Operations and Project Assistant

About the role

Fenwick & West is seeking a proactive Operations and Project Assistant to support the firm's Chief Compliance Officer (CCO).

The CCO leads three interconnected functions — Risk, Information Governance, and Partner Recruiting — each operating at a high pace with significant strategic and operational complexity.

Responsibilities

• Manage the CCO's calendar, scheduling, and meeting logistics with care and precision, anticipating conflicts and proactively resolving them
• Prepare briefing materials, agendas, presentations, and follow-up summaries for internal and external meetings
• Track open action items, deadlines, and deliverables across the CCO's portfolio; surface risks and status updates proactively
• Draft correspondence, memos, and communications on behalf of the CCO with an understanding of tone, audience, and context
• Serve as a liaison between the CCO and internal stakeholders across the firm, building credibility and trust at every touchpoint
• Maintain organized systems for documentation, files, and information flow across all three departments
• Aid in the development and drafting of presentations and slide decks on a wide range of topics, ensuring content is clear, well-structured, and tailored to the intended audience
• Provide general administrative support on an as needed basis, including assisting with the coordination, tracking, and facilitation of firmwide compliance initiatives, such as required trainings and policy acknowledgments
• Use Technology tools thoughtfully to produce higher-quality work more efficiently, applying sound judgment about when and how to apply them
• Partner Recruiting Support:
• Coordinate and track all aspects of partner candidate pipelines, including outreach scheduling, interview logistics, and follow-up communications
• Maintain accurate candidate records, activity logs, and status tracking in the firm's recruiting systems
• Support the preparation of candidate materials, meeting packets, and evaluation documentation
• Liaise with candidates, search firms, and firm leadership with professionalism and discretion
• Assist with scheduling lateral partner interviews across multiple offices and time zones
• Ensure a seamless candidate experience at every stage of the process
• Risk & Information Governance Support:
• Provide project coordination support for compliance, risk, and information governance initiatives, including tracking workstreams and milestones
• Aid in the preparation of reports, training materials, and communications for internal audiences
• Help coordinate firm-wide compliance programs, policy rollouts, and training logistics
• Support research, data gathering, and analysis on risk-related topics as needed
• Assist with vendor relationships, contract tracking, and committee meeting logistics

Qualifications

• 3–5 years of experience in an administrative, operations, or executive support role — ideally in a professional services, legal, or corporate environment
• Demonstrated experience supporting senior leaders or managing complex, multi-stakeholder workflows
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; ability to tailor messaging for different audiences
• High proficiency with Microsoft Office suite (CoPilot, Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, Excel); familiarity with project management or recruiting platforms a plus
• Track record of thriving in fast-paced, high-volume environments while maintaining quality
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience
• Prior exposure to legal, compliance, risk, or recruiting functions is a plus but not required