Secretarial Office Lead in Manchester

The Secretarial Office Lead(s) will work in conjunction with the EIR (Employment, Immigration, Reward and Data Legal Practice Groups) Secretarial Services Manager to maintain the day-to-day on the ground provision of high-quality secretarial and administrative support services to the EIR Legal Practice Groups (LPGs).

This role is based in the North and has responsibility for supporting the Manchester, Leeds and Glasgow offices.

For their designated office(s)/location the role will manage and co-ordinate PAs, EAs and Team Assistants to deliver a seamless day to day service as well as dealing with immediate management issues regarding allocations, cover, and performance management, under the direction of the Secretarial Services Manager.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the EIR secretarial teams to deliver a high-quality secretarial and administrative service, ensuring exceptional day-to-day performance.
• Coordinate secretarial support across fee earners, working with other EIR Secretarial Office Leads to manage workload, maintain service standards, and promote a “one team” approach.
• Support the Secretarial Services Manager with change initiatives to improve and develop services.
• Provide hands-on secretarial support to a small allocation of fee earners where required.
• Monitor and manage team resourcing, ensuring appropriate cover for absences and adapting support levels to meet business needs.
• Support recruitment activities, including reviewing applications, interviewing candidates, and selecting new hires.
• Oversee and support the billing secretarial function to ensure accuracy of billing data, client compliance and deadlines are met.
• Assist with performance management processes, including appraisals, feedback, and development planning.
• Act as a mentor and first point of contact for team support, providing guidance on development and wellbeing.
• Contribute to salary, bonus, and promotion discussions through performance input and feedback.
• Hold regular team and one-to-one meetings to support engagement and performance.
• Ensure the team is kept up to date with firm and practice group updates.
• Manage absence and performance issues in collaboration with the Secretarial Services Manager and HR, maintaining accurate records.
• Handle sensitive people matters with professionalism, discretion, and confidentiality.
• Maintain a visible presence across the Manchester, Leeds and Glasgow offices, supporting both team members and stakeholders (regular travel between locations will be required).
• Act as an ambassador and escalation point for the team, addressing issues, gathering feedback, and escalating where appropriate.

About you

You will have a professional manner, excellent communication and interpersonal skills, and previous experience working in a leadership role within a legal secretarial team.

You will have a flexible approach, enjoy working in a fast-paced environment, and be highly organised.

You will also possess strong numeracy and attention to detail skills, which will be key to success in this role.

This role is based in the North and supports our Manchester, Leeds and Glasgow offices.

As such, the successful candidate must be based in, or within reasonable travelling distance of, one of these locations and be willing to travel regularly between offices as required.

We are looking for someone who is passionate about being a team player, who is keen to support others and values the importance of excellent customer service to both internal and external stakeholders.

Our ideal candidate will be able to demonstrate

• Previous work experience within a legal secretarial role at a mid/senior level and with leadership responsibilities.
• Proven track record of people and line management, including dealing with performance and absence issues, fostering good working relationships among team members, and having played a role in service evolution and team development.
• A professional, approachable, friendly manner and the ability to build strong working relationships with all stakeholders.
• Ability to meet deadlines, work under pressure and communicate with internal and external stakeholders effectively across varying levels.
• Ability to manage a busy and demanding workload.
• Ability to re-prioritise tasks for self and in the support of team members.
• Experience of using all MS Office packages.
• Experience of Elite and/or other legal financial systems would be beneficial, although this is not essential as full training will be provided.
• Ability and willingness to travel regularly between the Manchester, Leeds and Glasgow offices, and to other firm offices as required by business needs

At Lewis Silkin our ethos is simple.

We strive to do the best for our clients, our people and the communities in which we operate.

We recognise that an inclusive workplace allows for all kinds of ideas and thoughts, a variety of points of view that can trigger discussions or deliver innovative results, and a wide range of versatile skills and expertise.

We are proud of the diversity within Lewis Silkin and of our culture that allows people to be themselves at work, ensuring we provide the best possible service to our clients.

We are committed to supporting candidates throughout the recruitment process by supporting anyone who requires adjustments, in order to ensure they have the opportunity to perform at their best.

All applicants will be considered equally and fairly.

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