Operational Excellence & Planning Lead

Linklaters; City Of London; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A global law firm is seeking an Operational Excellence and Planning Lead to drive efficiency and process improvement within the Communications and Corporate Affairs function. The ideal candidate will possess substantial experience in operational management and a strong analytical skill set. You will be responsible for implementing best practices, supporting strategic planning, and fostering innovation across teams. Applicants must have excellent communication skills and experience leading change initiatives.

Qualifications

• Substantial experience in operational management or process improvement.
• Strong analytical skills with actionable insights from data.
• Experience in managing and leading change initiatives.
• Proficient in developing performance reports and dashboards.

Responsibilities

• Enhance processes to increase efficiency and reduce complexity.
• Implement operational best practices to strengthen effectiveness.
• Drive initiatives for innovation and continuous improvement.
• Support strategic planning with data-driven insights.
• Lead performance reporting and recommend optimizations.

Skills

Operational management

Business planning

Process improvement

Data analysis

Project management

Communication

Tools

Data analysis tools

Project management software

Job description

Linklaters is a global law firm, providing legal services in 20 countries and through 30 offices.

Linklaters is a people business. Being best in class in the eyes of our clients means that our people must be exceptional.

We look not only for brilliant minds, but for people who will thrive in our environment: people who love working collaboratively and demonstrate the innovative, efficient, agile, entrepreneurial, and responsible mind‑set we aim to bring to every interaction.

Ours is an environment of outperformance. We achieve this not with targets and incentives, but by fostering a positive, supportive, fair, and open atmosphere.

We respect and value difference but insist on inclusivity. We celebrate all aspects of diversity and challenge any form of bias. This is vital to our ability to work as one team, with a common goal.

The team

The Operational Excellence and Planning team supports the Communications & Corporate Affairs function by embedding operational rigour, driving process improvement, and delivering robust planning and analysis. By prioritising efficiency, innovation, and continuous growth, the team helps power high performance, ensuring the function remains agile, aligned, and equipped to meet evolving business needs.

Purpose

The Operational Excellence and Planning Lead is responsible for driving efficiency and continuous improvement across the Communications and Corporate Affairs function. This role ensures that operations run smoothly and the team can deliver on its business goals by introducing best practices, supporting strategic planning, and optimising resource allocation. You will lead and project‑manage change initiatives to foster innovation and high performance, enabling the team to work more effectively and deliver greater value for the firm through adopting new technology and skills.

Working collaboratively across teams, you will provide actionable data, analytical insights, and expert guidance to enhance operational performance and support strategic decision‑making. Your focus on process optimisation and forward planning will help sustain high standards and continuous growth throughout the function.

Your key responsibilities

• Analyse, streamline, and enhance processes within the function to increase efficiency and eliminate unnecessary complexity.
• Identify, implement, and embed operational best practices and standards to strengthen team effectiveness and productivity.
• Design and drive initiatives that promote a culture of innovation, agility, and continuous improvement through the adoption of new technology and skills.
• Support strategic planning cycles by providing data‑driven insights, scenario analysis, and resource modelling to inform priorities and investment decisions.
• Oversee resource allocation, working with team leads to ensure personnel and budgets are deployed efficiently against business objectives.
• Lead operational performance reporting, developing metrics and dashboards to monitor progress against goals and highlight opportunities for improvement.
• Deliver practical recommendations to senior leadership on optimising working models, structures, and ways of working.
• Coordinate with Finance, Technology, and Human Resources to align C&A operations with firm‑wide policies and frameworks.
• Foster knowledge sharing, skills development, and collaboration within the team, encouraging uptake of best practices.
• Champion a high‑performance, growth‑focused culture, supporting continuous learning and operational excellence.

Your experience

• Substantial experience in operational management, business planning, or process improvement within a complex or matrixed organisation (experience in professional services beneficial).
• Strong analytical skills and experience providing actionable insights from data.
• Experience supporting strategic planning and resource allocation, and familiarity with relevant tools, including AI, and relevant methodologies.
• Track record of successfully managing and leading change initiatives that drive innovation and measurable performance improvements.
• Confident in the development of performance reports, operational dashboards, and scenario analyses.
• Experience collaborating across business functions to align operations with strategy and best practice.
• Knowledge of project management principles and experience in their practical application.

Additional Skills

• Strong communication and influencing skills, with the ability to engage and advise senior stakeholders.
• Excellent organisational and project management skills, able to juggle multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Analytical and detail‑oriented, with a proactive approach to identifying and resolving operational challenges.
• Ability to lead and inspire teams through periods of change, promoting a continuous improvement mindset.
• Collaborative and solutions‑focused, with strong relationship‑building abilities.
• Comfortable with data analysis tools, reporting systems, and project management software.
• Adaptable, resilient, and committed to supporting growth and high performance.

Technical Skills

This list of duties and responsibilities above is not exhaustive. It is intended to describe the general content of, and requirements for, the performance of this job. As such, the role may also include the undertaking of additional tasks as required.

Application Policy

Applications and CVs (direct or via agency) are only accepted online via the portal. Queries related to our roles must be directed to the relevant recruitment team and not the partners, practices or stakeholders ([e-mail] for legal roles or [e-mail] for business team roles).