PA Supervisor

Linklaters; New York (NY); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Linklaters in New York is seeking a PA Supervisor to support the PA function across the Americas. You will lead, coach and resource the PA team, ensuring high-quality service to fee earners in a fast-paced environment.

The role involves line management, recruitment and training, and collaboration with partners across practice groups to shape the PA function’s direction. Based in NY with travel as needed.

Qualifications

• At least 6 years’ experience working as PA and 3 years’ experience as a supervisor.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills with ability to influence stakeholders.
• Collaborative and proactive with drive to support team success and deliver client-focused service.

Responsibilities

• Resource planning across the Americas, ensuring appropriate PA capacity.
• Line-manage the PA Team Lead and escalate people-related issues.
• Recruitment, onboarding and training of PAs for the region.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Influence

Stakeholder management

Collaboration

Tools

MS Office

Workday

Job description

As PA Supervisor, you will work closely with the PA Team Lead to support the PA function across the Americas region. This role plays a key part in the day-to-day leadership and management of the function, ensuring a high-quality, responsive and consistent service is delivered across the region. The PA Supervisor role is highly proactive and involves working closely with practice groups across the Americas, while also helping to shape the future direction of the PA function. You will use sound judgement, initiative and a collaborative approach to deliver a professional, client-focused service in a fast-paced environment. The key aspects of the PA Supervisor role are as follows:

Manage PA and secretarial capacity across the Americas region, ensuring the right size, structure and level of support are in place to meet the evolving needs of the practice groups.

Promote teamwork, flexibility and collaboration across the PA and secretarial function to deliver an effective and seamless service to fee earners.

Line manage and coach the PA Team Lead, while also acting as an escalation point for the wider team on people-related matters.

Build strong relationships with partners and other stakeholders across the practice groups in the region, gathering feedback and helping ensure this is shared constructively with the PA team.

Support performance management across the PA function, including providing guidance on performance issues, addressing concerns in a timely way and escalating employee relations matters where appropriate.

Support the recruitment, onboarding and training of PAs, helping to ensure the team has the capability, skills and development needed to meet business requirements.

Contribute to the ongoing development of the PA function, including identifying opportunities to improve processes, ways of working and service delivery.

Key responsibilities

Resourcing

Ensure the practice groups are effectively and efficiently resourced, while managing ratios and that work, and partners/counsel are allocated appropriately, matching skill sets with the requirements and that surplus capacity is reallocated where appropriate.

Ensure that each practice group’s administration and logistical tasks are managed effectively by the right PA within each group (it may be that some tasks can be shared across a number of PAs within a group).

When necessary and agreed with the practice group and Senior HR Manager recruit top talented resource for the appropriate level of role across your practice groups; conduct interviews; make recruitment and remuneration decisions (with support from the Senior HR Manager).

Monitor PA/secretarial resource needs across the region to allow for provision of ad hoc support to cover both planned and unplanned absences if necessary.

Manage overtime within the region – ensure any overtime requests are necessary and cannot be managed / supported by other means.

Performance Management

Managing the entire appraisal process for the PAs including: co-ordinating feedback from nominees; writing up composite forms; benchmarking across the group; conducting appraisal meetings and agreeing development objectives.

Conducting mid-year and year end reviews and holding regular performance meetings / catchups with PAs to review development objectives, using the framework and core competencies as a tool to support progression discussions.

Ensuring sufficient feedback is logged on Workday regularly and flag to HR where there are concerns.

Ensuring that under performance is managed effectively and swiftly in conjunction with the HR team, to achieve an appropriate outcome.

Ensure that good morale is maintained across the teams and elevate any concerns to the HR team in order to work together to resolve them.

Remuneration

Work with HR to manage the salary review process, agree salary increases and performance bonuses where appropriate.

Training

Work with HR and L&D to create a comprehensive and fit for purpose training program.

Assist with the on-going development of PAs within the region by setting and monitoring of objectives, providing access to appropriate mentoring / buddying as required.

Communication

Represent PAs at functional level, taking responsibility for capturing the views of the PAs.

Ensure regional/firm-wide policies are circulated and understood within the PA group and that they are consistently applied.

Manage functional level communication with PAs effectively.

