Position Overview
The Assistant Manager, Workplace Experience is a key member of the Workplace Experience Team, responsible for supporting the delivery of an exceptional workplace, hospitality, and service experience for employees, clients, and visitors in the SF/SV office.
As a key operational partner to the Sr. Workplace Administrator, the Assistant Manager independently oversees day to day workplace operations, coordinates service delivery across multiple functions, and ensures consistent execution of the Firm’s high service standards.
This role requires a proactive, hands on professional who exercises sound judgment, resolves operational issues, and drives assigned projects and initiatives with minimal direction.
Working in close partnership with the Sr. Workplace Administrator and the Facilities, Hospitality, Workplace Experience, Events, and other business services teams, the Assistant Manager translates workplace priorities into action, maintains operational continuity, and identifies opportunities to improve service quality and efficiency. When delegated, the Assistant Manager represents the Administrator in operational matters and exercises appropriate decision making authority within established guidelines.
Success requires exceptional organization, sound business judgment, strong relationship building skills, and the ability to balance competing priorities in a fast paced, client focused environment. The successful candidate leads through ownership, collaboration, and influence rather than direct staff supervision, independently managing daily operations and assigned initiatives while recognizing when significant issues or decisions require the Administrator’s involvement.
What You’ll Do
Workplace Experience and Operational Leadership
- Independently oversee day to day workplace operations, ensuring consistent service delivery and a seamless experience for employees, clients, and visitors.
- Build trusted relationships with attorneys, business services professionals, office leadership, vendors, and internal service teams to understand operational needs, coordinate solutions, and address emerging concerns.
- Translate the Administrator’s priorities into actionable plans, coordinate implementation across relevant teams, and communicate progress, risks, and outstanding issues.
- Identify opportunities to improve workplace services, operational efficiency, and the overall employee and client experience, bringing forward practical recommendations for consideration.
- Exercise independent judgment within established policies and delegated authority to resolve operational issues, coordinate corrective action, and maintain service continuity. Escalate significant financial, operational, safety, reputational, or sensitive matters to the Administrator as appropriate.
- Coordinate with Facilities, Hospitality, Workplace Experience, Events, and other business services teams to resolve shared issues and deliver a consistent workplace experience.
- Support business continuity, emergency preparedness, and office response planning by maintaining operational readiness and coordinating assigned response activities.
Vendor and Service Provider Management
- Coordinate day to day service delivery across hospitality, catering, cleaning, facilities, AV, and other workplace service providers, ensuring established service expectations are met.
- Monitor vendor performance, service levels, contractual obligations, and applicable insurance, safety, and environmental requirements.
- Address service deficiencies directly with providers, track corrective actions, and escalate recurring performance concerns or material compliance issues to the Administrator.
- Maintain effective relationships with building management, engineering teams, and external service providers to coordinate maintenance, address operational needs, and resolve outstanding issues.
- Identify opportunities to improve vendor performance, service quality, and operational efficiency in partnership with the Administrator and relevant internal teams.
Hospitality and Conference Center Operations
- Oversee daily execution of reception, conference center, catering, pantry, food service, visitor experience, and meeting support operations, ensuring established service standards are consistently maintained.
- Coordinate conference room readiness, visitor spaces, meeting support, and workplace utilization using Eptura Engage or a comparable space management system.
- Partner with the Events Team, attorneys, business services professionals, and vendors to coordinate meetings, events, and special initiatives.
- Maintain and reinforce established hospitality procedures and service standards, recommending improvements where operational needs or stakeholder feedback indicate opportunities for enhancement.
- Resolve complex service issues, coordinate appropriate support, and ensure timely follow through on requests and commitments.
- Serve as a primary point of contact for employees and visitors in the WEST office, ensuring requests are addressed professionally and routed to the appropriate teams when needed.
- Draft and circulate local office communications, ensuring information is accurate, timely, and consistent with Firm standards.
- Conduct regular inspections of conference rooms, reception areas, hospitality spaces, common areas, visitor spaces, workplace amenities, and back of house operations to confirm readiness, functionality, cleanliness, and presentation standards.
Facilities and Workplace Operations
- Coordinate day to day facilities activities, ensuring the office remains safe, functional, well maintained, and aligned with the Firm’s workplace standards.
- Manage maintenance requests, monitor service levels, coordinate corrective action, and follow through on outstanding facilities concerns.
- Lead assigned workplace projects, office improvements, space planning initiatives, and operational enhancements from planning through implementation, coordinating stakeholders, schedules, resources, and follow through.
- Coordinate office moves, space changes, and infrastructure improvements with relevant internal teams, building management, and service providers to minimize disruption to business operations.
- Support workplace technology and service operations, including space and meeting management platforms and ticketing systems such as ServiceNow, coordinating with appropriate technical teams to resolve issues and improve service delivery.
- Maintain visibility into open facilities issues, project milestones, and outstanding vendor commitments, escalating delays or risks that may affect office operations.
Financial and Administrative Management
- Monitor workplace related expenses and contribute to budget planning and forecasting by providing expense information, identifying trends, and communicating potential variances to the Administrator.
- Review vendor invoices for accuracy, resolve discrepancies, track expenditures, and route invoices for approval in accordance with established financial controls and delegated authority.
- Maintain accurate operational records, service metrics, vendor documentation, and reporting to support informed decision making and effective management oversight.
- Monitor relevant service activity, workplace utilization, and operating expenses to identify trends, support resource planning, and recommend practical improvements.
- Maintain organized records of operational commitments, purchasing activity, and financial transactions in accordance with Firm procedures.
Key Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and experience required.
- Minimum of 7 years of relevant experience in workplace experience, hospitality, workplace operations, conference center management, facilities, or related fields, preferably within a law firm, professional services, financial services, or similarly high touch corporate environment.
- Demonstrated experience managing vendors and service providers, including setting expectations, monitoring performance, addressing deficiencies, and driving accountability.
- Proven ability to independently oversee day to day operations and lead assigned projects and initiatives with minimal direction, while exercising appropriate judgment about when to consult or escalate.
- Exceptional communication and relationship building skills, with the ability to engage confidently and professionally with attorneys, clients, business services professionals, vendors, and senior leadership.
- Demonstrated ability to influence outcomes, coordinate across functions, build consensus, and deliver results without relying on direct reporting relationships.
- Strong business judgment, problem solving, and decision making skills, with the ability to anticipate needs and act effectively within established policies and delegated authority.
- Highly organized and detail oriented, with strong planning, prioritization, execution, and follow through capabilities.
- Strong financial acumen, including experience monitoring budgets, reviewing invoices, tracking expenses, and supporting financial reporting.
- Experience coordinating facilities operations, building management relationships, maintenance programs, workplace projects, and office infrastructure in a corporate environment.
- Experience with workplace technology platforms and service operations, including space and meeting management systems such as Eptura Engage and ticketing systems such as ServiceNow, preferred.
- Familiarity with the service expectations, culture, and pace of a law firm or professional services environment strongly preferred.
- Demonstrated discretion, professionalism, adaptability, and the ability to maintain high service standards while managing competing priorities in a demanding, client focused environment.
For individuals assigned and/or hired to work in New York and California, Freshfields is required by law to include a reasonable estimate of the compensation range for this role. This compensation range is specific to the States of New York and California and takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to skill sets; experience and training; licensure and certifications; and other business and organizational needs. The disclosed range estimate has not been adjusted for the applicable geographic differential associated with the location at which the position may be filled, and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. A reasonable estimate of the current range is $100,000 to $150,000.
