Senior Director Of Operations Jobs (NOW HIRING)

About the Role

The Senior Director of Operations is a newly created role leading the firm’s day-to-day non-financial operations. The position reports to the Executive Committee (the Managing Partner and two Deputy Managing Partners) and works alongside the Senior Director of Finance as an equal peer.

The Senior Director of Operations leads operations across Human Resources, Information Technology, and Facilities, and supports the firm’s evolving Business Development function and its multi-office footprint. The role owns the operating rhythm of the Executive Committee: the agenda, the metrics, the reporting, and the decision support that make firm performance visible at the leadership layer. As the firm grows, the role translates that growth into operational reality.

Transition Phase (through December 31, 2026)

The successful candidate joins while the current Managing Director remains in place through December 31, 2026. That overlap supports direct knowledge transfer, completion of the operations process inventory, standup of a new HR Generalist position, and establishment of the Executive Committee operating rhythm.

Reporting Structure

•      Reports to: Executive Committee (Managing Partner and two Deputy Managing Partners)

•      Day-to-day partner contact: Managing Partner

•      Counterpart role: Senior Director of Finance. The two roles report equally to the Executive Committee.

•      Direct reports: HR Generalist (new role), IT Systems Administrator, Facilities and Accounting Assistant

•      Business Development: The Senior Manager of Business Development reports to the Senior Director of Finance and maintains a close working relationship with this role for implementation and coordination.

Key Responsibilities

Executive Committee Support and Operating Rhythm

•      Own the cadence, agenda, and decision support for Executive Committee work

•      Build the metrics, reporting, and dashboards that make firm performance visible at the leadership layer

•      Translate firm growth and partnership decisions into operational requirements and resourcing implications

•      Coordinate closely with the Senior Director of Finance on shared accountabilities, including growth-related capital expenditures, major vendor contracts that cross operational and financial territory, and workforce planning for non-attorney staff

Operations Leadership

•      Lead the firm’s Human Resources, Information Technology, and Facilities functions through direct reports

•      Drive process design, documentation, and continuous improvement across all operational areas

•      Own vendor relationships and contracts for operational services within scope

•      Manage departmental and operational budgets within the role’s span of control, in alignment with the firm-wide budget process owned by the Senior Director of Finance

•      Oversee operational risk, non-financial compliance, and business continuity

•      Support the Business Development function on the implementation side, including the people, culture, and relationship dimensions of how the firm presents itself

People and Culture

•      Build, develop, and retain a high-performing operations team

•      Lead non-attorney workforce planning, recruiting, onboarding, and engagement

•      Establish and uphold performance management standards for non-attorney staff

•      Serve as a senior, trusted point of contact for non-attorney staff across the firm, preserving and amplifying the relational, people-connection strength of the current HR function

Growth Enablement

•      Provide operational guidance and decision support for multi-office operations across current and future locations

•      Lead the operational integration of lateral attorneys and acquired practices

•      Supervise the operational aspects of facilities improvements and capital projects

Year One Transition Priorities

•      Complete knowledge transfer from the departing Managing Director

•      Finalize the operations process inventory and accountability framework

•      Partner with the Executive Committee on selecting and onboarding the Senior Director of Finance counterpart

•      Hire and onboard the HR Generalist, with primary responsibility for transactional HR (payroll, benefits administration, employee records)

•      Establish the Executive Committee operating rhythm

•      Build a shared coordination practice with the Senior Director of Finance, including firm-wide budgeting and the Business Development relationship

Decision-Making Authority

This role carries clear decision rights, structured in three tiers. The tiers reflect the Senior Director level: the role manages its own team with real independence and brings hiring, termination, and firm-level commitments into collaboration with the Executive Committee.

Decides independently (within budget and policy)

•      Day-to-day management of the operations team, including performance coaching and development

•      Day-to-day operational priorities

•      Vendor selection and contracts up to $10,000

•      Process and policy changes for non-attorney operational functions

Decides in collaboration with the Senior Director of Finance and/or the Executive Committee

•      Hiring and termination of non-attorney staff within span of control

•      Vendor contracts and capital expenditures from $10,000 to $50,000

•      Role redesigns and organizational changes

•      Compensation philosophy changes for non-attorney staff

•      Technology investments with firm-wide impact

Recommends to the partnership for vote

•      Vendor contracts and capital commitments above $50,000

•      Anything affecting partner compensation, attorney hiring, or firm-wide strategic direction

Required Qualifications

•      10+ years of progressive operations leadership experience, including at least 3 years in a senior management role

•      Demonstrated experience leading multiple functions (such as HR, IT, and Facilities, or equivalent breadth) in a professional services environment or comparable partnership culture

•      Direct experience in a law firm or other partnership-structured organization, or cross-industry operations leadership with demonstrated fluency in professional services culture

•      Track record of building or scaling operational infrastructure: processes, metrics, reporting, and vendor relationships

•      Sound financial literacy and comfort partnering with a senior finance peer and participating in leadership-level business discussions

•      Experience working with senior leaders in settings where authority is earned through judgment and influence rather than title

•      High emotional intelligence and political astuteness across multiple senior stakeholders, with the judgment to read a professional environment and act accordingly