Assistant Secretarial Services Manager

Owen Reed is looking for an experienced, resilient and people-focused Assistant Secretarial Services Manager to join a top law firm in London.

Working Arrangement: Hybrid, with a minimum of 50% office-based working

Hours: 9.30 a.m.–5.30 p.m., with flexibility as required

About the Role

The Assistant Secretarial Services Manager will be responsible for the day-to-day management of secretarial staff within a designated practice group. The role will ensure that partners and fee earners receive an efficient, consistent and exceptional level of support aligned with the firm’s Secretarial Model and wider business strategy.

The successful candidate will have a proven people-management background and first-class PA skills. They will also provide organisational and operational support to the Practice Group Leader and, when required, the Practice Group Manager.

Reporting to the Secretarial Services Manager and Head of Secretarial Services, the role will work closely with other Assistant Secretarial Services Managers, Practice Group leaders, Finance, HR and Business Support teams.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage all office-based and home-working secretarial staff within the Practice Group.
• Oversee daily workflow and ensure sufficient secretarial resource is available to meet changing business priorities.
• Arrange appropriate cover for holidays, sickness and other absences.
• Review working hours and allocations to ensure effective support and coverage.
• Encourage cross-practice working and collaboration across the secretarial population.
• Support mentoring and development opportunities for PAs, Team Secretaries, Administrators and Apprentices.
• Work with programme managers to identify training needs and career-progression opportunities.
• Manage annual leave and absence processes through Workday, including sickness reporting and return-to-work meetings.
• Coordinate the new-joiner process, including buddy allocation, seating, workstation preparation, induction support and team information packs.
• Conduct annual, interim and probationary reviews and contribute to salary-moderation discussions.
• Understand the Practice Group’s strategic plans and recommend appropriate changes to secretarial support.
• Review secretarial and fee-earner allocations, including support for new fee earners and recruitment-related headcount requirements.
• Coordinate team floor plans with the Workplace Manager.
• Quality-check work to ensure consistency and compliance with the firm’s standards.
• Support participation in apprenticeship programmes and internal development schemes.
• Lead change initiatives across the secretarial function, including the adoption of new processes, technologies and AI-driven solutions.
• Identify efficiencies, reduce manual processes and explore automation opportunities to improve operational effectiveness and client service.
• Maintain regular communication with the Secretarial Services Manager, Head of Secretarial Services and equivalent managers across other practice groups and offices.

HR and Performance Support

• Conduct return-to-work interviews and assist with ongoing absence monitoring.
• Address secretarial performance or work-quality concerns with fee earners and partners.
• Attend first-line disciplinary and performance-management meetings.
• Recommend individual or team development and refresher training and monitor progress.
• Support recruitment, coaching, training and the continuous improvement of secretarial staff.
• Handle day-to-day people-management matters fairly and effectively.

Practice Group Support

• Assist the Practice Group Leader and Practice Group Manager with operational activities.
• Support initiatives including business-development travel and trainee rotations.
• Provide additional PA and organisational support when required.
• Develop procedures, projects and systems that improve workflow, quality and service delivery.
• Monitor deadlines and ensure the team provides an effective and responsive service.

About YouQualifications and Experience

• At least three years’ proven supervisory and management experience within a similar role.
• Experience within a professional services environment is essential, ideally within a law firm.
• A clear ability to lead a team, command respect and lead by example.
• Relevant professional development through excellence programmes, diplomas, NVQs or workplace courses.
• Strong PA, workflow-management and organisational experience.
• Proven ability to design and implement new processes.

Skills and Knowledge

• Excellent IT skills, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Copilot and Microsoft Teams.
• Strong and confident written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to build productive relationships and communicate effectively with people at every level.
• Confidence handling challenging and demanding situations across the wider firm.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and exercise discretion when dealing with sensitive matters.
• An empathetic, fair and unbiased approach to people management.
• Ability to achieve objectives within agreed timeframes.
• Resilience under criticism and the ability to remain calm and effective under pressure.
• A flexible approach to working and changing business requirements.
• A positive attitude with a practical, common-sense approach.