Executive Assistant Team Leader (no agencies)

What We Will Offer

We will offer you a place where you can be yourself and where there are no limits on what you can achieve. With us, you can take ownership of your career and have honest conversations throughout. You would join an ambitious firm with a clear strategy for profitable growth where you can gain early responsibility and early involvement in growing the business. You can expect a competitive and fair reward as well as recognition based on all‑round performance. This forms part of our internal promise to you, The Deal, between the firm and its employees.

YOU CAN EXPECT

• A competitive salary and a host of family friendly policies
• Life assurance, private health and dental care for you and your family
• A range of flexible benefits including gym discount and retail vouchers
• Tech, cycle and electric car schemes
• We support the causes you care about, by giving you one day per year off to volunteer with any charity that you are involved with outside of work.
• A wellbeing strategy that focuses on preventative measures to maintain overall health, and tools and support for when our people experience physical or mental difficulties. The strategy focuses on four pillars: physical, emotional, financial and social aspects.
• Most of our roles are hybrid, meaning that colleagues benefit from working in our office and remotely. We are happy to discuss this and other flexible working arrangements with you as part of the application and interview process.
• We are an equal opportunity organisation, committed to having a diverse workforce. We do not discriminate on the basis of age, sex, race, disability, sexual orientation, culture, or any other protected characteristics. We aim to create a culture where everyone can be themselves and is valued for their strengths and unique perspectives.

Team Structure

The firm is comprised of seven main practice areas: corporate; commercial litigation; employment pensions, immigration & private wealth; finance; real estate & projects; and marine, trade and offshore. The global Legal Administrative Support team provides direct support to our practice groups via five main service teams:

• Executive Assistant Team Leaders ("TLs") who manage department admin and their legal admin teams;
• Executive Assistants ("EAs") working with our partners and managing associates;
• Administrative Assistants ("AAs") working within our practice groups primarily supporting our associates;
• Team Administrator ("TA") Hub, our centralised admin support team comprised of our TAs;
• Offsite document production centre, a managed service provided by Williams Lee.

Main Responsibilities

The role is for a proactive and highly competent Team Leader who can operate successfully in a pressurised and fast‑paced environment. The role will include direct line management of our team, resource executive assistants within our practice groups and collaboration with fee earners. The ability to provide professional and client focused support and build effective relationships are key to the success of the role.

Responsibilities

• This is a dual role, with our team leaders expected to deliver EA responsibilities to fee earners in conjunction with the leader aspects of the role.
• Providing a nurturing environment for EA/TA talent by creating an environment of trust, open communication, creative thinking and cohesive working.
• Manage EA performance reviews consistently, benchmarking skills, gathering and delivering feedback and identifying training needs.
• Address conduct issues, including absence issues, inappropriate levels of personal calls/internet usage, adherence to dress code, etc.
• Undertake or arrange skills enhancement for the team when issues are identified.
• Undertake return to work interviews following sickness, maternity or other periods of absence, working with the partners and HR to ensure that phased returns are implemented accordingly.
• Manage regular EA meetings, producing agendas and minutes.
• Ensuring the firm's policies and procedures are followed, actively suggesting improvements where necessary.
• Champion change as directed by the management and business service teams.
• Active participation in projects, undertaking testing and providing feedback.
• Assist the Head of Legal Administrative Services where appropriate.
• Be the key point of contact for support departments.
• Become a superuser in all IT systems, supporting the team where appropriate.

Work allocations

• Manage the even distribution of workloads within the EA teams.
• Manage fee earner/EA allocations, ensuring adequate cover at all times.
• Manage utilisation of DPU, reprographics, the Hub etc, following up on issues if appropriate.
• Maintain and manage team rotas and overtime.

Resource management

• Manage and monitor practice group’s holiday, sickness and other absences from the office, escalating issues as appropriate.
• Working with the practice group leaders/secretarial partners to establish genuine need for additional resource and prepare appropriate business cases.
• Undertaking all recruitment for the team and putting appropriate candidates forward to partners.
• Integrate new joiners, providing buddies and mentors.

Organisation

• Arrange seating and room allocations for all new starter processes.
• Arrange work experience placements and secondments.
• Point of contact for Business Service teams.

Inductions/new starters/leavers

• Send new starter emails, complete documentation and circulate.
• Arrange introduction to department, DPs and other appropriate business service team members.
• Undertake and/or arrange all onboarding and induction training as appropriate.
• Ensure leaver process is completed and signed off and files/matters transferred.

Attributes/Skills Required

• Line management and performance management experience are required.
• Experience of working in a law firm is essential.
• Excellent academic background.
• Advanced Microsoft Office skills.
• Commercial and financial acumen.
• A thorough understanding of working in a professional, service driven environment.
• Confident and professional manner with the ability to build strong relationship with fee earners and clients.
• Highly motivated and equipped with the ability to motivate and inspire team members.
• Capable of working autonomously but also operating within a team environment.
• Strong time management and prioritisation skills.
• Proven persuasion, influencing and negotiation skills to include managing conflict.
• Strong personal branding, supporting the firm’s values at all times.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to interact at all levels.
• Adaptable and open to change showing a willingness and confidence to make suggestions for change.
• Strong organisational skills and excellent attention to detail.
• Ability to remain proactive and flexible at all times.
• Reliable, hardworking, work to tight deadlines and have the ability to remain calm when under pressure.
• Anticipate and identify potential problem and provide innovative solutions.
• A strong team player.

This job description is indicative only and does not represent an exhaustive list of responsibilities. The firm reserves the right to alter or change the responsibilities at any time, in line with the firm’s strategy and business needs.

About The Firm

Stephenson Harwood is an international law firm, and we’re committed to creating 'positive partnerships' with our clients. We represent listed and private companies, institutions and individuals, building lasting relationships to help them succeed in a complex and ever‑changing world. Our focus is on five core sectors: Energy Transition, Life Sciences and Healthcare, Private Capital and Funds, Technology, and Transportation and Trade. With more than 1,500 people, including 220+ partners, across ten offices in Europe, the Middle East and Asia, we combine deep legal capabilities and broad commercial expertise. We have also forged close ties with high quality law firms around the world, blending local knowledge with global savvy for clients in over 100 countries. We understand the power of diversity in delivering that high calibre advice to our clients. We want to attract diverse talent and we particularly encourage applications from underrepresented demographics.