General Manager, Hong Kong

Who We Are

We are one of the largest international law firms in the world. With over 30 offices across the globe, we strive to exceed the expectations of our clients, providing them with the highest-quality advice and legal insight, which combines the firm’s global standards with in-depth local expertise.

Our firm, work and people span jurisdictions, cultures, and languages. We offer our clients a truly international perspective. We believe every career should be rewarding and stimulating - full of opportunities to learn, thrive, and grow. That’s why we’re so proud of our inclusive, friendly, and team-based approach to work.

You’ll find our clients in commercial and industrial sectors, the financial investor community, governments, regulators, trade bodies, and not-for-profit organisations. But no matter who they are or why they’ve reached out to us, we provide a world-class service every step of the way. And that’s possible thanks to the entrepreneurial spirit and conscientious approach to work that you’ll find across all of our teams.

Whichever area of the business you join, you’ll become an integral part an innovative, diverse and ambitious team of people. Clifford Chance is a place where the brightest minds and the best of colleagues meet.

The Role

Clifford Chance is one of the world's leading law firms, helping clients achieve their goals by combining the highest global standards with local expertise.  The Firm has unrivalled scale and depth of legal resources across the three key markets of the Americas, Asia and Europe and focuses on the core areas of commercial activity: capital markets; corporate and M&A; finance and banking; real estate; tax; pensions and employment; litigation and dispute resolution through the lens of its leading position across a number of strategic sectors.

The General Manager ("GM") will report to the Regional Chief Operating Officer ("RCOO"), Asia Pacific, and the Office Managing Partner ("OMP"), Hong Kong, to ensure that the operational support is in line with business strategy.

The GM bears overall responsibility for the operational and financial management of the Hong Kong office (~350 people). The GM will play a key leadership role as part of the office management team working with the OMP, partners and Business Professional teams in the office.

The GM will work closely with the Hong Kong Partners and other stakeholders to develop and implement the Firm's strategy,  and will provide leadership and direction to the Business Professional teams (working with regional and global functions), helping to ensure that their business objectives and activities are aligned with the wider firm objectives and the service provided is as efficient as possible across the office.  

The GM will work closely with the OMP, RCOO, the Regional Practice Area Directors (RPADs) and regional functional leads to implement the global strategy within the office in line with regional and global financial and functional plans. They will also work closely with other GMs in the region to ensure there is consistency of the firm's operations and on global and regional projects to align processes and resources.

In addition, local projects or initiatives may be undertaken where with appropriate regional or global function consultation and collaboration to maintain strategic coherence. The GM is expected to get involved in regional and global projects, engage proactively and constructively with regional functional teams, fostering an environment of collaboration that enables the realisation of the most effective global and regional solutions and results for the Firm.

The GM will ensure professional standards and compliance to key policies, as well as local regulatory requirements are met and adhered to.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Strategic Implementation

Working with the OMP, RCOO, RPADs and regional functional leads, the GM will play a key role in the implementation of the regional and global strategy within the office.  Responsibilities will include:

• Providing leadership, direction and coordination to Business Professional teams and providing strategic advice and support to the OMP, local PALs and partners.
• Ensuring that the business professionals functions work together within the office to fulfil the regional and wider Firm objectives.
• Analysing financial results to identify business trends and critical insights. Using this analysis to make recommendations on improving business performance, identifying and making the case for more/less investment in key business areas and functions.
• Providing input into the region's business plan.
• Collaborating on projects and initiatives in relation to the firm's strategic intent on Inclusion. Including providing office level support and advocacy for internal affinity networks and initiatives around employee experience and well-being, aligned with regional and global Inclusion leads.

Change Management

Working with the RCOO, OMP, regional functional leads and Global Director of Change Management, as appropriate:

• Spearheading change management programmes within the office that will drive behaviours, practices and culture, aligned to the firm's strategic objectives.
• Participating in strategic projects in the region and/or office, working closely with project managers, functional leads and global projects group where relevant.
• Implementing local communications to support local/regional/global projects.

Operational Management

Working with RCOO, OMP, regional functional leads and local functional managers:

• Acting as the designate of the OMP(s) for administrative duties, as appropriate, and serving as a central point of contact for all partners, lawyers and Business Professionals located in the office(s). 

• Ensuring all Business Professional activities are integrated, coordinated and meeting the needs of the office.  Balancing priorities between functions and managing the overall impact of activities on the office.
• Ensuring the office has suitable premises to meet the current and future needs of the business, overseeing any lease extensions, workplace studies, office moves/refurbishments in coordination with the Global Head of Property Portfolio and in line with the Global Real Estate Manifesto.
• Responsible for the office Facilities & Operations teams including outsourced facilities such as the print room services.
• Evolving secretarial services in the office to align to global and regional best practice and ensuring pooled resources and AI tools are adopted to drive ongoing efficiencies.
• Liaising with Internal Audit in relation to audits and recommendations made. Reporting to the OMP, RCOO and/or RCFO on the implementation status of any changes and processes recommended by Internal Audit.
• Providing input into the development of region-wide business improvements and supporting the local implementation of these initiatives.

Operational and Legal transformation

• Working with the leadership of the firm's Operational Hubs and Legal Support/Delivery Centres in India, Newcastle and Warsaw to optimize cost effective support for the office.
• Advocating with Partners and supporting continued and increased utilization of specialist resources to deliver legal matters effectively and efficiently including Legal Project Management, Legal Technology and Resource Management.
• Working with the Legal Transformation team to advocate use of new technology and working practices in the delivery of legal services and across all business professional functions in the office.

