Director of Operations

Lowenstein Sandler • Roseland, NJ

4d • $250,000 - $300,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Director of Operations is a senior leadership role responsible for driving operational excellence across all of the firm’s offices. This individual will ensure consistency in workplace experience, optimize office services and space management, and oversee administrative teams to support attorneys and clients effectively. The Director of Operations will partner with Firm Leadership and Office Administrators across the firm to provide leadership and oversight firmwide in the areas of Real Estate, Facilities, Office Services, Secretarial Services, and Business Continuity. The ideal candidate will be a confident, collaborative contributor with excellent communication skills, strong consultative abilities, effective leadership skills, a high client service orientation, and a record of delivering impactful results to the business.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Operations, Facilities Management, or related field (MBA or JD a plus).
• 8–12+ years of relevant experience, with at least 5 in a leadership role managing multiple office operations.
• Experience in a professional services or legal environment strongly preferred.
• Must possess outstanding communication and project management skills.
• Demonstrated leadership abilities to provide guidance, motivation, and vision to team members across the firm.
• Demonstrated ability to partner with, and influence, others.
• Exhibit high degree of initiative, critical thinking skills, and the ability to exercise independent judgment and make decisions.
• Ability to collaborate with creativity and vision.
• Proactive with demonstrated troubleshooting, problem resolution, and follow through skills to manage multiple and diverse projects simultaneously in a fast-paced, detail-oriented work environment.

Responsibilities

• Multi-Office Operational Leadership Oversee day-to-day operations across all firm offices, ensuring consistency in procedures, client service, and internal workflows.
• Coordinate with Office Administrators and local administrative leads to align practices, resources, and performance standards firm-wide.
• Monitor staffing needs and implement strategies to optimize resource allocation across departments and practices.
• Travel to each Lowenstein office on a recurring basis, meeting with Office Administrators, Office Chairs, Partners and Staff.
• Step in and help with all office projects where needed and provide Office Administrative coverage where needed.
• Document and Secretarial Services/Office Services Manages Document Services Supervisor and Office Administrators across all offices.
• Provides coaching and support with respect to management of their teams and their offices.
• Coaches, mentors, and resolves issues to support operations, articulate goals, recognize individual achievement and facilitate and encourage continuing education and development of the team.
• Provides performance counseling/guidance, conducts performance evaluations, and makes salary and disciplinary recommendations.
• Oversees coordination of work assignments and team workflow to ensure adequate administrative coverage across all departments and in all offices.
• Ensures administration and office services teams’ compliance in each office with firm policies and procedures, including communication, administration, and interpretation; supports the design, development, and implementation of new policies as needed.
• Strategizes on innovative and efficient ways to provide a superior level of service to all attorneys.
• Promote a culture of service, accountability, and professional development through coaching, mentoring, and training.
• Standardize and streamline operational procedures across offices to reduce redundancies and improve efficiency.
• Seeks opportunities to upskill talent and evaluate and implement pipeline initiatives for future recruiting needs.
• Develops, implements, and updates departmental policies and procedures.
• Develops and maintains training and procedural documentation in all areas of oversight.
• Stays abreast of best practices.
• Monitors expenses and reviews invoices.
• Hire and manage all recruiting for personnel and consultants that are needed to maintain our document service needs.
• Facilities, Vendor and Financial Management Develop and implement policies to ensure a consistent, high-quality experience for employees and visitors across all offices in terms of workspace, amenities, hospitality, and office culture.
• Contribute to strategic planning, particularly around office expansion, real estate decisions, sustainability initiatives, and culture-building across locations.
• Works closely with Chief Operating Officer to oversee and manage firmwide projects from inception to completion.
• Contributes to the management of office space, lease negotiations, renewals, and build-outs to include planning, budgeting and scheduling of all facility modifications.
• Serves as project manager on all construction and renovation projects, providing analysis of the business metrics and ensuring the effective flow of information between firm management and individual offices.
• Provides recommendations and design input to ensure that objectives for projects are met.
• Provides tactical planning, development, evaluation and coordination of all major office projects and initiatives.
• Lead efforts to modernize and optimize office layouts and usage based on evolving work models (e.g., hybrid work, shared spaces).
• Serves as point of contact internally and externally for all scope, budget, costs, design, and construction-related items and issues for the life of buildouts.
• Solicits proposals for services, negotiates fees, and oversees contract preparation.
• Responsible for directing outside architects and engineers in the production of contract documents for assigned projects; provides design professionals with firm standards and criteria and performs intermediate and final plan reviews to assure design integrity and compliance.
• Coordinates and leads on-site surveys of new and remodel projects, including review of facilities for potential acquisition.
• Assumes overall responsibility for all office and some firm-wide agreements/contracts with various vendors and service providers.
• Manages and tracks all key lease and vendor provisions in the firm’s real estate portfolio, ensuring rent and associates operating expenses are accurate and timely paid.
• Manage vendor relationships, including cleaning, security, catering, and maintenance services.
• Oversee inventory and procurement of office supplies and equipment, ensuring cost-effectiveness and timely delivery.
• Develops and manages the Operating and Capital budgets for all offices, aligning expenditures with strategic priorities and providing monthly forecasts.
• Develops and maintains the firm’s 5-year capital plan projections for all locations and communicates same to the management team on a quarterly basis.
• Leads project teams in the analysis, budgeting and implementation of these major projects and initiatives.
• Provides project updates and metrics to the firm’s Senior Management Team, as well as the Operating Committee and other departments, as necessary.
• Ensure compliance with internal policies, legal industry standards, and health and safety regulations.
• Business Continuity Planning and Management: Maintains processes related to emergency preparedness, ensuring that all processes associated with resource management, emergency response, crisis communications, business continuity, incident management, and adequate training of all employees to respond in emergencies are closely monitored and maintained.
• Develops processes associated with ensuring firm and employee safety and security, including processes to prevent and/or mitigate loss, risk and threats to the firm’s employees and its physical assets.
• In conjunction with the COO and firm leadership, determines steps in responding to business continuity incidents and manage communications.
• Firm-wide Events/Initiatives: Responsible for managing firm-wide events, including annual Partner retreat, annual Sr. Administrative Managers’ Retreat and other events as assigned.
• Responsible for overseeing the management of the company store, which includes merchandise selection, vendor management, marketing and billing/budget reconciliation.
• Other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Our benefits package includes coverage options for medical, dental, vision, prescription drug, life insurance, disability, FSAs, 401K, and paid time off.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director