Head of Administration, Asia - Law Firm

• Excellent culture, team management role
• High visibility, high impact

Our client is a global law firm that operates across all major global business hubs, including key locations in Asia such as Singapore, Hong Kong etc. The firm fosters a collegial and professional environment, emphasising mentorship through structured training programs. They actively encourage social engagements & networking opportunities. It's strategic focus on energy transition, & clean tech positions it well for long-term growth. In line with the firm's growth ambitions in Asia, we are looking for an Asia - Head of Administration (based in Singapore) to lead the operational functions in Asia. This is a replacement headcount and is a "COO - Asia" equivalent role in most other competing setups.

Job Description

Reporting to the UK, this hire must be very comfortable in a highly matrix structure as it will have dotted lines to various functional heads such as CHRO, CFO, CAO & the Asia Managing Partner. This is a senior executive responsible for leading a (direct + indirect) team of 50 in Asia across finance, HR, IT, marketing, compliance & L&D. The incumbent has been with the firm for more than two decades and has grown with the role - indicating the firm's strong ability to retain and grow key talent. In this role, you:

• Oversee office operations including facilities, HR, finance, IT, and legal support services for Asia.
• Support budgeting, forecasting, and cost control initiatives.
• Ensure the integrity of the Firm's administrative and client records both digital and physical. Oversees record management and retention policies and implementations.
• Act as local project manager / steering committee member for technology, policy or process rollouts and other Firm initiatives.
• Ensure regulatory compliance and risk management across administrative functions.
• Work closely with the Asia Managing Partner to identify candidates for internal promotion to special counsel and/or the partnership and prepare initial drafts of memoranda supporting such.
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders across Asia, Europe & US to support large scale system rollouts and/or firm wide events.

• MBA or Bachelors in Business Administration, Finance, or another relevant discipline.
• More than ten years in a law firm, with a strong track record of leading teams in the Asia region.
• Strong leadership, strategic thinking, negotiation, and communication skills.
• Strong organizational skills and an ability to prioritize, meet deadlines and work well under pressure.
• Demonstrated team-building capabilities. Resourceful, proactive self-starter able to complete simultaneous projects with minimal supervision.
• Familiarity with Workday or other HRIS systems would be useful.
• Flexibility to travel and attend calls across time-zones on an ongoing basis.

Our client, one of the top law firms in the world, is looking for an Asia operations leader who can create direct impact in delivering the highest service standards to internal & external clients while ensuring a consistent application of Firm policy. Compensation and benefits will be in the 90th percentile of the market for such roles and the firm prides itself in having excellent retention across levels. The firm has an incredibly collaborative and intellectually stimulating culture. Candidates who are currently leading Southeast Asia or another combination of markets for a law firm, will find this an excellent fit.