Risk and Compliance

Working with the Regional and Local risk and compliance leads in:

• Supporting strong and consistent communications of risk and compliance policies and standards across the Office.
• Ensuring adherence to local laws and regulations and conducting regular reviews of organisational practices and local policies. This includes staying abreast of legislative changes, interpreting their implications for the organization.
• Assisting the OMP in addressing areas of non-compliance in the office.
• Addressing risk issues for the office, including financial security, IT security and data protection and liaising with the heads of functions in each case to ensure implementation of effective risk management.
• Ensuring the office's business continuity plans are fit for purpose.
• Leading the local crisis management team.
• Ensuring the office has appropriate physical security arrangements in place.

Business Development and Communications

Working with the Client and Market Development ("CMD"), and the Brand, Communication and Marketing ("BCM") teams in:

• Bringing the voice of the client into the business professionals' community and improving our service delivery and client experience.
• Guiding on internal communications (including crisis management).
• Engaging on local external communications.

Information Technology

• Working with the Regional Technology director and Local IT team to ensure that the office's technology infrastructure meets the current and future requirements of the region.

Financial Management

Work closely with the Local Head of Finance and Regional Chief Financial Officer, APAC to:

• Implement a robust control environment as expected by the ELG and the Audit & Risk Committee.
• Encourage and ensure commercial discipline within the office.
• Maintain & improve the elements of the order to cash process. 
• Set and deliver ambitious cost budgets
• Identify and address areas of financial under performance
• Promote compliance with the authority limits set from time to time and involve the firm's procurement experts on any procurement activity which is strategic and / or any expenditure that has a one-off or annual value in excess of £100,000 (or local equivalent) or such lower limit as may be deemed appropriate locally.

Procurement, Travel and Group Bookings

• Ensuring the offices are following best practice in terms of purchasing/procurement methodologies with suppliers. Offices to use global preferred suppliers where possible.
• Ensuring all preferred suppliers adhere to procurement best practice in terms of vendor management, contract management, confidentiality etc.
• Monitoring the office travel provider, travel approvals, reporting and ensuring all travel is booked in line with the Firm's travel policy
• Ensuring adoption of global travel platform and driving self service use of the travel tool.

People and Team Management

Working with Regional HR Business Partners and local HR Specialists in:

• Ensuring local Operations and Services are appropriately resourced
• Working with functional leads to ensure the office has adequate optimal headcount, including considerations of cost effectiveness such as alternative locations for replacement roles.
• Leading and coordinating a senior team within the office, ensuring objectives are cascaded, in coordination with regional function heads.
• Acting as a sounding board, ensuring function managers work collaboratively and effectively in meeting the business needs within the region and the office.
• Providing pastoral care support in the office, including offering emotional and spiritual support to colleagues, ensuring their well-being and fostering a supportive and inclusive environment. 

Your Experience

Skills and Qualifications

• Business graduate or equivalent. MBA and/or Accountancy qualification would be beneficial.
• Previous experience required in leading and managing high performance teams, preferably in a professional services firm.

Analytical thought and problem solving

• Making decisions that solve the immediate problem and prevent it from occurring again
• Preparing for potential problems and contingencies in case things go wrong
• Taking prompt action to resolve problems quickly
• Making pragmatic and practical decisions about how centrally driven initiatives should be implemented locally

Communicating and influencing

• Communicating in a manner which demonstrates an understanding of the underlying causes of others' feelings and behaviours
• Delivering difficult messages with confidence, clarity and sensitivity

Commitment and self-motivation

• Driving to assess the alignment of current practices to team/department priorities, even if the status quo makes this difficult
• Remaining positive for the benefit of others even during stressful and changing circumstances
• Promoting a culture of continuous improvement around standards and how decisions are made
• Ensuring a seamless service is provided for clients by coordinating activities across departments

Leading and developing others

• Acting as a role model/coach to others and encouraging staff/direct reports to use a similar approach
• Promoting and supporting an environment that values continuous learning and the development of the Firm's learning resources
• Acting as a figurehead, building commitment to achieve goals

Organising and managing resources

• Planning departmental resources in order that work flow is efficient, fairly allocated and flexible to changing demands
• Encouraging others to manage work in a proactive and systematic way
• Improving inefficient working practices
• Working to raise the overall performance level of the department/function

Working relationships

• Lobbying and sounding out key decision-makers in order to build support
• Reviewing what support can be provided to stakeholders to meet any changing demands
• Resolving conflicts within the immediate team or across multiple teams within the business

Organisational and strategic thinking

• Demonstrating an understanding of the critical forces that will shape the future business environment
• Incorporating observed issues, and trends into working practices and direction for the team
• Demonstrating an understanding of the Firm's financial and management structures in order to meet budget target
• Making decisions to meet the longer term needs of clients and the business

Equal opportunities statement

At Clifford Chance, we understand that our true asset is our people. Inclusion is good for our team and their families, our firm and society.

We are committed to treating all employees and applicants fairly and equally regardless of their gender, gender identity and expression, marital or civil partnership status, race, colour, national or ethnic origin, social or economic background, disability, religious belief, sexual orientation, or age.  This applies to recruitment and selection, terms and conditions of employment including pay, promotion, training, transfer and every other aspect of employment.

We have a variety of flourishing employee networks. These networks are a place for colleagues to share experiences and advocate for change wherever they see an opportunity for improvement.

Our goal is to deliver an equality of opportunity, an equality of aspiration and an equality of experience to everyone who works in our firm. 

Find out more about our inclusive culture here

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