Administrative Operations Manager | Complex Litigation - Attorney General's Office

State of Washington•Thurston County – Olympia, WA

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Attorney General’s Office is recruiting for a permanent full-time Administrative Operations Manager (WMS Band 2) for our Complex Litigation Division. This position is located in Tumwater, Washington and is not union-represented. This position is set as a Band 2 in the Washington Management Services structure. The salary range for this position is $102,222 to $127,778 annually. This position offers a growth and development salary range up to $132,924. The growth and development salary range is not available at the time of initial hire. The base pay offered will take into account internal equity and may vary depending on the preferred candidate’s job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. The following stipends may apply based on position requirements: Incumbents assigned to a position designated as requiring dual language skills will receive a 5% Dual Language Requirement Pay stipend. The Administrative Operations Manager manages the Division paralegals and all administrative functions of the Division, in partnership with the Division Chief (DC) and all members of the Management Team. The Division has a large eDiscovery workload. This position is responsible for running this diverse legal office from top to bottom. If you thrive managing people and office programs such as HR actions, payroll, equipment & facilities planning, contracts, strategic planning, and essentially influencing all the details of an office while fostering successful and positive colleague relationships, this might be the opportunity for you. The Complex Litigation Division is comprised of 28 Attorneys, 26 Paralegals, 1 Administrative Office Manager, 1 Investigator, and 1 Legal Office Assistant. The Division has staff in Tumwater, Tacoma, Seattle, and Spokane, Washington. The Division has many ongoing cases challenging overreach by the federal government, such as HUD homelessness grants, public benefits programs, student mental health grants, gender-affirming care, FEMA disaster mitigation funding, the dismantling of HHS, teen reproductive health education, and public health grants, as well as a lengthy history of challenging past federal government action. The Division led multistate litigation to protect and increase access to medication abortion, and will remain at the forefront of the fight to protect Washingtonians’ reproductive rights. The Division also litigates cases such as Washington’s lawsuits related to the opioid epidemic; lawsuits against gambling apps; challenges to the constitutionality of the State’s law restricting gun magazine capacity size and the law banning the sale of assault weapons; and issues stemming from the tobacco Master Settlement Agreement. Case teams of AAGs and paralegals range in size from two to ten or more. The Division’s cases have substantial motion practice and frequently involve large amounts of documents and data. Some cases are fast-paced and involve requests for preliminary injunctive relief. Join an agency whose work impacts the lives of every resident of Washington State. The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) touches the lives of every resident in this state. We serve more than 230 state agencies, boards, commissions, colleges and universities, as well as the Legislature and the Governor. The Office is comprised of nearly 700 attorneys and 800 professional staff, all working together to deliver the highest quality professional legal services to Washington state officials, agencies, and entities. This includes: Economic justice and consumer protections (safeguarding consumers, protecting youth, seniors, and other vulnerable populations) Social justice and civil rights (addressing discrimination, environmental protection, and veteran and military resources) Criminal justice and public safety (investigative and prosecutorial support, financial crimes) And much more! Our agency also has national reach, representing the State of Washington before the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals and trial courts in all cases that involve the state’s interest. If you want to make a difference, we may be the perfect fit for you! Learn more about the AGO here.

Requirements

Six years of experience through: Paralegal certification, Two-year paralegal degree and/or Paraprofessional experience in support of an attorney, including at least two years of supervision experience in a legal setting.
Strong understanding of eDiscovery, the discovery process, and the roles and duties of a paralegal.
Consistently present with others, listens empathetically, and is committed to the staff’s success.
Knows how to bring out the best in others and flourish in an environment where they’re comfortable running meetings, influencing and recommending policy, and rolling up their sleeves and getting things done all in the same day.
Savvy management and relationship development skills.
Demonstrated knowledge of: Paralegal practices, policies, and procedures, Management principles and practices, including training and supervision, Litigation techniques and support.
Demonstrated ability to: Develop and implement long- and short-range plans, Develop internal operating procedures, Organize, prioritize, and manage a large number of projects, resources, and diversified work groups, Empower employees to contribute their knowledge, creativity, and expertise to further the Division's mission of providing excellent, ethical, and professional legal services, Build and support a diverse, inclusive, and collaborative work environment.

Nice To Haves

Prior experience managing legal personnel and projects effectively.
Experience on large-scale eDiscovery projects and a thorough understanding of the role of a paralegal in discovery and litigation support.
Comfortable with high-profile work and have the ability and eye for detail to review, make and implement office policies and procedures.
Outstanding people skills to build professional relationships in and outside of the division.
Nimble team player and true leader who knows how to work with and develop staff based on individual needs in order to keep the office running.
Works with the Section Chief and management team to keep the section running as efficiently and effectively as possible.
Typical successful backgrounds for this position include: Law office management, State agency office management, Higher education office management, Administrative professional who has worked up the ranks to office management in a professional environment.

Responsibilities

Manages the Division paralegals and all administrative functions of the Division, in partnership with the Division Chief (DC) and all members of the Management Team.
Responsible for running this diverse legal office from top to bottom.
Manages people and office programs such as HR actions, payroll, equipment & facilities planning, contracts, strategic planning.
Influences all the details of an office while fostering successful and positive colleague relationships.
Develop and implement long- and short-range plans.
Develop internal operating procedures.
Organize, prioritize, and manage a large number of projects, resources, and diversified work groups.
Empower employees to contribute their knowledge, creativity, and expertise to further the Division's mission of providing excellent, ethical, and professional legal services.
Build and support a diverse, inclusive, and collaborative work environment.