Firm Administrator

Talley LLP•Orange, CA

10d•Onsite

About The Position

Talley LLP is hiring a Firm Administrator to lead its Administration department and turn priorities established by the partners and Chief Operating Officer into practical plans, assigned work, and completed commitments. Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, the role works across the Tax, Audit and Assurance, Client Accounting Services (CAS), and Legal teams, and oversees administrative personnel and day-to-day operations. The Human Resources Generalist reports to the Firm Administrator for supervision only; HR functions remain the Generalist’s responsibility and are not performed by the Firm Administrator. The Firm Administrator coordinates administrative support around practice-area workflows and busy seasons; manages standard operating procedures, billing and collections execution, office operations, and firm leadership support; and leads the administrative team’s adoption of approved AI tools. The role also manages the department’s budget and administrative vendor relationships, supports firm-wide initiatives, and administers tracking for professional license renewals, CPE compliance, peer review logistics, and annual independence confirmations. The position is based in Orange, California, and is in-office Monday through Friday. Talley is a multidisciplinary professional services firm serving entrepreneurial businesses, their owners, and high-net-worth individuals. It has 50+ U.S.-based professionals and 20 to 30 offshore or outsourced team members.

Requirements

Seven or more years of progressive experience in operations or administrative management.
At least three years supervising a team of five or more employees.
Experience overseeing time and billing, invoicing, and collections within a practice management system.
Working understanding of tax, audit, and client accounting workflows and the seasonal demands of a CPA firm.
Experience building or managing a standard operating procedure program.
Demonstrated ability to lead change and influence partners and department leaders without direct authority.
Demonstrated success developing and improving operational processes.
Proficiency with Microsoft 365 and ability to learn new systems quickly.
Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Nice To Haves

Firm administrator or operations management experience in public accounting, legal, or another professional services firm.
Experience with professional services practice management platforms such as Karbon.
Certified Legal Manager (CLM) or comparable firm administration credential.
Human resources experience, helpful for supervising the Human Resources Generalist; HR functions are not part of this role.
Experience leading rollout and adoption of AI tools in a professional services setting.

Responsibilities

Lead the Administration department, including assigning work, setting goals, evaluating performance, supporting staff development, and reporting departmental performance to the Chief Operating Officer.
Supervise the Human Resources Generalist by setting priorities, aligning work with operating plans and busy-season needs, and evaluating performance; do not perform HR functions.
Oversee administrative functional areas and ensure requests and departmental priorities are completed accurately and on schedule.
Lead the Talley Community Outreach program.
Translate partner and Chief Operating Officer priorities into operating plans with owners, deliverables, and timelines; maintain a central operations tracker and lead regular operations meetings.
Prepare monthly operations reports, follow through on leadership action items, hold owners accountable, resolve staff-level operational issues, and escalate matters requiring leadership decisions with options and recommendations.
Coordinate firm operations across Tax, Audit and Assurance, CAS, and Legal; identify opportunities to standardize processes, policies, and systems.
Coordinate administrative support plans before busy seasons, analyze workload and capacity, recommend resource reallocations, and review support after each season.
Manage the Administration departmental budget and administrative vendor relationships, and recommend expenditures and cost-saving measures with supporting analysis.
Coordinate with the Project Management Office on initiatives affecting Administration and with Information Technology on systems and technology requirements.
Manage billing and collections staff and processes, with strategic direction provided by the Chief Financial Officer.
Oversee billing and time administration in Karbon, including client and engagement setup, billing configuration, time-entry compliance, invoicing, and work-in-progress management.
Ensure monthly billing closes meet established timelines, collections are pursued promptly, and client records and financial reporting data maintained by the department are accurate.
Provide work-in-progress, realization, and accounts-receivable reporting to partners and department leaders, and follow through on resulting billing and collection actions.
Oversee office facilities, supplies, mail and courier services, conference rooms, and reception coverage; oversee firm leadership support and finalization and delivery of audit and assurance deliverables.
Evaluate and implement services and technologies to improve office operations.
Coordinate rollout, training, and adoption of approved AI tools within Administration; identify workflows for potential time savings, report results, and ensure compliance with the firm’s AI usage policy and client data safeguards.
Oversee firm-wide standard operating procedures, including consistent formatting, a central repository, designated owners, review schedules, and updates when processes, systems, or tools change.
Establish quality controls for critical administrative processes, maintain cross-training for critical functions, and communicate Administration’s responsibilities, contacts, and request procedures.
Administer tracking of professional license renewals and CPE compliance, coordinate peer review logistics, and administer annual independence confirmations.