Head of Executive Assistants in Birmingham

The Head of Executive Assistants (EA) is responsible for leading, developing, and managing the firm's Executive Assistants. This role ensures the provision of high-quality, consistent, and efficient administrative support to Partners, senior leadership, and teams across all divisions and departments of the firm. The Head of EA will play a critical role in optimising resource allocation, fostering a collaborative and high-performing EA team, and driving continuous improvement in service delivery.

Key Responsibilities:

• National EA Management & Strategy: Develop and implement a strategic vision for the Executive Assistant function, aligning with the overall Administration Services strategy and firm objectives. Oversee the entire national EA team, ensuring consistent standards, policies, and best practices are applied across all locations and support models. Manage the overall budget for the EA function, ensuring efficient resource utilisation.
• Resource Allocation & Demand Management: Develop and manage a robust model for capturing, forecasting, and prioritising demand for EA support from national, divisional, and departmental stakeholders. Strategically allocate and deploy EAs to provide dedicated, pooled, or project-based support, ensuring optimal utilisation of skills and capacity. Work closely with the Head of Legal Department Support and Divisional Heads to understand specific legal department needs and ensure appropriate EA coverage. Regularly review EA utilisation and allocation to ensure responsiveness to changing firm priorities and workload fluctuations.
• Service Quality & Consistency: Establish and maintain high standards for EA service delivery, including professionalism, confidentiality, accuracy, and proactive support. Oversee the creation, maintenance, and consistent application of standard operating procedures (SOPs) across all EA and related front-of-house processes, ensuring parity of service and client experience across all offices. Define and monitor Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for EA support, ensuring consistent achievement across the national team. Implement quality assurance processes and feedback mechanisms to continuously assess and improve service quality.
• Talent & Performance Management: Lead the recruitment, onboarding, and retention strategies for Executive Assistants across the firm. Oversee performance management processes, including objective setting and regular check-ins for the EA team. Identify training and development needs and collaborate with the Director of Service Transformation and HR to design and deliver comprehensive training programmes. Foster a culture of continuous learning, professional development, and career progression within the EA function.
• Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement: Act as the primary point of contact for senior stakeholders regarding EA support, managing expectations and resolving complex issues. Collaborate effectively with colleagues within the Legal Administrative Services leadership team to ensure seamless integration of services. Promote and embed new collaborative ways of working within the EA team and across the wider firm, moving away from individual silos towards a unified, service-oriented approach.
• Process Optimisation & Technology Adoption: Work with the Director of Service Transformation to identify opportunities for process efficiencies and automation within EA workflows, leveraging technology. Champion the effective use of technology by the EA team to enhance productivity and service delivery.

Skills and Experience:

• Proven experience in a senior leadership role managing a large, diverse administrative or Executive Assistant team, ideally within a professional services or law firm environment.
• Demonstrable experience in resource planning, allocation, and demand management across multiple stakeholders and locations.
• Strong understanding of best practices in administrative support, including diary management, travel coordination, document management, and stakeholder liaison.
• Exceptional leadership and people management skills, with a track record of motivating, developing, and managing high-performing teams.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and negotiation skills, with the ability to influence and build strong relationships with Partners and senior leadership.
• Experience with change management initiatives, particularly in transitioning teams to new operating models and technologies.
• Strategic thinker with strong problem-solving abilities and a proactive approach to service improvement.
• High level of proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and experience with administrative management systems.
• Ability to manage complex priorities and work effectively under pressure.

Key Relationships:

• Head of Shared Administration Services (Direct Manager)
• Director of Administration Services
• EA Leads
• Divisional Heads
• Senior Leadership
• Head of Legal Departmental Support
• Head of Location, Facilities and Services
• Head of Service Transformation
• HRIT

Performance Measures:

• Achievement of defined EA service level agreements (SLAs) and key performance indicators (KPIs).
• Stakeholder satisfaction with EA support services.
• Effective resource utilisation and capacity management of the national EA pool.
• Successful implementation of new operating models and technology enhancements within the EA function.
• Employee engagement, retention, and development within the EA team.
• Contribution to overall Administrative Services strategic objectives.

Smart. Bold. Together. We Are Freeths. Become part of the team at Freeths. If you’re someone who cares deeply, communicates openly and collaborates effectively, then we’d love to have you join our diverse, inclusive team.