Secretarial Services Manager

**Why Baker McKenzie?**

At Baker McKenzie not only do we pride ourselves on leading pay and a great culture, joining a leading Global Law firm provides unique development opportunities to grow in a highly supportive working environment throughout all stages of your life. We know our people value flexibility around when and where they work. We are committed to offering a more adaptable way to work, and we call this bAgile. As a highly valued employee we will also provide you with an extensive range of wellbeing, recognition & benefits offerings.

**The Role**

We are seeking a Secretarial Services Manager to join our Sydney office. This role will manage the provision of secretarial resources for the Firm's Australian offices, playing a pivotal role in ensuring that secretarial support for Partners and Associates is appropriately delivered. This role takes responsibility for the efficiency and streamlining of all secretarial and administrative support services, to ensure that value is optimised.

**Responsibilities**

Key duties of the role include but not limited to:

- Lead and develop the structure, operations, quality and value of the secretarial services team in the Australian office, managing the team as a "business operation" serving internal clients to an agreed scope of work, service level, quality and cost
- Develop an annual business plan for the secretarial services team, including ratios (current and desired), headcount (current and planned) and cost analysis, based on movements in the business and workload/capacity.
- Review secretarial and administrative services in line with business needs, and make recommendations to implement and drive changes as required
- Oversee secretarial-related activities to ensure the efficiency and effectiveness of processes and working methods
- Act as a conduit between the Practice Groups and Professional & Business Services (PBS) functions to facilitate key administrative processes that impact the secretarial services teams, such as offshore Finance and Document Services
- Regularly review the structure and workload across the practice groups and make recommendations around headcount needs, working effectiveness and skill levels within the context of the budget, market trends and technology impact
- Undertake ad hoc projects as required, supporting the introduction of new processes, structures, or technologies through communication, training, etc.
- Work with relevant functions to organise annual learning and training for secretaries
- Work closely with Talent Management to manage the recruitment of secretaries and assist with the onboarding/settling-in period, including attending regular new starter catch-ups
- Manage the performance and salary review process for secretarial services in line with the Firm's guidelines
- Ensure strong performance is recognised and rewarded, and proactively manage low/underperformance and handle employee issues with sensitivity
- Act as the key contact for all secretaries
- Align the secretarial services team with the Firm's overall strategy, goals, and objectives, as well as its global administrative policies and procedures

**What we're looking for**
- Strong team leadership and management experience, working in a coordinator, supervisor or manager role (or similar), ideally in a professional services environment;
- Experience leading and managing a functional area of business (e.g. secretarial services, operations, etc.) is desirable
- Demonstrated experience in developing or enhancing the quality/delivery of services;
- Excellent leadership skills
- Strong interpersonal and stakeholder management skills with the ability to influence and build relationships at all levels across the Firm
- Demonstrated numerical, analytical and written skills
- Good working knowledge of IT systems and software packages
- Demonstrable understanding of working within a partnership structure
- High levels of proactivity and a 'can-do' attitude
- Good presentation skills and the ability to adapt and evolve to internal and market changes
- Team-oriented, proactive and able to change direction quickly to meet the dynamic needs of the Firm and its clients
- Proven ability to effectively manage competing priorities
- Strong judgment and ability to make well-reasoned, independent decisions

**About the function**

Our Operations function supports and manages the day-to-day operations of the firm, providing expert and in-market support regarding office management, office services, facilities, real estate management, risk management, and secretarial and administrative services.

**About the Firm**

At Baker McKenzie, we are different in the way we think, work and behave. The first local, truly global law firm in Australia, we commenced operations in Sydney in 1964, in Melbourne in 1982 and in Brisbane in 2014. Our lawyers work seamlessly with our global colleagues, collectively providing a capacity of more than 13,000 people, including over 6,500 lawyers