Associate Director of Administration

About Kirkland & Ellis

At Kirkland & Ellis, we don’t just meet the standard for legal excellence — we set it. Our culture is built on teamwork, ingenuity and an unwavering commitment to continuous growth. We tackle the most sophisticated legal challenges with bold ideas and innovative solutions, powered by the exceptional experience and ambition of our 7,000+ people, including 4,000+ attorneys, across 22 offices worldwide. Our dedicated professionals share our lawyers’ commitment to excellence and show up each day to do meaningful work that helps drive global business, investment and innovation forward.

What You’ll Do

Are you a strategic operations leader who thrives on building high-performing teams and creating seamless, client-focused office environments? As Associate Director of Administration, you will be accountable for the efficient and effective administrative, business, and space operations of the Salt Lake City office, ensuring all staff functions consistently deliver exemplary client service.

This is a critical leadership role with broad influence and visibility. You’ll anticipate attorney and client needs, design and implement support systems that enable high performance, and serve as a strong advocate for the office—leading with positivity while driving engagement both locally and Firmwide. Success in this role requires sound business judgment, operational rigor, and the ability to lead through complexity in a fast-paced, time-sensitive environment.

The ideal candidate brings strong business and operational acumen, a high degree of professionalism and emotional intelligence, and a proven track record of developing teams and delivering results. You’ll be trusted to build relationships across all levels of the organization, lead change effectively, manage costs responsibly, and balance competing priorities while remaining proactive, adaptable, and deeply team-oriented.

• Lead Office Strategy and Alignment: Provide overall tactical leadership to ensure all office functions and staff are aligned in delivering seamless client service and the highest level of professionalism in line with Firmwide expectations.
• Anticipate and Solve Business Needs: Identify current and anticipated office needs and develop effective, forward-looking solutions that support attorneys, staff, and clients while advancing Firm objectives.
• Enterprise Partnership: Serve as a strategic liaison to Firmwide functional leadership, creatively identifying office needs and translating Firmwide objectives into effective local execution.
• Oversee Core Office Services and Infrastructure: Provide executive oversight of Facilities, Mailroom, Digital and Reprographics Services, Guest Services, Conference Services, and Food Services by partnering with building management and vendors, negotiating agreements, resolving service issues, managing budgets and invoices, and ensuring high-quality, secure, and reliable service delivery across all office operations.
• Drive Communication and Engagement: Conduct regular office meetings and engage with partners, associates, and staff to communicate business goals, priorities, and significant Firmwide updates.
• Develop and Support Talent: Provide coaching and mentorship to direct reports through goal-setting, performance reviews, and development planning to strengthen leadership capability and team performance.

What You’ll Bring

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• 5–8 years of management experience within a professional services environment.
• Proven ability to develop, motivate, and lead teams while positively influencing stakeholders at all levels.
• Strong judgment, organizational skills, and a demonstrated record of executing plans and delivering results in fast-paced settings.
• Excellent presentation and communication skills, with a high degree of professionalism, diplomacy, and discretion.
• Ability to balance competing priorities, lead through change, and respond with urgency in a dynamic, time-sensitive environment.

How to Apply

Thank you for your interest in Kirkland & Ellis LLP. To submit your resume for future consideration, please click "Apply Now."

Don’t worry if you don’t meet every requirement—while this posting is for future opportunities and response times may vary, we’re always eager to connect with top talent and may reach out if a matching role arises.

Equal Employment Opportunity

All employment decisions, including the recruiting, hiring, placement, training availability, promotion, compensation, evaluation, disciplinary actions, and termination of employment (if necessary) are made without regard to the employee’s race, color, creed, religion, sex, pregnancy or childbirth, personal appearance, family responsibilities, sexual orientation or preference, gender identity, political affiliation, source of income, place of residence, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, age, marital status, military veteran status, unfavorable discharge from military service, physical or mental disability, or on any other basis prohibited by applicable law. #LI-Hybrid #LI-CN1