Operations Manager

About us

We're a fast-growing DUI and criminal defense law firm with offices throughout Chicagoland, looking for a high-energy, results-driven Operations Manager who enjoys turning chaos into systems and ideas into action. You'll work directly with the Law Firm Owner to build and continuously improve the operational infrastructure.

We've grown quickly, and our systems, policies, and procedures haven't always kept pace. If you thrive on finding what's broken and enjoy holding people accountable, this could be a great fit.

We're looking for a builder, fixer, and accountability-driven leader to become our firm's first Operations Manager and help build the infrastructure for our current team and our next stage of growth. You'll have real ownership over how the position is shaped and room to grow into a larger leadership role as the firm continues to scale.

Essential Job Duties

• Lead the non-lawyer team and vendors — set expectations, monitor performance, solve problems, and hold people accountable.
• Own the firm's operational systems — oversee case management, document management, technology, and other systems that keep the firm organized and efficient.
• Build and enforce the playbook — create, implement, improve, and enforce policies, procedures, and workflows that produce measurable results.
• Drive workflow and accountability — make sure clients, cases, and tasks move through the firm at the right pace and nothing falls through the cracks.
• Own quality and deadlines — identify bottlenecks, address problems quickly, and maintain high standards for the team.
• Keep the operation running — oversee facilities, equipment, supplies, and other operational needs.
• Help build the team — work with the Owner on recruiting, hiring, staffing, performance management, and employee development.
• Own onboarding and training — ensure new employees understand their responsibilities and have the tools and training to succeed.
• Administer payroll and benefits — verify payroll information and assist with employee benefits administration.
• Measure what matters — prepare dashboards, reports, and KPIs so leadership knows what's working, what isn't, and where improvement is needed.

Bottom line: This role is about execution. We need someone who sees a problem and fixes it, sees an opportunity and acts on it, and sees a broken process and builds a better one.

Experience Needed

• Proven leadership experience (3+ years) supervising a team of 5+ employees and holding people accountable for results.
• Strong people-management skills, including coaching, performance management, employee engagement, and termination when necessary.
• Experience managing outside vendors, including accountants, bookkeepers, technology providers, and other partners.
• Project and case management experience, including keeping complex projects on track, on time, and on budget.
• Prior legal experience is strongly preferred. Criminal defense experience preferred as well.

The Ideal Candidate

We care about experience. We care just as much about how you operate. The right person:

• Doesn't just adapt to change—they lead it and thrive in it.
• Talks more about solutions than problems.
• Has a sense of humor that matches their sense of compassion.
• Has strong conflict-resolution skills, not conflict-avoidance skills.
• Takes ownership and follows through.
• Wants to help build a company, not simply manage a job.

Knowledge of criminal defense is helpful, but if you don't have it, you'll need to get up to speed quickly. You'll be expected to understand enough about our work to ensure clients and cases are receiving the attention they need and that the team is following firm standards.

Compensation & Culture

This is a management-level position with a salary of $80,000–$110,000 (commensurate with experience), performance incentives tied to KPIs, health benefits, 401k, and vacation/sick PTO.

We take pride in helping clients through some of the most difficult moments of their lives, while building a profitable, growing company that creates opportunities for our team. We believe you shouldn't have to choose between meaningful work and a great life, and we want this to be a place where hard work is also rewarding and fun.

If you want a role where your ideas matter and your work has a measurable impact, we'd love to hear from you.