Executive Assistant - Office Operations

Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer is a world-leading global law firm, where our ambition is to help you achieve your goals.

Exceptional client service and the pursuit of excellence are at our core. We invest in and care about our client relationships, which is why so many are longstanding. We enjoy breaking new ground, as we have for over 170 years.

As a fully integrated transatlantic and transpacific firm, we are where you need us to be. Our footprint is extensive and committed across the world’s largest markets, key financial centres and major growth hubs.

At our best tackling complexity and navigating change, we work alongside you on demanding litigation, exacting regulatory work and complex public and private market transactions. We are recognised as leading in these areas.

We are immersed in the sectors and challenges that impact you. We are recognised as standing apart in energy, infrastructure and resources. And we’re focused on areas of growth that affect every business across the world.

All of this is achieved by supporting the growth of our people, who help us deliver on our ambition – which is to help you achieve yours.

Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer: Your goals. Our ambition

The Opportunity
Primary Responsibilities

- Develop a deep understanding of the Leadership Team's priorities, leadership style, stakeholder landscape and firm objectives.

- Coordinate the Leadership Team’s operating cadence, including forward planning, meetings, governance, reporting, budgets, strategic initiatives and stakeholder engagements, while handling confidential and commercially sensitive information with discretion.

- Take ownership of complex diaries. Proactively manage competing demands, anticipate and resolve potential issues, and challenge non-value-adding activity where appropriate.

- Anticipate future requirements, create capacity for priority initiatives and ensure the Leadership Team are appropriately prepared for meetings, e.g., agendas, supporting papers, briefing notes, research and tracking actions to completion, promptly sharing meeting notes and video recordings with relevant stakeholders.

- Filter, evaluate and prioritise incoming communications, including email, proactively dealing with queries (including meeting invites), ensuring everything is dealt with in a timely manner, and raising with the team when necessary.

- Draft, review and coordinate high-quality communications and documents, e.g., presentations, reports, correspondence and stakeholder communications. Ensure messaging is clear, consistent and aligned with the firm’s priorities.

- Coordinate and attend meetings, e.g., leadership, project, budget, committee meetings and related activities, as required, ensuring actions, decisions and deliverables are effectively captured and followed through. Support alignment of priorities, communications and key initiatives across the leadership team.

- Develop and maintain a clear understanding of the department’s local, regional and global budgets, spend profiles and approval processes, and support budget leads in tracking and managing expenditure, identifying variances and assisting with preparing accurate budget reports and updates for the Director as required.

- Coordinate department performance and governance data including monthly/ quarterly reports and headcount tracking.

- Build strong relationships with senior stakeholders and their secretaries across the firm and act as an ambassador for the Leadership Team, by demonstrating diligence, professionalism and a commitment to providing an exceptional experience including being a key point of contact.

- Represent the Leadership Team in meetings and discussions when required, facilitate collaboration across functions and help drive accountability for decisions and commitments.

- Maintain accurate records, filing systems and executive documentation.

- Review department processes and workflow activities and drive continuous improvement including championing efficient use of technology and productivity tools.

- Support and improve the effectiveness and efficiency of regional administration including coordination with peers across the two other regions to deliver global tasks.

- Maintain good knowledge of Office Operations, firmwide priorities, business issues and ‘hot topics, so that appropriate priority is given to queries and requests, and issues are identified and escalated where necessary.

- As required, provide coordination and administrative leadership across projects and business initiatives. Work with stakeholders from multiple functions, e.g., Procurement, to monitor progress, manage dependencies, track milestones and support successful delivery. Facilitate communication between project teams and senior leaders, ensuring issues, risks and decisions are escalated appropriately.

- Exercise discretion, professionalism and sound judgement when dealing with sensitive matters and organisational issues.

- Coordinate compliance across the department including policies and governance requirements.

- Coordinate the Enterprise Risk management process on a regular basis, including maintaining the risk calendar, gathering and validating updates from risk owners, updating the risk management system on behalf of stakeholders, monitoring actions and review dates, escalating overdue or material issues, and preparing accurate risk reports and briefing materials for Directors.

- Support annual and ongoing business planning activities by maintaining visibility of strategic objectives, key deliverables and leadership priorities. Assist in the preparation of planning materials, reporting packs and performance updates to support informed decision-making.

- Act as a trusted confidant and sounding board, providing insight, challenge and recommendations where appropriate.

- Support business continuity and operational resilience activities where required.

- Demonstrate enthusiasm and proactivity in the workplace, including participating in and contributing to group meetings, firm initiatives, welcoming and settling in new starters, projects, focus groups, pilot groups, team building activities, learning and development sessions and other relevant activities.

- Take responsibility for your own learning. Undertake recommended training, keep up to date and comply with firm policies, adopt new or improved firm recommended work practices, and share information with others about better ways of working.

Qualifications, skills and experience

- Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, and can communicate across cultures and any level of the business.

- Advanced Microsoft Office suite skills (Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint). Basic Visio skills.

- Proven high level organisational and time management skills with the ability to think ahead, prioritise the workload and work under pressure to meet deadlines.

- Excellent attention to detail.

- Strong judgement and problem-solving ability.

- Proven ability to interact with and support senior leaders. Demonstrated high level experience as an EA/Department Manager working in a professional services environment (facilities management/office operations experience is desired).

- Proven ability to think strategically and visualise the bigger picture.

- Proven ability to learn and implement new ways of working and to adopt new systems and to influence stakeholders on best practice to support optimum business outcomes.

Competencies

- Personal Leadership

- Builds Authentic Relationships

- Collaborates with Others

- Enhances the Client Experience

- Achieves Results

Team
Office Operations
Working Pattern

Full time
Location
London
Contract type
Permanent Contract

Diversity & Inclusion
We are committed to attracting people from all backgrounds and creating a respectful and inclusive culture where everyone thrives. We see this as essential to our success, including our ability to innovate and achieve sustained high performance. This is a key part of our Values - Human, Bold, and Outstanding.