Business Process Specialist

At Smith Debnam, our philosophy is simple - to provide the best possible value to our clients. We firmly believe that the key to delivering such a value is equally simple - the people who make it happen. Our professional service team, the attorneys, paralegals, and staff, are therefore our most important assets. We are committed to maintaining an environment that provides professional fulfillment, actively supports professional development, and communicates the value of each person's contributions.

Smith Debnam has been providing legal services to businesses and individuals in the Carolinas for more than 50 years. We provide employees with an enriching, professional work environment that rewards employee excellence, fosters teamwork, and supports professional development. Our employees also enjoy competitive salaries, quality benefit programs and flexible work hours.

Position Summary:

The Business Process Specialist will report to the Consumer Collections Practice Group Leader and be responsible for analyzing and improving business operations processes to identify opportunities and solutions to enhance efficiency and internal control. This role involves leveraging existing third-party software applications, evaluating and implementing new software solutions, improving existing processes, and identifying personnel training and development opportunities. This position will manage a small team of technical staff and direct prioritization of tasks and projects. The ideal candidate will possess strong analytical skills, a deep understanding of business systems, and familiarity with the underlying programming, and an aptitude for optimizing processes to drive operational efficiency.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with stakeholders across various departments to understand their needs and challenges with third-party software applications.
• Facilitate communication between teams to ensure alignment and support for process changes and software implementations.
• Act as a liaison between business units and IT to address any technical issues and ensure smooth operations.

Process Analysis and Improvement

• Analyze current business operations and workflows to identify inefficiencies and areas for improvement.
• Design and implement more efficient business processes to enhance productivity and streamline operations.
• Conduct regular reviews and audits of processes to ensure continued efficiency and effectiveness.

Software Utilization and Optimization:

• Assess existing third-party software applications to determine how they can be better utilized to meet business needs.
• Identify opportunities for automation within existing software systems and work to implement these solutions.
• Manage third party software vendors, working collaboratively with other Department Managers to effectively communicate needs and manage projects.
• Remain up to date with industry trends and advancements in software solutions to recommend new tools and technologies.

Software Evaluation and Implementation

• Evaluate and recommend new or replacement third-party software solutions that align with business goals and objectives.
• Lead the implementation of new software systems, including planning, testing, and rollout.
• Collaborate with IT and other departments to ensure successful integration of new solutions.

Personnel Training and Competency Development

• Identify training needs and competency gaps among personnel in the effective use of third-party software and/or the efficiency of general business processes.
• Develop and deliver training programs to enhance employees' skills and knowledge related to process and software use.
• Provide ongoing support and guidance to ensure effective adoption of new processes and tools.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, information technology, or other related field from an accredited college or university. Advanced degree or certification (e.g., Six Sigma, PMP) a plus.
• Experience in a similar role within the financial services or legal industries.
• Previous experience in business process analysis, process improvement, project management, and systems optimization.
• Experience in understanding and defining specific business objectives and performing related needs assessment to identify related software functionality requirements.
• Strong knowledge of and/or demonstrated ability to understand third-party software applications and experience with software evaluation and implementation.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills with strong attention to detail.
• Ability to design and implement efficient business processes and workflows with requisite internal controls that meet regulatory compliance and client standards.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills to effectively collaborate with stakeholders, communicate with and direct vendors and fellow employees, and create and deliver training and instruction.
• Self-motivated and highly driven to achieve departmental goals.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with Visio or other process mapping tools.
• Experience with workflow automation (e.g., SharePoint), SQL Server databases and related analysis and reporting tools, and leveraging Excel to standardize/automate tasks.
• General familiarity with operational automation tools and technologies.