Operations and Practice Support Manager

We are looking for an Operations and Practice Support Manager to join our highly regarded Disputes & Risk practice group in either our Bristol or London office, offering hybrid working.

Reporting into the Practice Group's Operations Director, this role will provide both strategic and operational management support to the Disputes & Risk Practice Group as well as management responsibility for the PA team in the Group.

Key Responsibilities

Operations Management

the Operations and Practice Support Manager is a trusted advisor to the Practice Group's leadership team and Partners working with them to deliver the actions that delivery on strategic objectives, including optimising the productivity and profitability of the Practice Group. You will work closely with other members of the Practice Group's management team - Operations Director, Operations and Practice Support Manager, HR Business Partner, Finance Business Partner, Senior Business Development Manager, and Head of D&R Knowledge) as well as other Partners.

Role will include (but not be limited to):

• Working with the Operations Director, (OD) Practice Group Head and Service Line Leaders (SLL) to prepare annual and 5-year business plans
• Responsibility for driving the successful delivery of elements of the business plans
• Working with the six Partners who lead the Service Lines (Commercial Disputes, Regulatory Disputes, IP, Property Disputes, Construction & Engineering Disputes, Restructuring & Insolvency) on operational / day to day issues
• With the OD and SLL identifying areas for improvements in operational best practice and/or process improvements, including implementing areas for the use of technology, for effective delivery of client service
• Leading preparation and coordination of Practice Group communications to effectively cascade key messages
• Working with Finance and PAs to ensure good monthly financial management across the Practice Group
• Oversight of the planning and organisation of the Practice Group's annual Away Day with support from an Executive Assistance and events team
• Collaborating with Operations Managers in other Practice Groups to ensure consistency of approach, and use of best practice between all four Practice Groups.
• Working with Risk and Compliance team to proactively identify operational risks and escalate to management as appropriate
• Supporting the implementation of firm-wide initiatives

Practice Support Management

The Operations and Practice Support Manager is also responsible for managing the Practice Group's PA team to deliver a high level of client service to the Practice Group's clients and fee earners. The emphasis of the role is to lead, manage and develop individuals and teams.

Duties will include (but not be limited to):

• Direct line management of the Senior PA Resource Coordinators (SPARCs) and overall line management of the Practice Group's 30+ PAs
• Meeting with Service Line Leaders and SPARCs regularly to discuss PA resourcing needs and maintain a high level of service
• Developing best practice for key procedures, such as file management, WIP management, and billing
• Identifying skills gaps and training needs, and creating a development programme to address these needs
• Supporting SPARCs to maintain efficient, effective and motivated teams, encourage and positively influence morale
• Guiding SPARCs in addressing performance and behavioural issues, identifying areas for improvement
• Attending review meetings and delivering feedback with a view to motivating and enhancing performance; following up on feedback with the lawyers where necessary
• Leading recruitment, including interviewing candidates, and proactively identifying internal solutions where possible

What we're looking for

The successful candidate will need to demonstrate:

• Proven people management experience, including awareness of HR processes and policies, such as performance management and feedback discussions
• Ability to think critically and at pace to find ideal work solutions
• The ability to build strong, trust based, working relationships with colleagues
• Strong stakeholder management skills and experience in dealing with people at senior levels, including managing the expectations of multiple stakeholders
• Proven experience in time management and working autonomously - responsiveness is critical to the role
• Ability to handle multiple and sometimes conflicting priorities to tight deadlines
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• A good team player, excellent organisational skills and a commercial and business awareness
• Strong understanding of, and ability to analyse, data and present it back to the partner team
• Ability to handle multiple and sometimes conflicting priorities to tight deadlines
• Enthusiasm for embracing technology
• Ability to respond to change, be innovative and offer creative solutions
• Ability to work collaboratively and impartially across various teams
• Chartered Management Institute CMI Level 4 qualification or equivalent preferred
• Excellent IT skills (including Microsoft Office 365, MS Teams, Excel, PPT, document management systems)

Salary and benefits

We offer competitive salaries and generous benefits. We value the health and wellbeing of our people and our wide range of initiatives and benefits support this.

Our recruitment process

We welcome direct applications for our opportunities - if you would like any further information about this role or the firm, we would be delighted to hear from you. Please contact, in complete confidence, Dan Jones (Recruitment Manager) at dan.jones@osborneclarke.com.

Please note that although we include closing dates for our roles as a guide, we review and progress applications on a rolling basis. At Osborne Clarke we do not make any recruitment decisions using automated decision-making.

We are committed to providing an environment where you can perform to the best of your abilities at every stage of your recruitment experience and beyond. If you require any adjustments to be made during the application stage, interview process, or when working with us, please let us know in confidence.

About Us

Osborne Clarke is an international legal practice with over 330 Partners and more than 1,260 talented lawyers in 26 locations*. Our sector-based approach enables us to help our clients tackle the issues they are facing today, and prepare for the ones that they will face tomorrow. Advising them both comprehensively and commercially. We love working closely with our clients on new deals, products and solutions which will transform their businesses, markets and even sectors. And our unique approachable culture is not an added extra, it's fundamental to our success.

At Osborne Clarke we value difference and encourage applicants from all backgrounds. We want everyone to feel that OC is a place where you can be yourself and belong, and our range of interest groups and diversity networks - not to mention our great teams - are a part of making that a reality.

*Services in India are provided by a relationship firm]]>