Manager of Administrative Support

Ropes & Gray LLP; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 127,900 - 195,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive health and well-being benefits

Career growth opportunities

Collegial and supportive culture

Job summary

A leading global law firm is seeking an Administrative Support Manager to oversee a team of legal executive assistants, ensuring efficient service delivery under tight deadlines. The ideal candidate will have at least five years of supervisory experience, strong organizational and communication skills, and proficiency in the Microsoft Office suite. This role requires hybrid on-site presence and offers a competitive salary range of $127,900 - $195,000, depending on qualifications and experience.

Qualifications

• Minimum of five years of supervisory or management experience in a law firm or professional services organization.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to coach others.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality regarding internal affairs.

Responsibilities

• Manage departmental operations and oversee policies and procedures.
• Recruit and develop legal executive assistants.
• Conduct performance management reviews and team meetings.

Skills

Supervisory experience

Communication skills

Organizational skills

Problem-solving skills

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

Job description

About Ropes & Gray
Ropes & Gray is a preeminent global law firm. The firm has been ranked in the top three on The American Lawyer's prestigious A-List for eight consecutive years and #1 on Law.com's UK A-List twice in the past three years - rankings that honor the "best of the best" law firms.
The firm has approximately 2,500 lawyers and professionals serving clients in major centers of business, finance, technology, and government in Boston, Chicago, Dublin, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, Milan, New York, Paris, San Francisco, Seoul, Shanghai, Silicon Valley, Singapore, Tokyo and Washington, D.C.
The firm has consistently been recognized for its leading practices in many areas, including asset management, private equity, M&A, finance, real estate, tax, antitrust, life sciences, health care, intellectual property, litigation & enforcement, privacy & cybersecurity, and business restructuring.
Ropes & Gray is an equal opportunity employer.

Overview

The Administrative Support Manager oversees a team of legal executive assistants (LEAs), ensuring the efficient delivery of administrative services under tight deadlines and shifting priorities. This role fosters teamwork and collaboration among attorneys, management, and LEAs to identify areas for improvement. The Administrative Support Manager works closely with the Senior Manager to propose, prioritize, and implement departmental projects and initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Department Operations. Manages departmental operations in coordination with the management team, including oversight and administration of policies, procedures, and department projects.
• Office Presence and Effectiveness. Maintains a highly visible presence in the office to monitor workloads, address day-to-day challenges, remove obstacles, and improve overall effectiveness and efficiency of the support function.
• Talent Management. Recruits, retains, and develops LEAs to ensure best-in-class support for lawyers and other professionals. Identifies and resolves employee relations issues in consultation with the Senior Manager of Administrative Support and HR, as appropriate.
• Team Meetings. Conducts weekly management huddle meetings and regular one‑on‑one meetings with support team members.
• Performance Management. Manages staff performance, including conducting performance reviews, coaching and mentoring on career development, and making compensation recommendations based on performance.
• Daily Operations. Supervises daily operations by prioritizing workloads and workflow, reviewing and assessing LEA assignments to support the Proactive Assistant model, maintaining work schedules, organizing absence coverage, and monitoring overtime requests.
• Communication and Coordination. Communicates effectively with attorneys, paralegals, case assistants, staff professionals, and LEAs to ensure administrative support meets expectations and is completed in a timely manner.
• Lawyer Onboarding and Transitions. Partners with the Senior Manager and other Administrative Support Managers to support new lawyer onboarding and departing lawyer transitions, including overseeing the transfer of client files. Assists in fostering strong time entry practices and guides lawyers and business support on secretarial utilization.
• Productivity and Morale. Identifies issues affecting productivity or morale and collaborates with the management team and relevant departments to develop solutions.
• Process Improvement. Identifies and analyzes improvement opportunities related to people, processes, and technology. Develops recommendations and, when appropriate, leads organizational change efforts, in‑house focus groups, pilots, and other project‑related initiatives.
• Strategic Initiatives. Collaborates with the Senior Manager on organizational initiatives, programs, and events that support the Proactive Assistant model. Researches industry best practices and recommends process improvements to ensure top‑quality LEA and supervisory support.

Qualifications

• Embraces the responsibility and challenge of supervising administrative staff.
• Upholds the firm's core values of collegiality, teamwork, and mutual respect.
• Resolves differences through active listening and a collaborative approach.
• Maintains strict confidentiality regarding the firm's internal and personnel affairs.
• Conducts themselves professionally and works effectively in a diverse environment.
• Works independently with limited guidance and exercises sound judgment, including knowing when to delegate or elevate.
• Takes ownership of work and accepts responsibility for decisions and actions.
• Anticipates problems, focuses on solutions, and incorporates differing viewpoints.
• Demonstrates excellent attention to detail with strong follow‑up and follow‑through.

Education, Experience, and Skills Required

• Bachelor's degree required.
• Minimum of five (5) years of supervisory or management experience in a mid‑to‑large law firm or professional services organization.
• Strong organizational, communication (written and oral), interpersonal, and problem‑solving skills, with the ability to coach and mentor others.
• Proficiency in the Microsoft Office suite and strong overall computer skills.

Compensation and Total Rewards Package

Ropes & Gray is proud to offer a comprehensive Total Rewards package to our business support team members. The firm also offers comprehensive health and well‑being benefits, personal and professional development, career growth opportunities and a collegial and supportive culture. The anticipated pay range for this role is listed below and represents our good faith and reasonable estimate of the starting salary range at the time of posting. In addition, this role is eligible for a discretionary bonus based on performance. The actual offered rate for this position will be determined based on job‑related, non‑discriminatory factors, including qualifications and experience, geographic location, education, external market data and consideration of internal equity.

• New York, NY ($127,900 - $195,000)

Working Conditions

This position requires hybrid on‑site presence as an essential function of the role. Consistent and predictable on‑site presence is required for ongoing business continuity, professional development and effective collaboration with colleagues and management.