COO (Chief Operating Officer)

Portland, Oregon, Metro Area, Onsite

Reports to: Managing Partners

who our client is…

Our client is a fast-growing law firm dedicated to serving clients in the property management and multifamily housing sectors. Known for practical solutions, deep industry expertise, and exceptional client service, the firm has established itself as a trusted partner helping clients navigate compliance, litigation, and business growth with confidence.

With a strong regional presence and plans for expansion into additional states, the firm is entering an ambitious new phase—poised to triple in size within the next several years. By combining legal excellence with technology-enabled operations, the organization is reimagining what modern legal service looks like: fast, data-informed, collaborative, and client-first.

what our client needs…

Our client is seeking a strategic and operationally-minded Chief Operating Officer (COO) to lead internal operations during a pivotal stage of growth.

As a key member of the executive leadership team, this individual will translate vision into execution, ensuring the firm’s infrastructure, people, and processes scale in alignment with strategic goals. The COO will bring clarity, structure, and momentum—strengthening the backbone of the firm across finance, HR, technology, and administration while upholding a culture of transparency, collaboration, and accountability.

This leader will play a pivotal role in building scalable systems, enabling multi-state expansion, enhancing operational efficiency, and helping the firm evolve into a technology-forward legal services organization recognized for its speed, quality, and innovation.

what you will do…

Strategic Alignment & Partnership

• Serve as an executive thought partner to the Managing Partners, advising on operations, growth strategy, and resource allocation.
• Lead annual and quarterly operational planning, ensuring alignment between firm strategy and execution.
• Translate long-term goals into measurable priorities and performance metrics for operations.
• Conduct firmwide readiness and capacity assessments to anticipate needed resources.
• Partner with practice leaders to ensure data-informed, operationally sound business decisions.

Operational Excellence & Scalability

• Design and implement scalable systems, structures, and workflows to support growth.
• Build an operations playbook with standardized policies across HR, finance, and administration.
• Foster a continuous improvement mindset to drive quality, efficiency, and accountability.
• Develop and track operational KPIs that measure productivity and team performance.
• Oversee vendor partnerships, facilities management, and back-office operations.
• Build governance frameworks for prioritization and cross-departmental project alignment.

Leadership & Culture Building

• Lead, develop, and mentor the operations and administrative teams, building a culture of ownership and collaboration.
• Foster an inclusive environment that balances high performance with employee engagement and development.
• Model transparent leadership and clear communication across the firm.
• Build leadership capability and cross-functional alignment through mentoring, coaching, and collaboration.
• Coordinate cross-departmental communication and problem-solving to ensure seamless operations and unified execution.

Financial Stewardship

• Oversee budgeting, forecasting, financial reporting, and cash flow management.
• Implement systems and dashboards that enhance financial visibility and performance management.
• Ensure fiscal discipline while investing strategically in growth initiatives.
• Manage vendor contracts, procurement, and cost optimization.
• Partner with external financial and accounting partners (CPA, bookkeepers,etc) to ensure accuracy and compliance.
• Evaluate return on investment (ROI) for technology, staffing, and expansion initiatives.

Technology & Innovation

• Support the firm’s technology modernization roadmap, ensuring system scalability and user adoption.
• Oversee IT operations, vendor relationships, and data security.
• Evaluate and integrate emerging technologies (legal tech, AI, workflow tools) that align with firm goals.
• Support a technology ecosystem that supports a forward-looking, tech-enabled legal services model.

Change Leadership

• Lead organizational change initiatives with empathy, structure, and clear communication.
• Guide teams through change by ensuring smooth adoption of new systems, policies, and role structures.
• Build alignment among partners and employees through consistent messaging and engagement.
• Create and sustain change management frameworks that help the firm adapt to growth and innovation.
• Serve as a steady cultural anchor, balancing urgency with intention to keep people at the center of transformation.

what you need to bring…

Qualifications:

• 10+ years in operations, administration, or executive leadership roles, ideally within professional services or legal operations.
• Proven success building and scaling operations—designing systems, processes, and infrastructure in organizations growing from small to mid-size.
• Financial acumen: demonstrated experience with budgeting, forecasting, financial modeling, resource allocation, variance analysis, cost management, and ROI measurement.
• Strategic and operational planning expertise, including annual/quarterly planning, scenario modeling, and execution management.
• Change leadership experience, including system implementation, reorganization, and cultural transformation.
• Cross-functional leadership, managing or partnering across HR, IT, finance, facilities, and administration.
• Technology fluency, with experience selecting, integrating, and driving adoption of new systems.
• Strong communication and influence skills, capable of aligning diverse stakeholders and building trust with senior partners and staff.
• Analytical and metrics orientation, with experience building dashboards and tracking KPIs to inform decision-making.
• Talent leadership, including hiring, developing, and mentoring high-performing operational teams.
• Bachelor’s degree required; MBA, JD, or advanced degree preferred.

Nice to have:

• Prior experience in the property management, multifamily housing, or real estate sectors.
• Experience leading operations in multi-state or distributed organizations.
• Professional certifications such as Certified Legal Manager (CLM) or PMP.

Why join?

Our client combines the depth of a full-service firm with the agility of a boutique practice. The firm values collaboration, integrity, and service, creating an environment where people feel supported, empowered, and inspired to do their best work. Joining this team means shaping a fast-growing organization that’s redefining what modern legal service looks like.

• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• 401K
• Access to Gym
• Parking