Baker McKenzie

The Office Administrator - Contract (12 months) will attend to the needs of the internal clients (Members of the Office) in everything related to the service areas (back-office) is part of the responsibility of this Manager. Although the role-holder is not directly responsible for the operation of the following functional areas, they will interact with them to achieve a better coordination of administrative support in general to all members of the office. These functional areas include: Finance, Technology and Systems, Business Development and Marketing, Human Resources, Corporate Social Responsibility, and Compliance.

Main responsabilities: 

General:

• Work jointly with the Operations Director and the Administration Director, both within the Operations team, to coordinate and execute the actions, policies, and procedures of the area; Internal service areas are in charge of their respective schedules, i.e.:

1. 1. Reception
   2. Customer Service Area (meeting rooms, waiting room, kitchenette).
   3. Document and Client File Archive
   4. Courier and Correspondence
   5. General maintenance of office and machinery, and equipment facilities
   6. General office cleaning
   7. Internal security (access control)

• Responsible for supervising, coordinating, and directing the activities of the staff of the Operations team in each of the service areas in charge, as well as evaluating their performance and providing the necessary feedback in each case
• Establish the guidelines that the personnel of each area must follow to carry out their duties in accordance with the Firm's policies and procedures
• Ensure that the service areas under his responsibility provide an excellent level of attention and service, in a timely manner and without interruptions
• Ensure that the staff of the area appropriately conducts itself before clients, visitors and other members of the office, taking special care of the etiquette in personalized service, via telephone or any other means of communication; guiding the staff on an ongoing basis to manage the highest standards of customer service
• Receive any complaints, comments, or suggestions regarding the operation of the service areas under their responsibility; attend to faults and resolve them in a timely and efficient manner, keeping a logbook to record incidents and their corresponding follow-up
• Ensure that the area's personnel do not disclose personal information to third parties about the members of the office
• Ensure that the area's personnel receive adequate training and instruction to perform their duties
• Ensure that the area and its personnel display an excellent image and appearance
• Provide the necessary tools to the area's personnel to adequately perform their duties
• Directs the performance of area personnel so that they conduct themselves appropriately before clients, visitors and other members of the office
• He is responsible for implementing the assignment of workplaces that have been determined based on the Firm's policies and procedures and by the corresponding administrative bodies; he is also responsible for the assignment of parking spaces
• Establishes the guidelines that the area's personnel must follow to carry out their duties per the Firm's policies and procedures
• In some cases, may act as legal representative (upon recommendation of the Compliance area), before third parties for acts of administration related to the operational activity, not without prior authorization from the Director of Operations
• Responsible for providing the necessary support so that the partner meetings required by the Local Managing Partner are carried out orderly and promptly
• Responsible for organizing general office events (Christmas party, year-end lunches, summer get-togethers)

Attend to clients and visitors (Reception and Customer Service Areas):

• Oversee that the area controls are carried out: registration of calls and messages, sending and receiving courier packages and correspondence, receipt of summons and notifications; audit these processes monthly
• Ensure that the meeting rooms are in perfect condition and have the appropriate infrastructure to serve clients and visitors
• Establish mechanisms to keep a logbook, through the area's personnel, that allow members of the office to reserve the use of meeting rooms and request the services required by clients and visitors during their stay in the office
• Frequently inspect the order, cleanliness, and appearance of the reception and meeting rooms to ensure that they are maintained in perfect condition
• Ensure that the switchboard equipment is working properly, and in case of failures, report them immediately to the Systems area
• Oversee the proper recording of incoming and outgoing documentation using logbooks, as well as the delivery to the final recipient within the office
• Establish mechanisms for external suppliers to register and fully identify themselves when using the office's internal facilities
• Supervises that the reception staff keep the internal directories of the Firm (extensions) and the rest of the offices updated for their proper use

Archiving of Documents and Client Files:

• Ensure to carry out the purging processes of the "live" file to discharge the files out of use or closed in the "dead" file; this process is carried out once a year, and coordinate it so that the partners and associates are the ones who determine which files will be discharged
• Depending on the volume of dead files, ensure that they are correctly purged
• Oversee the adequate and daily control of "live" files: incoming and outgoing files, as well as their updates through requests submitted by members of the Professional Staff
• Ensure that the area for the safekeeping of files has the necessary security measures in place to safeguard the contents of the files
• Oversee that the file consultation index is kept up-to-date and that such information is available and within reach of the members of the office
• Frequently inspect the order, cleanliness and appearance of the file to ensure that it is kept in perfect condition
• Ensure that access to the area is restricted to the appropriate members of the office at previously established times and dates

Courier Service (Internal Messengers):

• Inspect weekly the condition of the office's courier transportation equipment and ensure that it is in proper operating conditions (operation and cleanliness), so as not to endanger the physical integrity of the members of the office who use it
• Ensure that the transportation equipment is properly maintained for its use and that it meets the requirements established by road and traffic regulations (license plates, ownership, comprehensive insurance coverage)
• Supervise that area personnel keep their driver's license up to date and that they carry out their duties in compliance with road and traffic regulations
• Ensures that the area's personnel keep an up-to-date travel log, in which the reason for the trip and the corresponding charge are noted; also ensures that this travel log is passed to the Accounting area promptly for proper processing
• Ensure that the courier transportation equipment is used only for purposes related to the operation of the office, and that such equipment is kept at the office facilities daily
• Ensure that courier personnel have a means of communication to monitor their duties outside the office, as well as to make unscheduled requests to them
• Supervise that the assigned equipment is in good condition and is used for office operation purposes
• Maintain direct contact at all times with area personnel to assign them tasks and assignments that correspond to service requests received from other members of the office
• Establish the necessary mechanisms for members of the office to request internal courier service within the framework of the policies and procedures established by the Firm
• Adequate records are kept of departures and deliveries of courier requests

