Vacant Position: Operations Officer
Location: Nairobi, Kenya
Industry: Legal
Client: The client is a reputable Business Law Firm based in Kenya
Job Summary: The Operations officer is responsible for making the Managing Partner’s vision a reality.
The Operations officer is expected to:
- Align with the vision of the Managing Partner. Support and challenge the Managing Partner in leading the business.
- Ensure excellence in legal services, client care, support services, risk management and regulatory compliance.
- Lead and oversee the partners, managers and other team members to ensure effective day-to-day operations, the implementation and execution of strategies, compliance with policies and procedures.
- Develop a coherent support strategy for colleagues, including the provision of coaching and mentoring, to enable them to deliver the plans approved by the Management committee.
- Drive a culture of performance delivery throughout the firm, with a focus on assuring operational delivery of the firm’s objectives in the time frames agreed and within budget.
- Help to shape and guide the growth and development of the firm
Duties and Responsibilities:
1. Practice management and strategic planning – Lead the partnership, with the Management committee, in the development and regular reviews of its business strategy and outcomes.
- Draft and review the strategy and business plans with the Management committee and senior management team.
- Develop, in collaboration with the Managing Partner and the Financial Officer an annual operating plan that supports the Firm’s long-term operations strategy.
- Assist the Managing Partner and the Finance Officer in developing and overseeing the long-term business strategies of the Firm.
- Analyse current and future trends and needs and accurately assesses functional responsibilities competitive strengths and vulnerabilities.
- Identifies opportunities for new value creation.
- Keep the Managing Partner fully informed in a timely and candid manner of the conduct of the day-today operations of the Firm towards the achievement of its established goals and of all material deviations from the goals or objectives and policies established by the Management Committee.
- Set agenda for the Management committee, chair, present items as appropriate with analysis and recommendations, minute, report to partners’ meetings and manage the follow-up.
- Lead the senior management team across human resources (HR), information technology (IT), operations, business development and marketing, knowledge management (KM), facilities and compliance.
- Ensure provision of timely and accurate management information to facilitate effective decision making.
- Facilitate business analysis and benchmarking of the firm’s performance against its peers and competitors.
- Assist the Managing Partner in overseeing the Firm’s achievement and maintenance of a satisfactory competitive position within its industry.
- Represent the firm to third parties/suppliers/external stakeholders, e.g. professional societies, banks, insurance underwriters.
- With respect to operational matters, ensure communications, resolution of issues and project development.
- Oversee departmental processes and policies.
2. Finance and Accounts – Support the Finance Officer in the financial management and strategy of the firm and ensure its financial security.
- Develop in collaboration with the Managing Partner and Finance Officer, strategies to meet or exceed revenue, profit, and cash flow commitments of the Firm.
- Control and manage expenditure and delivering value for money.
- Develop in collaboration with the finance officer departmental practices and policies through activities such as budgeting, forecasting, measuring performance against budgets.
- Use key information tools to collect and communicate financial information both within and outside the legal departments.
- Monitor the actual drivers of the law departments expenses and trends in order to provide recommendations for cost reduction/avoidance along with process improvement.
- Identify problem areas to enable inhouse counsel/clients make informed decisions during matter management.
3. Risk Management – Ensure effective systems and processes for the identification, control and monitoring of risks are implemented in the areas of strategic, operational and regulatory risk.
- Document, implement and update risk management systems and policies.
- Create a culture and environment for risk management to operate effectively throughout the practice.
- Ensure supervisors understand and act on their responsibility for managing risk on a day-to-day basis and promote risk awareness within their team.
- Ensure all staff are provided with education and updates and are aware of their responsibilities in the identification, control and reporting of risk at a level appropriate to their role.
- Oversee client and other third-party complaints.
- Manage insurance, including health insurance cover, professional indemnity cover and claims.
- Implement an effective business continuity and disaster recovery planning program.
- Implement effective health and safety procedures.
4. Regulatory Compliance – Ensure appropriate processes and systems are in place and in operation across all business support functions to achieve regulatory compliance.
- Ensure that at all times the firm is in compliance with the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) Rules and relevant laws of Kenya.
- Ensure the firm’s compliance plan is kept up to date and is reviewed at regular intervals.
- Ensure compliance with the current LSK Code of Conduct, including updates to systems, policies, training and communication.
5. HR and education and development – Oversee the delivery of HR with the support of the Partners and team leaders, including recruitment, performance management, leave management, disciplinary and grievance issues.
- To free Advocates from operational tasks and allow them to focus on their primary function – meeting the legal needs of the business.
- Foster a corporate culture that promotes ethical practices, client focus and service and encourages individual integrity.
- Oversee issues related to recruitment, performance, motivation, promotion, retention, learning and development, absences from work, conflicts and remuneration, including salary review and bonuses.
- Maintain a positive and ethical work climate that is conducive to attracting, retaining and motivating a diverse group of top-quality employees at all levels.
- Ensure that there is an effective succession plan in place for the various staff positions and other key executives of the Firm.
- Assist the Managing Partner in establishing an appropriate organizational structure.
- Evaluate the performance of partners and senior executives of the Firm. 6. Business development, marketing and public relations –
- Lead the Marketing and Business Development Manager to ensure and facilitate the delivery of effective business development, marketing and public relations strategies for the firm.
6. Premises and facilities – Undertake strategic decision making and planning relating to any office moves, additional office sites and streamlining and oversee general day-to-day facilities matters. Oversee premises issues.
- Negotiate and manage supplier contracts and rental and lease agreements.
- Manage relationships connected with the firm’s premises.
7. IT/management – Oversee the delivery of ICT services with the support of the ICT Consultant, including:
- Selection, development and maintenance of ICT systems
- Managing risk, monitoring performance and effectiveness of ICT systems
- Data security, data storage
- Delivering efficiencies using ICT
- Cybersecurity
- Review user experience, changing patterns of use and requirements.
- Conduct business needs assessment with cost-benefit analysis of options.
- Conduct risk assessment of systems, structures and functionality.
- Be aware of software and hardware products, services and applications in the market.
- Submit proposals with recommendations to the Management committee.
Key deliverables.
Ensure the firm delivers:
- the strategic and business plan aims and objectives
- highly skilled, motivated, loyal and productive members of staff
- a team of great lawyers
- increase in revenues and profit
- managed risk and regulatory compliance
- operational effectiveness
- cost efficiencies
- the seamless implementation of change
- the realisation of benefits flowing from investments
- transparency and control of budgets
- a highly controlled operating environment
- technological innovation in the delivery of legal services
Qualifications and Experience
- Degree and/or academic qualifications relevant to the role
- five – ten years of full-time operations experience leading a diverse group of support functions for a medium – large size organization.
- Financial management, planning, analysis and reporting capabilities including budgeting and cash flow management
- Strong general IT infrastructure experience
- Strong human capital management experience
- Strong general marketing and business development experience
- Management and delegation skills necessary to lead, motivate and enable a team of managers and staff.
- Experience of leading change, growth and ability to balance competing priorities
- Ability to be self-motivated with a positive attitude and a solid work ethic
To apply, send your CV and cover letter only to recruitment@linkarkconsultants.com before close of business 23rd February 2018.
Clearly indicate the position applied for and expected salary on the subject line.