The opportunity you've been waiting for
Two specialist teams. A firm-wide remit. Six months to prove exactly what brilliant administrative leadership looks like.
This is a professional services firm with audit, tax, corporate finance, payroll, people consultancy and wealth management all running under one roof, supporting Partners and Directors who depend on slick administrative support to keep client work moving. That support needs someone at the wheel.
You'll take direct ownership of two teams, OSS-Freshdesk and Onboarding & Data Governance, plus every person in them. You'll set the standard, build the leadership bench underneath you, and turn the administrative function into something genuinely strategic.
How you'll make your mark
This role sits above the day-to-day. You'll lead through your Team Leads, building a leadership layer strong enough that you rarely need to step in yourself.
Leading the function
- Manage Team Leads directly, setting clear objectives and holding them accountable for delivery, quality and performance.
- Build a leadership culture through structured one-to-ones, objective setting, performance reviews and succession planning.
- Lead recruitment for the function, from workforce planning through to interviews, selection and onboarding.
- Act as the escalation point for complex people or service issues, resolving them decisively and professionally.
Owning service delivery
- Take full ownership of administrative service delivery across the firm, keeping support for Partners, Directors and technical teams consistently high.
- Manage workload planning and prioritisation through your Team Leads, with clear service expectations and performance metrics.
- Translate Partner and Director priorities into operational support models that actually work.
- Build resilience across every team, so cover holds up during absence and peak demand.
Protecting quality and risk
- Hold the function accountable for professional standards, operational procedures and risk controls.
- Ensure every piece of client-facing output meets the firm's quality standards and reflects its brand.
- Embed consistent use of templates, branding and document standards across all teams.
- Maintain oversight of confidentiality, data protection and information security.
Developing the team
- Set KPIs for Team Leads and their teams, tracking productivity, quality and client satisfaction.
- Put structured coaching and development plans in place at every level.
- Drive capability through training programmes and knowledge sharing.
- Make sure junior administrators are productive, supported and progressing.
Driving improvement
- Own continuous improvement for the function, spotting inefficiencies and capacity constraints before they bite.
- Lead process improvement initiatives in partnership with the wider business.
- Use management information to shape resourcing and service decisions.
What you bring
- Significant experience in a senior administrative or operations role, with direct people management responsibility.
- A track record of leading managers or team leads and building accountable, high-performing teams.
- Strong commercial awareness and an understanding of risk within a regulated or professional environment.
- Confidence operating at Partner and Director level.
- An organised, resilient and decisive approach, with a history of improving service delivery.
What's in it for you
£50,000 to £60,000, on a six-month fixed-term contract based in Edinburgh. Working is genuinely flexible: there's no fixed office pattern, just an expectation that you'll be present enough to lead in person when it matters.
- Annual leave plus public holidays, with the option to buy or carry over leave.
- Enhanced parental leave across maternity, paternity and adoption.
- A paid volunteering day for a cause that matters to you.
- Private medical insurance, with the option to cover family members.
- 24/7 mental health and wellbeing support through an Employee Assistance Programme.
- A solid pension scheme, plus life assurance and death in service cover.
- A modern, collaborative office space in Edinburgh.
A bit more about the business
This is an established professional services firm operating across the UK, Ireland and the USA, working across audit, tax, corporate finance, payroll, people consultancy and wealth management. The client base spans individuals, family businesses and larger organisations, and the firm's reputation rests on direct, straightforward advice.
The administrative function has grown alongside the business, and now needs a senior leader who can bring real structure, accountability and consistency to it. That's why this role exists, and why it carries weight from day one.
Denholm's take
What makes this one interesting is the scope. Most administrative leadership roles sit underneath operations. This one sits across the whole firm, with two distinct teams, a stack of senior stakeholders and a genuine mandate to professionalise how administrative support works.
Six months is enough time to make a real mark, and the kind of person who thrives here will already know that. If the scope and the seniority appeal, we'd like to talk it through. In confidence, as always.
