Chief Operating Officer

Pines Federal; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) plan

Paid time off

Paid holidays

Job summary

Pines Federal, a fast-growing federal employment law firm, seeks a Chief Operating Officer to lead administrative and business operations from our Houston, TX headquarters. You will plan, organize, and direct day-to-day operations and implement the firm systems across Marketing, Finance, Intake, and Operations.

You will work closely with the owner and executive team, manage a $10+ million budget, supervise a 25+ member team, and build scalable processes that support growth and profitability

Qualifications

• Degree in management, business management, human resources, or related field.
• Proven record of overseeing operations for professional services firms.
• Experience managing a $10M+ budget and a team of 25+ with hiring/firing autonomy.
• Clio or similar legal practice-management experience is a plus; SHRM/HRCI certifications not required but are also a plus.

Responsibilities

• Execute the firm's business plan and meet quarterly gross revenue and profitability targets by building the six parts of the business.
• Lead efforts to hire the right people and implement ongoing performance management systems.
• Collaborate with owner to design and implement business strategies, plans, procedures.
• Evaluate performance by analyzing data and metrics.
• Oversee and drive financial operations and reporting, with an understanding of accounting principles.
• Maintain documented policies and ensure systems security and risk management.
• Recruit, onboard, and manage HR operations including payroll and benefits.
• Ensure SOPs are written, deployed, and auditable across departments.

Skills

Executive leadership

Operations management

Budget management

Strategic planning

Education

Degree in management or related field

Tools

Clio

Job description

We are a fast-growing, well-respected federal employment law firm serving clients in all 50 states from our Houston, Texas headquarters. Our firm exists so that no federal employee has to face the federal government alone. We represent federal workers nationwide in Office of Personnel Management (OPM) disability retirement, EEO, MSPB, whistleblower, and related federal employment matters, and we handle Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) claims for both federal employees and non-federal applicants. As part of our team, you will help lead our mission of achieving life-changing outcomes for our clients. Our COO is key in ensuring we recruit, develop, and retain an excellent team that can deliver on our mission by leading the implementation of our business plan. Our ideal applicant has a passion for high-growth, entrepreneurial environments and a record of savvy judgment and decision-making in fast-moving organizations.

About the Role

We are looking for a Chief Operating Officer (COO) to work directly with the owner, leading the administrative and business operations of the firm. This position will be responsible for planning, organizing, directing, and controlling the day-to-day operations of the firm, as well as directing the implementation of firm systems. The role directly oversees the firm's Marketing, Finance, Intake, and general Operations functions. The position encompasses a wide range of activities across all phases of administration, personnel, finance, facilities, and business systems. We need someone with the experience and maturity to work closely with the owner and key staff on strategy, policy, problem-solving, and decision-making. This executive will be key in implementing the firm's quarterly business plan. Well-qualified candidates will have experience and the ability to manage an annual budget of $10+ million and directly manage a team of at least 25 with the autonomy to hire and fire.

The COO will bring experience as a key leader to our executive team and will report directly to the owner. This individual should be a student of best practices for effective leadership. The goal of this position is to ensure the business's functionality to drive extensive, sustainable growth and achieve the business plan goals. You'll have to maintain control of diverse business operations, so we expect you to be an experienced and efficient leader. If you have excellent people skills, business acumen, and work ethic, we'd like to meet you.

Responsibilities

• Execute the firm's business plan and meet quarterly gross revenue and profitability metrics by effectively developing the six parts of the business, driving toward the firm's $10+ million annual revenue goal
• Lead efforts to hire the right people in the right seats...then lead ongoing performance management systems to develop them into excellent, retained team members.
• Collaborate with owner to design & implement business strategies, plans, procedures
• Evaluate performance by analyzing and interpreting data and metrics
• Own the firm's practice-management and reporting stack (Clio, weekly KPI scoreboards) and the operating cadence that keeps every department on plan
• Supervise the work of the non-lawyer support staff and vendors, including our Operations Manager and department leads across intake, OPM, SSDI, finance, and marketing
• Lead recruitment, hiring, onboarding, performance feedback, evaluations, and general human resources operations, including payroll and benefits
• Ensure that the firm's business systems, policies, and procedures are fully documented in writing, organized, deployed, and audited
• Oversee and drive financial operations through understanding of financial reporting and accounting principles
• Employ best practices to properly resource, manage, and empower the team
• Ensure the digital plant and the cyber environment are fully functional and secure at all times, for the entire team
• Conduct ongoing risk assessments to ensure the firm properly mitigates exposure
• Manage projects successfully by designing strategic tasks and leveraging process owners within set timelines
• Demonstrate effective and healthy leadership strategies that build a positive professional culture, promote retention of performing team members, and recruit 'A' candidates to open positions quickly

Qualifications

Education and Experience

• Degree in management, business management, human resources, or related field
• Prior record of success overseeing operations for professional services firms or a division or department of a mid-sized/large professional services firm
• Demonstrated record of success leading organizations with an annual budget of $10+ million and a team of at least 25 with autonomy to hire and fire
• Law firm experience not required (but is a plus), as is experience with Clio or similar legal practice-management platforms
• SHRM/HRCI and/or project management certifications are not required (but are also a plus)

Why Work with Us?

• A mission that matters: Pines Federal is dedicated to federal employees. We protect the careers, benefits, and rights of federal workers nationwide, and we are building the country's #1 OPM disability retirement practice.
• A growth vision you will own: Pines Federal is building toward $10 million+ in annual revenue and national leadership in OPM disability retirement, and this role owns the systems, operating cadence, and team that will get us there.
• A true executive seat: you will report directly to the owner with a mandate and the autonomy to build a self-running firm.
• Momentum: a growing nationwide caseload, modern systems (Clio practice management, documented SOPs, weekly KPI scoreboards), and leadership committed to investing in operations.
• A Houston-based, on-site leadership role at our Fondren Road headquarters, where you will lead from the center of the team.
• Professional growth: you will participate in How To Manage a Small Law Firm's national Professional Legal Administrator (PLA) program, developing industry-specific operational skills alongside legal-executive peers nationwide.
• You will collaborate with the owner and our executive team, who jointly guide the firm's strategy.
• Benefits include a 401(k) plan, paid time off, and paid holidays.

Preferred Skills

Law firm experience not required (but is a plus), as is experience with Clio or similar legal practice-management platforms. SHRM/HRCI and/or project management certifications are not required (but are also a plus).