Department Operations Specialist

Polsinelli does not accept unsolicited resumes from search firms or agencies. Please, no phone calls or emails.

About the role

Polsinelli is seeking a Department Operations Specialist in one of its offices, with preference to Kansas City or St. Louis. The ideal candidate is a proactive, analytical, and detail-oriented professional who thrives in a collaborative environment, uses data-driven insights to inform recommendations, and excels at managing multiple initiatives that advance department and firm performance.

Responsibilities

• Operational Strategy & Leadership

• Partner with Director to design, implement, and enhance procedures, workflows, and reporting mechanisms that improve efficiency and performance.
• Serve as a key interface between the Department and administrative functions, ensuring alignment and clear communication and execution of priorities.
• Develop and maintain department and practice group calendars, meeting schedules, reporting cadences, and planning sessions to support engagement and accountability.

• Financial Analysis & Budget Management

• Support the management and oversight of the Department budget, including forecasting, expense tracking, and variance analysis.
• Conduct financial and operational analyses to identify trends, evaluate performance, and provide actionable insights for leadership.
• Prepare monthly, quarterly, and annual reports to Department and Firm leadership.
• Collaborate with Finance and Accounting to ensure department budgets and expenditures align with firm financial goals.

• Project Management & Initiative Tracking

• Aid Department leadership with the coordination of department initiatives, ensuring all projects are scoped, prioritized, and executed within established timelines and objectives.
• Support development of project plans, manage progress tracking, and facilitate collaboration across teams to meet goals and achieve successful outcomes.
• Provide project updates to Department leadership, summarizing milestones, risks, and key results.
• Support implementation of initiatives focused on technology adoption, process improvement, and client service enhancement.

• Operations Reporting & Department Coordination

• Create and maintain accurate operations metrics, dashboards, and reports to support data-driven recommendations and decision-making.
• Oversee department scheduling and coordinate department and practice group meetings, retreats, and planning sessions by preparing agendas, materials, and tracking follow-up actions.
• Support attorney and staff onboarding, offboarding, and integration processes to ensure seamless transitions.

• Cross-Department Collaboration

• Act as a liaison between the Department and other firm departments such as Finance, HR, Innovation, Marketing, Recruiting, and Professional Development, to promote collaboration and alignment.
• Work effectively as part of a geographically dispersed, multidisciplinary team, supporting both department and firmwide initiatives.
• Establish and maintain a project management cadence to track progress and share updates across relevant teams.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required (Concentration in business, finance, or accounting a plus).
• 5+ years of experience in business operations, financial or data analysis, or project management, ideally within a legal environment (Intellectual Property experience a plus).
• Experience with budgets and financial reporting processes.
• Strong project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple concurrent initiatives.
• Exceptional organizational and scheduling skills, with experience coordinating complex department calendars and priorities.
• Excellent analytical skills, with the ability to interpret data, identify trends, and provide meaningful insights.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with a high level of precision and attention to detail.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, PowerPoint, Word) and familiarity with project management or reporting tools (e.g., Monday.com, Power BI, Smartsheet).
• Experience with document management systems such as iManage and time and billing platforms preferred.

Benefits

Polsinelli PC is an Equal Opportunity Employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.