Firm Summary
White & Case is an elite global law firm serving leading companies, financial institutions and governments worldwide. Our long history as an international firm means we are perfectly placed to help our clients resolve their most complex legal challenges wherever they may be.
With lawyers operating from more than 40 locations, working in virtually every country of the world, we have invested heavily in building a high-quality full-service practice competing at the top of the market. We are distinguished by our on-the-ground presence in the worlds key financial markets and our strengths in handling complex cross-border work. Its not just about our global network of offices; its the global interconnectedness of the Firm that our people, and our clients, value most. We work well together across geographic and practice boundaries. Its one of the reasons we attract and retain cross-border work. And why we attract a diverse group of people.
Our lawyers are globally minded, enterprising, collaborative and committed to excellence. Diversity is a core value of our Firm and it has been recognized with numerous awards and top rankings around the world. Our people represent 90 nationalities and speak 80 languages.
The Office Operations function in White & Case
All Business Services people in White & Case are part of the appropriate global function and this position is the local leader of the Office Operations function and also part of the global team. The chart overleaf gives a broad sense of the areas of responsibility of the function to provide context for this role. Some of these areas are managed globally with local support from the team on the ground, and some are managed locally with global support from a small central team. The Office Operations Manager leads the local support and services in the office.
Position Summary
The Office Operations Manager oversees the people, processes, vendors and facilities that ensure the smooth-running of the office on a day-to-day basis. Alongside the offices HR, Finance, Business Development and Technology managers, they ensure that we create the environment for our lawyers and clients to succeed and work closely with the offices partners and global teams to deliver this.
The Office Operations Managers role covers a wide range of areas not often apparent to many people who work in our offices, but it is a critical and demanding role and pivotal to how we ensure our offices run well in White & Case.
Duties and Accountabilities
Property & Workplace
Responsible for the designated local office premises and the provision of a great place to work, including:
xc2xb7 Compliance with global office move guidelines which govern our decision-making on real estate decisions
xc2xb7 Lease management, lease events, sub-lets
xc2xb7 Awareness of local market conditions, workplace approaches and local market trends
xc2xb7 Space planning, office relocations, internal office moves, expansions, refurbishments, minor internal construction works
xc2xb7 Coordination with global real estate team and Office Executive Partner (the head of the office) to follow the Firms global real estate guidelines on what we seek to achieve, and how, in the design and construction of our premises
xc2xb7 Managing the payment and reconciliation of all rent, service charges, utilities and other operating expenses
xc2xb7 Being the primary contact for the management of our landlord relationship, landlord services, coordination/resolution of issues
xc2xb7 Preventative maintenance, repairs, upgrades, replacements of furniture, fittings and equipment
xc2xb7 Security, access control systems, CCTV, access alarm systems & tests
xc2xb7 Printers, MFDs, copiers, mailroom binding, postal and other hardware associated with office services and practice management needs
xc2xb7 All related vendor contracts, including local third-party vendors that align with national contracts
xc2xb7 Budgets, spending levels and variance analysis for the above
Environmental Sustainability
Responsible for:
xc2xb7 Compliance with the Firms global sustainable operations guidelines
xc2xb7 Annual reporting on greenhouse gas emissions & standards adopted
xc2xb7 Leading engagement in/by the whole office on environmental sustainability to ensure compliance with local and building mandates and Firm objectives
xc2xb7 Maintaining dialogue with local property management regarding sustainability initiatives for consideration by the firms global sustainability team as an opportunity to enhance/improve reporting metrics
Risk & Assurance
Responsible for:
xc2xb7 Compliance with the Firms global physical security standards
xc2xb7 When necessary, overseeing the management of local insurance policies, collaborating with the global Treasury and Global Benefits teams who manage additional global insurances
xc2xb7 Compliance with local Health & Safety legislation/regulations to ensure there is a safe working environment
xc2xb7 Routine tests of intruder alarm systems, fire alarms/drills, emergency alert system for communicating with staff in an emergency
xc2xb7 Office business continuity plan, emergency information notices, office crisis management team
xc2xb7 Ensuring the life safety and building evacuation plans are maintained and updated accordingly.
xc2xb7 Supporting incident responses in coordination with the office executive partner and others as needed
xc2xb7 [For some offices, maintaining records and monitoring compliance with local practice regulations (e.g., ratio of local to foreign lawyers)]
Service Delivery
Responsible for team management (including resource planning, recruitment, performance management, compensation, leadership and development) of:
xc2xb7 Practice Assistants (including any evening PAs)
xc2xb7 Guest Services, Hospitality and Concierge
xc2xb7 Office Services
xc2xb7 Facilities
xc2xb7 Any other Operations staff
Responsible for:

• Compliance with guest services standards for reception, hospitality and switchboard to ensure that client (and internal W&C visitor) experiences are world-class in standard

xc2xb7 Managing or overseeing any outsourced onsite service providers (e.g., cleaning, security, hospitality) whether directly, through one of the Firms managed third-party vendors or through the landlord
xc2xb7 Office/logistics onboarding of all new joiners or temporary staff in conjunction with HR
xc2xb7 Collaboration with Global Mobility team on relocations, secondments and hires from other countries
xc2xb7 Processes for handling mail, files, archiving, confidential and non-confidential waste
xc2xb7 If applicable, management of any office cars and drivers
xc2xb7 Local suppliers of services to the office (e.g., taxis, catering, deliveries)
xc2xb7 Oversight of local involvement with Firm travel provider (for flights, hotels, etc.)
xc2xb7 Liaison with the Firms central global operations team on new initiatives and services
xc2xb7 Coordination with, and promotion and leverage of, services provided in-house or outsourced by the wider firm e.g., document sources, translation services, operations shared services in our Manila office
Other
Responsible for:
xc2xb7 Organization of office social events and managing spending to agreed budgets
xc2xb7 Coordination with the Firms global events team for supporting special events within the local market and/or office
xc2xb7 Budgeting, forecasting and managing costs of all Operations expenditure in the office, in compliance with global procedures and approval requirements
xc2xb7 Ensuring the office has a well-run social responsibility program
xc2xb7 Managing any ad-hoc operations projects as required
xc2xb7 Cultivating professional networking opportunities across local peer firms
Qualifications
Qualifications
Work experience:
xc2xb7 5 Years or more in an office management role, including supervision of staff
xc2xb7 Fluency in English and local language(s)
xc2xb7 A background in professional services is required
xc2xb7 Skilled at working with well-known software (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and technically adept at learning to work with new operations-related systems and tools
A successful performer in this role is like to have:
xc2xb7 A hands-on style that gets things done
xc2xb7 Humility rather than a big ego
xc2xb7 Experience of delivering consistent high-quality services across a myriad of administrative and operational functions
xc2xb7 Exceptional organizational skills and the ability to multi-task
xc2xb7 Successful at managing the dual role of supervising staff and maintaining office operations systems
xc2xb7 High levels of self-motivation, resourceful and proactive in management approach
xc2xb7 Strong judgment
xc2xb7 Professional composure in highly pressured situations
xc2xb7 An ability to manage a very varied workload effectively and efficiently
xc2xb7 A natural ability to rapidly build good relationships with everyone in the office and with many people across many functions and teams in the wider Firm
xc2xb7 High levels of integrity and performance standards
Location & Reporting
Location: Dubai
This role reports to the EMEA COO but is also accountable to the office executive partner locally for the quality of service provided
1The above is only a general description of the essential duties associated with this position and does not represent an exhaustive or comprehensive list of all duties.