Office Administrator

DLA Piper is, at its core, bold, exceptional, collaborative and supportive.  Our people are the backbone, heart and soul of our firm.  Wherever you are in your professional journey, DLA Piper is a place you can engage in meaningful work and grow your career.  Let’s see what we can achieve. Together.

Summary

The Office Administrator, working in collaboration with and in support of the firm’s strategic initiatives, serves as an essential leader within DLA Piper, driving administrative excellence and fostering a positive work environment. The Office Administrator embodies the core values of boldness, exceptional service, collaboration, and support, serving as a cornerstone of the firm's operational and strategic goals.

The Office administrator will be engaging directly with senior leadership, clients, and external stakeholders, this role serves as a key connector between strategic vision and day-to-day execution. The Office Administrator is instrumental in translating organizational goals into actionable outcomes, championing continuous improvement, and cultivating a high-performance culture that reflects the firm’s values and priorities.

Location

This position is based in both our Palo Alto and San Francisco offices and will require weekly travel between both office locations and offers a hybrid work schedule.

Responsibilities

• Leadership
  • Directs, manages, and oversees the daily administrative business functions of the office.
  • Represents and supports firm decisions and initiatives, managing through change.
  • Plans and facilitates office core management team meetings to ensure collaboration on operational excellence.
  • Manages, advises, and mentors direct reports, including compensation planning, performance evaluations and onboarding.
  • Holds individual meetings with each direct report for at least 30 minutes every month.
  • Reports and communicates with Director of Administration, relaying information and escalating office needs, employee relations, or other issues/challenges in a timely manner.
  • Influences across departments and senior staff.        
     
• Lawyer Engagement & Support
  • Regularly interacts and engages with office lawyers to ensure strong practice support and proactively identify and address needs, sharing feedback across departments for continuous improvement.
  • Manages, facilitates, and supports lateral integration ensuring effective collaboration of firm resources for successful practice integration into the firm.
  • Plans, attends, and prepares agenda and materials for partner meetings, presenting on business and financial matters, as needed.
  • Partners with talent acquisition, practice group, and/or local office partners for lateral recruiting efforts and initiatives and onboarding of new associates.
     
• Strategic Partnership
  • Collaborates with OMP and marketing and business development on office marketing budget and client-facing and business development opportunities, which may include managing contracts for strategic utilization of sports tickets to maximize ROI.
  • Partners with various departments on office events and initiatives to maximize engagement and build/maintain a positive office culture.
  • Helps improve the firm's brand recognition in the community through civic involvement and local networking and collaborating with the firm’s Alumni team.
  • Partners with the firm's Real Estate leadership team and Operations on space planning to include refurbishing projects, moves, subleasing, space layout, plan review, construction RFPs and construction management and external use of office space.
  • Participates in firmwide initiatives with department leadership and senior management.
  • The OA will serve as a key partner to the Director of Administration, contributing to one or more strategic functional areas within the department, which may include:
    • Attorney & Business Professional Relationship Management.
    • Process Improvement & Technology (AI).
    • Communications & Leadership Liaison.
    • Talent Management: Recruiting, Training & Development.
    • Manages complex workflows and broader impact.
       
• Financial Responsibility
  • In alignment with firm initiatives, supports and drives efforts around billing and collections to optimize cash conversion and meet office goals.
  • Works collaboratively with Practice Group Directors to partner with lawyers to ensure the implementation of best practices in fiscal management.
  • Prepares, analyzes, and maintains accurate office administration and related office budgets for all areas of responsibility.        
     

Desired Skills   

Demonstrated ability to assume a leadership role and make decisions while fostering a teamwork environment. Ability to adapt to changing priorities and maintain a productive and committed work effort, meeting deadlines and managing workload. Demonstrated ability to communicate clearly and professionally, both orally and in writing. Demonstrated ability to provide quality client service to both internal and external contacts regarding administrative matters of a complex nature. Requires patience, creativity, discretion, and the ability to negotiate and influence change. Demonstrated ability to effectively supervise others, including hiring, training, assigning work, managing performance, and counseling. Ability to lead others in the development of a cohesive, effective work unit.

Basic understanding of local and national labor laws, HR practices, and legal requirements. Possess knowledge of basic accounting and budgeting principles and the ability to track, organize, analyze, and report financial data clearly. Elevated level of knowledge of MS Suite to prepare a variety of business communications.

Minimum Education            

• High School Diploma or GED.
   

Preferred Education

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, Finance or related field.
   

Minimum Years of Experience  

• 6 years’ management experience in a professional services or law firm environment, preferred. Experience with facilities management to include design, construction, contract negotiations and project management a plus. Knowledge of basic accounting principles to include budget management required.

Essential Job Expectations

While the specific job requirements of a DLA Piper position may vary depending upon scope of the job and area of specialty, there are certain universal requirements that are expected of all DLA Piper employees, which include but are not limited to:

• Effectively communicate, verbally and in writing, with clients, lawyers, business professionals, and third parties.
• Produce deliverables, answer phone calls, and reply to correspondence in an efficient and responsive manner.
• Provide timely, accurate, and quality work product.
• Successfully meet deadlines, expectations, and perform work duties as required.
• Foster positive work relationships.
• Comply with all firm policies and practices.
• Engage in both physical and sedentary activity, such as (a) working at a computer for extended periods of time, including on-screen reading and typing; (b) participating in digital/virtual conference calls; (c) participating in meetings as needed.
• Ability to work under pressure and manage competing demands in a fast-paced environment.
• Perform all other duties, tasks or projects as assigned.
   

Our employees are expected to embrace and uphold our firm values as a part of our DLA Piper culture. We are committed to excellence in how we represent our clients and develop our people.

Physical Demands

Sedentary work: Exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects, including the human body. Sedentary work involves sitting most of the time. Jobs are sedentary if walking and standing are required only occasionally and all other sedentary criteria are met.    

Work Environment    

The individual selected for this position may have the opportunity for a hybrid work arrangement comprised of remote and in-office work, the requirement for which will be determined in coordination with the hiring manager or supervisor and may be modified in the firm’s discretion in the future. 

Disclaimer    

The purpose of this job description is to provide a concise statement of the work elements and to organize and present the information in a standardized way. It is not intended to describe all the elements of the work that may be performed by every individual in this classification, nor should it serve as the sole criteria for personnel decisions and actions. The job duties, requirements, and expectations for this position may be modified at the Firm’s discretion at any time. This job description does not change the at-will nature of employment. 
 

Application Process     

Applicants must apply directly online instead of sending application materials via email. 
 

Accommodation    

Reasonable accommodations may be made upon request to permit individuals with a disability to perform the essential functions and responsibilities of the position or to participate in the job selection process. If you have a request for an accommodation during the application process, please contact [email protected]. 

Agency applications will not be considered.     

No immigration sponsorship is available for this position.    

The firm’s expected hiring range for this position is $179,132 - $237,355 per year depending on the candidate’s geographic market location.

The compensation offered for employment will also be dependent on other factors including the candidate’s experience, skills, educational and professional background, and overall qualifications. We offer a comprehensive package of benefits, including medical/dental/vision insurance, and 401(k).
 

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DLA Piper is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran. Job applicant poster viewing center.