Absence/Attendance management

Monitor PA sickness absence and timekeeping in the region and undertake review meetings where appropriate.

Ensure consistent application of policies in relation to sickness absence.

Seek guidance from HR team as appropriate.

Monitor holidays and vacation in Workday.

Monitor and support compliance with the firm's in-office attendance requirements, partnering with HR, and leadership to address attendance trends and ensure adherence to regional policies and expectations.

Additional responsibilities

Lead on specific functional responsibilities and project-based initiatives, as required.

Work closely with the COO - Americas, Business Team Leadership, and the PA Team Lead to identify and implement opportunities to leverage AI and emerging technologies to enhance the effectiveness, efficiency, and service delivery of the Legal PA function, while supporting adoption, training, and continuous improvement initiatives.

Support regional operational initiatives and strategic priorities by leveraging Legal PA resources on cross-functional projects, business operations activities, change management efforts, and other firm-directed initiatives as appropriate.

The role is based in New York and is expected to be office-based four days per week. The role will also involve occasional travel to the Washington DC office.

Network Building and Relationship Management

Building strong relationships at the partner level and having the ability to influence senior stakeholders is a key aspect of being effective in this role. You will need to build trust to get their buy-in and support. You will also need to build good relationships and trust with your teams, become integrated within each of your practice groups and be their go to person. You will be empowered to build effective relationships across the firm.

Qualifications and Experience

Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build trust, influence stakeholders and tailor messages to different audiences.

Approachable, flexible and credible, with the confidence to engage effectively with senior stakeholders.

Collaborative and proactive, with the drive to support team success, delegate effectively and provide clear guidance to the PA team.

Highly organized and detail-focused, with the ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced environment.

Discreet, trustworthy and solutions-focused, with strong judgement and a professional approach to sensitive situations.

At least 6 years’ experience working as PA and 3 years’ experience as a supervisor.

Strong overall IT literacy including understanding of MS Office and Workday.

The base salary range offered for this role will be between $140,000 and $190,000 and represents the firm’s good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting. Actual compensation will be dependent upon a number of factors, including but not limited to, the candidate’s relevant experience, performance, qualifications, degrees and location, as well as the needs of the firm.

The total compensation package for this position may include overtime pay, discretionary bonuses and other benefits.

Technical Skills

• Administrative Systems Management
• Diary Management
• Document Management
• Event Support
• Meeting Organization
• Operational Excellence
• Process Design
• Process Improvements
• Project Management
• Records Management
• Resource Management
• Stakeholder Management
• Travel Management

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.

At Linklaters, the work we do means carving a path through unexplored territory, working on complex legal matters, across jurisdictions and borders and providing outstanding service and confidence to our clients. Having the vision to see things differently and the determination to deliver excellence, every time. That’s what makes us who we are. You can see your true potential connecting with dynamic colleagues all over the world, united by purpose and shared values and working together as one inclusive, collaborative team. With second to none training and support, this is the place where you meet your future. This is Linklaters.

In the event that we make an offer to you, and where local legislation permits, we will conduct pre-engagement screening checks that may include but are not limited to your professional and academic qualifications, your eligibility to work in the relevant jurisdiction, any criminal records, your financial stability and references from previous employers. Your offer will be subject to the successful completion of these checks which will be initiated following your consent.

As a responsible business, it is important that we represent the diversity of our people, our clients and our communities. We know that diversity makes us a better law firm and helps us attract the best talent, drive innovation with diversity of thought, and deliver the best experience to everyone who comes into contact with us. We recruit on the basis of merit, irrespective of age, disability, gender, gender identity, race or ethnicity, marital status, religion, sex, sexual orientation or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate. Selection decisions, and the reasons for those decisions, are recorded at each stage of the selection process. Selection criteria and, where appropriate, technical skills tests are in place to measure an individual’s ability for the safe and effective performance of a job. Those involved in recruitment and selection decisions and processes are also provided with guidance on diversity issues. If you require reasonable adjustments to be made during the selection process, please talk to a member of the recruitment team so that any required adjustments can be made in advance.

Specific experience requirements advertised on a role do not intend to preclude applications from candidates who may have more or less experience. Our intention is only to indicate a guideline as to the necessary skills for the role as described.