Courier Service External Messengers:

• In charge of finding suppliers to provide the service required by the office
• Maintain direct contact at all times with the external messaging staff to assign them the tasks that correspond to the service requests received from other members of the office
• Establish the necessary mechanisms for members of the office to request internal courier service within the framework of the policies and procedures established by the Firm
• Keep a detailed record of departures and deliveries of courier requests

Maintenance of facilities, furniture, and equipment: 

• Keep track of available offices, stations and workplaces; before the entry of personnel and after any promotion and/or change of position, assign and confirm the corresponding workplace according to the distribution of practice groups and availability
• Ensure that the assigned offices, stations and workplaces are clean and in perfect condition; as well as having placed the corresponding paperwork before the occupation of the same
• If necessary, receive and process requests for business card printing for office members based on the policies of the office
• Ensure the assignment of access control mechanisms to the facilities so that the members of the office can make use of such facilities; determine the levels of access that the members of the office will have to the facilities during non-office hours
• Responsible for the control and assignment of parking spaces that have been determined based on the Firm's policies
• Immediately responsible at the local level for developing, managing, and following up on projects for extensions, modifications, and improvements to the leased premises
• Ensure that all locations and work areas have the necessary infrastructure services and equipment to operate at all times and in perfect working order, even when some of the work areas are not currently in use
• Establish the pertinent measures to prevent accidents within the office facilities and to safeguard the physical integrity of its members
• Regarding computer equipment, the Systems Manager will be in charge of such infrastructure
• Determine the necessary measures to guarantee hygiene, order, and cleanliness in all facilities and ensure that such measures are carried out on time without interrupting day-to-day activities
• Responsible for the safekeeping of assets (non-monetary) that are property of the office; safeguards the keys and access controls to all doors and accesses to the office
• Ensure that the office has a stocked first aid kit and an external ambulance service for emergencies
• Ensure that the office has the necessary infrastructure to maintain adequate levels of artificial climate, drinking water, and electricity
• Maintain an updated inventory of office furniture and equipment based on the parameters established for the control of such records
• Responsible for carrying out asset disposal processes through sale, donation, or disposal of assets, always with prior authorization from the Director of Operations
• Responsible for knowing and managing compliance with the obligations established in the leases contracted by the office, the payment of rents and fees, their renewal or termination; keeps a strict control of the use of the leased area through the control sheet designed for such purposes

Purchases of supplies, office materials and outsourced services:

• Ensure that the office has an adequate supply of stationery, cafeteria and office supplies; carry out the process following national purchasing guidelines
• Responsible for the review, formalization and administration of contracts with suppliers of office supplies, cleaning, maintenance, photocopiers and in general with any other related to the operation of the internal service areas of the office
• Manage the inventory and safekeeping of office supplies and materials; distribute office supplies and materials among the members based on the needs that arise

Control the annual budget for operating expenses and capital investments:

• Directly supervises the expenses incurred by the office in the different areas under his direct responsibility and keeps control of these, as well as a comparison with the budget for the fiscal year

Preparation of payment requests to suppliers of operational services:

• Responsible for generating payment requests for all services and needs of the office operation, accounting and following the necessary guidelines
• Keep track of requests and payments made for services required for the operation

Skills and experience:

• A degree in Management, Industrial Engineering, or Business
• High drive, organization, follow-through and communication: You can multitask in an orderly and organized manner, knowing how to prioritize the projects under your responsibility, maintaining a continuous monitoring of progress and achievements, and communicating in a timely and clear manner with the different reporting lines
• Supremacy and taste for excellence in customer service: Must have a passion for helping others; be an excellent communicator; be responsive and have a gift for listening to others
• Operational: You are attracted to constant operational activity; like to work as part of a team to achieve objectives, is especially involved in the details of the operation in the internal service areas under their responsibility, and generally close to their customers and visits them frequently
• Discipline, honesty and transparency: You stick to the rules as a matter of course and enforce them by your example; You are fair to impose a penalty or enforce a compliance rule; You are careful to maintain order in the service areas directly under their responsibility to ensure that they operate effectively and efficiently; You assume responsibility when a fault occurs, identifies, communicates, and resolves it immediately
• Analytical: You like numerical processes such as budgeting, control of expenditure, and quantitative analysis of the behavior of the operation; have a good level of knowledge of applied statistics and master at an advanced/expert level in the use of data processing tools (spreadsheets)
• Creativity: You can seek practical and timely solutions to resolve conflicts and adverse situations, always within a framework of action based on established guidelines

Reports to: Chief Operating Officer, Operations Mexico

Position type: In Market

Development framework: Manager

At Baker McKenzie we are different in the way we think, work and behave. With our team of 13,000 people, including over 6,500 locally admitted lawyers, in over 70 offices worldwide, we have a passionately collaborative community of 60 nationalities and are committed to world-class career development to everyone in every job at every level. Baker McKenzie can offer you both the uncompromising commitment to excellence expected of a top firm paired with a passionately global and genuinely collaborative working environment.

Baker McKenzie is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to promoting diversity and inclusion for all. Our unique international culture is reflected in the drawing together of a worldwide family of individuals from diverse cultures and backgrounds in all of our offices. We encourage the best people - regardless of race, religion or belief if any, gender, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation or age - to fulfill their professional aspirations with us.  We are committed to ensuring an inclusive and accessible experience for all candidates.