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The Business Manager is the chief administrator of the firm. He advises, assists, and supports the Managing Director concerning all aspects of the day-to-day operation and supervision of the firm's, administrative, financial, facilities, and human resources management functions. He also may perform certain executive duties delegated to him by the Managing Director or the Senior Partner.
The Business Manager directly supervises four of the firm’s functional managers: the Administrative Services Coordinator; the Facilities Coordinator; and the Finance Coordinator.
The Business Manager’s performance is evaluated by the Managing Director.
This is a full-time position.
Principal responsibilities
• Working through a team of functional managers with day-to-day responsibility and authority for their respective areas, supervise the firm's administrative, financial, and facilities management functions.
• Directly supervise and conduct performance evaluations of the Administrative Services Coordinator; the Facilities Coordinator; and the Finance Coordinator.
• Supports the management of internal business operations of any branch office(s) of the firm.
• With input from their respective functional managers, perform performance reviews of the members of the Administrative Services Team; the Facilities Team; and the Marketing Team.
• Assist the Managing Director in drafting the firm's annual business plan and operating budget.
• Collect, compile, and submit periodic business performance reports to the Managing Director, with input from the Finance Director and other functional managers and fee earners.
• Administer the firm’s human resources management policies, with assistance and support from the Administrative Services Coordinator.
• Recruit and recommend for hiring functional managers and non-lawyer fee earners.
• Take decisions on requests for vacation, sick leave, compensatory time off, and other authorized absences, for all non-lawyer employees, as permitted by the firm's policies and consistent with the instructions of the Managing Director.
• Recommend to the Managing Director improvements in the staff structure, personnel levels and distribution, and assignment of functions and tasks with respect to the administrative, financial, and facilities functions of the firm.
• As delegated by the Managing Director, contract with external vendors and contractors for the provision of non-professional services, materials, equipment, furnishings, and supplies, not to exceed the amount budgeted for such expenses.
• Sign all checks and requests for fund transfers of SR 25,000 or less.
• Perform other duties as delegated by the Managing Director or the Senior Partner.
Required education and experience
A fully-qualified occupant of this position possesses these educational and experience credentials:
• A university degree in business administration, law, or some other academic discipline relevant to the principal responsibilities of this position; or
• At least four years of successful experience as a manager or administrator of a significant administrative or operational function of a professional services firm. A university degree may be substituted for two years experience. At least one year of this experience must include intensive, frequent experience relevant to the principal responsibilities of this position, in three or more of these management disciplines:
• accounting
• budget planning and execution
• business planning and execution of business plans
• career management of professionals
• clerical services management
• continuous process improvement
• facilities management
• financial management
• human resources management
• ISO 9000 series registration
• legal secretarial services management
• performance evaluation
• professional development and training
• quality assurance
Required skills and competencies
To perform the responsibilities of this position at a satisfactory level, the Business Manager must demonstrate mastery of these business skills and competencies on a regular, frequent basis:
• The ability to interpret financial reports typically produced by a law firm or similar professional services firm in order to identify and define business performance issues; and to use that information to plan and execute successful responses to such issues
• Advanced proficiency in word processing, spreadsheet, graphics, and database applications, sufficient to permit the creation of complex documents and sophisticated analytical documentation
• The ability to analyze information accurately, to develop recommendations and options, and to support and improve informed decision making with respect to the management of the firm
• Clear communication of firm policies and priorities to managers and staff
• The ability to design, introduce, and manage new policies and processes to improve performance and cost-effectiveness
• The ability to identify early indicators of management or performance problems in the firm’s major business systems, and the initiative to take appropriate, cost-effective action in order to prevent crises
• Initiative in designing and developing improvements in policies and procedures
• Leadership skills to support the improvement of individual and group performance
• The ability to identify issues of potential concern to functional managers in the firm and to coordinate the solution of those issues throughout the firm
• Proficiency in the English language commensurate to those commonly found in persons holding similar senior managerial positions in major international law firms in Saudi Arabia
• Skills necessary to represent and achieve the firm’s business objectives in negotiations with suppliers, clients, and internal staff
• Skills in the cost-effective management of major administrative or facilities projects
• The knowledge required to apply quality assurance and business process improvement tools and methods to the unique characteristics of legal practice in a major law firm
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