apportionment calculations for out-of-state filings.

Systems, Data & Process Improvement

  • Be our in-house CCH Axcess Practice expert—optimize configurations, security roles, and dashboards; champion time entry compliance and month end cutoffs to improve data integrity.
  • Standardize firmwide billing SOPs (prebill reviews, approval thresholds, credit memos, reversals) and leverage Axcess features for audit trail and efficiency.
  • Partner with Operations/IT on integrations (e.g., Portal, payments) and continuously improve performance (e.g., large Billing Groups handling, historical references).

The successful candidate will have:

  • Bachelor’s degree in accounting, Finance, or related field.
  • 5+ years of billing/AR leadership in professional services (public accounting preferred).
  • Deep, hands-on expertise with CCH Axcess™ Practice (time & billing, WIP, prebills, invoices, adjustments, billing groups, reporting).
  • Proven results improving DSO, AR aging, and billing cycle time.
  • Advanced Excel (pivot tables, lookups), strong data hygiene mindset, and comfort with payment tech.
  • Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills; able to navigate partner level conversations with clarity and diplomacy, and client AP stakeholders.

While not required, the following skills would be considered an asset

  • Exposure to pricing models in CPA firms (hourly, fixed fee, value pricing) and their impact on realization/gross margin.
  • Experience with client procurement/e billing portals (POs, vendor onboarding) and dispute resolution workflows.
  • Familiarity with Axcess training resources (e.g., CCH Axcess Practice—Biller curriculum) and release enhancements.
  • Exposure to Washington State business tax compliance (B&O, excise/use tax, multi-jurisdictional DOR filings); comfort managing deadline-driven compliance calendars is a plus.

Benefits

The pay range for this role is $85,000 - $100,000 per year. This range includes the anticipated low and high end of the pay range for this position. Actual compensation may vary based on various factors, including experience, education, and/or skill level.

For employees working 30 or more hours per week, we offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, and vision coverage, as well as dependent coverage; Health Care and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts; and employer-paid life and disability insurance; and a 401(k) plan with employer match. We also provide flexible time off (PTO) and 12 paid holidays.

At Ascend, we provide a fair and equal employment opportunity for all candidates regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, age, marital status, disability, or any other legally protected characteristic. Ascend hires and promotes individuals solely based on qualifications for the position to be filled and business needs.

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