Administrative Manager

Wiggin and Dana LLP; New York (NY); On-site; USD 120,000 - 135,000; Full time

Job summary

Wiggin and Dana LLP in New York is seeking an Administrative Manager to lead the NY office’s administrative operations, ensuring support for lawyers and clients and acting as on-site contact.

The role requires organization, collaboration, and experience in a multi-office law firm; reports to CHRO; in‑office 5 days a week. Responsibilities include staffing, facilities, events, vendor coordination, and recruitment support.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.
• 5–7 years office management experience, law firm or service firm administration is required.
• Previous experience as a legal assistant or legal office manager is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Oversee day-to-day administrative operations of NY office.
• Manage staffing and workflow of administrative staff.
• Coordinate facilities, vendors, and office services.
• Serve as on-site point of contact for attorneys, staff, clients, visitors.
• Assist with office moves, seating, and visitor logistics.
• Coordinate internal events and meetings within budgeted parameters.
• Collaborate with CHRO, Director of Facilities, and HR/training teams.

Skills

Staff management

Facilities coordination

Recruitment support

Event planning

Vendor management

Communication

HR basics

Budgeting

Multitasking

Confidentiality

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Tools

Microsoft Office

Word

Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

The Administrative Manager is responsible for administrative management in the NY office. This position oversees the day-to-day administrative operations of the offices ensuring adequate support and staffing, to allow the Firm to meet their clients’ needs. This role is responsible for ensuring seamless communication between the New York office and the firm’s executive business offices, including acting as the point of contact for NY personnel on topics related to facilities, staff development and training, and events in the NY office.

The ideal candidate is highly organized, collaborative, and experienced in working within a multi-office law firm structure, with the ability to balance local office needs with firm-wide policies and procedures.

This position reports to the Chief Human Resources Officer and is expected to be in-office 5 days per week, with no option for remote working.

Job Duties

The following are essential job duties and responsibilities of the Administrative Manager. This list is not exhaustive, and other duties may be assigned as necessary.

Administrative

• Overall management of administrative staff; managing non-legal staff relationships and performance to ensure appropriate support for lawyers and clients.
• Responsible for management of staffing and workflow of administrative staff.
• Encourage and motivate personnel to enable workplace productivity and efficiency.
• Provide proactive leadership in assessing and addressing current and anticipated administrative needs. Develop, recommend, and implement effective solutions to meet Firm objectives and needs, in conjunction with CHRO and Director of Facilities.
• Assist with recruitment of administrative staff as directed by the CHRO.
• Conduct performance evaluations for administrative staff. Prepare annual reviews for direct reports providing honest and factual comments.
• Assist with planning and coordination of internal business and social events held in the New York office in accordance with firm budgets and policies.
• Manage daily facilities needs of the New York office, ensuring a professional, efficient, and client-ready environment
• Coordinate facilities, vendors, and office services as directed by the Director of Facilities
• Serve as the on-site point of contact for attorneys, staff, clients, and visitors
• Assist with office moves, seating assignments, and visitor logistics
• Support employee engagement activities, wellness initiatives, and office events
• Serve as a resource for employees seeking guidance on administrative processes
• Provide regular status reports on outstanding projects, issues, and office needs to the Business Operations teams
• Coordinate internal events and meetings within budgeted parameters
• Work with the Professional Development and Training teams to coordinate in-office activities for staff, including training and development, when needed
• Help to coordinate support for lawyers during administrative absences
• Provide back-up support to the receptionist and office services personnel as needed and report on their performance to the Director of Facilities
• Assist with ad hoc projects as needed.

Requirements

Education: Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.

Experience: 5 to 7 years office management experience, law firm or service firm administration experience is required. Previous experience as a legal assistant or legal office manager is preferred.

Knowledge/Skills and Abilities:

• Experience in supporting partners and high-level managers.
• Strong communication skills and ability to work well with all levels of Firm personnel, clients and vendors. Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• A strong foundation in human resources and facilities functions.
• Excellent organizational and follow-up skills, including ability to prioritize, multi-task and manage time effectively.
• Self-starter with a high level of initiative.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Strong problem solving and root cause identification skills and ability to make and execute recommendations to solve problems or issues.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and exercise discretion.
• Capacity to work well under pressure while maintaining professionalism.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent knowledge of grammar, spelling and punctuation.
• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite; WORD, Excel, PowerPoint.
• Ability to sit or stand for extended periods of time.
• Ability to keyboard for extended periods of time.
• Ability to deal with stress due to a multitude of personalities and competing priorities.
• Ability to travel between offices when required.

The target base pay range for this role in New York is $120,000-$135,000 and is dependent on experience and other relevant factors, including geography.