Secretarial Manager – Legal or Professional Services
My client, an international law firm with offices throughout the UK is seeking to appoint an experienced Manager to oversee the secretarial function for two of its busiest divisions. This is a newly created role so initially for a period of 12 months with a view to becoming a permanent role.
Reporting to the Senior Secretarial Manager and manging up to 30 direct reports, this is an exciting opportunity to join a world renown law firm and really utilise your management experience.
Based in London 4 days per week (1 day work from home), the scope of the role involves frequent travel to other UK offices in the group.
The Secretarial Manager will support the Practice Group Leads on all managerial aspects and pastoral care. The ideal candidate will demonstrate effective leadership, serving as a positive role model who inspires their team. They should exhibit motivation, strategic thinking, and a collaborative approach to implementing change initiatives. We seek a professional who approaches challenges creatively, develops innovative solutions, and drives continuous improvement within the administrative function. The Secretarial Manager will work closely with the Practice Managers to become the operational hub of the Practice Group
Key Areas of Responsibility:
* Oversee and optimise the BigHand digital workflow management system to ensure usage and efficient task allocation and completion.
* Provide direct supervision and professional development for Practice Support Executives within the Practice Group.
* Provide Practice Support Workflow Coordinators (PSWC) with operational guidance and implementation support.
* Oversee and optimise the BigHand digital workflow management system to ensure usage and efficient task allocation and completion.
* Accountable for continuous improvement through the identification and execution of process enhancements.
Responsibilities:
Provide direct line management to the PSWC's and PSE's covering:
* Conducting continuous career conversations.
* Navigating formal performance and conduct procedures.
* Conducting salary reviews and annual performance evaluations ensuring consistency across the population.
* Implementing targeted training and development programmes.
* Facilitating coaching and mentoring relationships.
* Assessing staffing requirements and resource allocation needs.
* Delivering outcomes and ensuring actions from staff surveys.
Additionally:
* Cultivate a unified team culture that promotes collaboration and cohesion among the secretarial support team.
* Coordinate and lead monthly PSWC Leadership and PSE meetings, preparing agendas, documenting minutes, assigning action items, and advancing innovation and process enhancement.
* Establish effective partnerships with Practice Group Leaders and Divisional Leads.
* Participate in Practice Group meetings to enhance visibility and gain an understanding of, and effectively manage, departmental needs.
* Develop connections with Business Services colleagues to comprehend service delivery requirements and identify opportunities to enhance stakeholder support
Personal attributions and experience:
* Experience of managing a secretarial team.
* Demonstrated ability in leading teams effectively within a professional services environment.
* Experience of delivering results using a workflow such as BigHand and utilizing reporting data for informed business decision-making.
* Effective in change management and project delivery initiatives.
* Notable communication and relationship-building capabilities, with demonstrated effectiveness across all organisational levels.
* Proficiency in maintaining performance excellence under time constraints and critical deadlines.
* Skilled at cultivating stakeholder engagement throughout the organisation, particularly with secretarial personnel and partners.
* Demonstrated ability to inspire and cultivate commitment within secretarial teams.
* Refined interpersonal approach characterised by discretion, diplomacy and unwavering confidentiality.
* Self-directed professional who exercises expert judgement and constructively challenges established practices.
* Highly developed organisational capabilities and time management proficiency.
* Commitment to remaining current with industry trends and market developments.
* Versatile, professional demeanour with an initiative-driven mindset.
In return, you can expect a competitive salary and benefits package, excellent working conditions, opportunities to travel to other sites to support your direct reports and effect change and improvements.
If this sounds like the job you have been waiting for then apply now for immediate consideration