Operations and Project Assistant

Job Description Summary:

Fenwick & West is seeking a proactive Operations and Project Assistant to act as a right hand to the firms Chief Compliance Officer (CCO). The CCO leads three interconnected functions Risk Information Governance and Partner Recruiting each operating at a high pace with significant strategic and operational complexity.

This is not a traditional administrative role. We are looking for someone who anticipates needs before theyre voiced brings intellectual curiosity to every challenge and thrives in an environment where no two days look the same. You will be embedded at the center of the CCOs world: managing priorities enabling workflows and building the connective tissue that allows three departments to run smoothly and in sync.

This role is an outstanding opportunity for an early-career professional who wants to grow into an operations manager or senior business services function within a leading technology law firm.

This position can be based in our Silicon Valley (CA) or San Francisco (CA) office locations and offers a hybrid work arrangement allowing you to work both from home and at your designated Fenwick office. The frequency of in-office work will be determined by business needs and guided by your departments directives.

Job Description:

• Manage the CCOs calendar scheduling and meeting logistics with care and precision anticipating conflicts and proactively resolving them
• Prepare briefing materials agendas presentations and follow-up summaries for internal and external meetings
• Track open action items deadlines and deliverables across the CCOs portfolio; surface risks and status updates proactively
• Draft correspondence memos and communications on behalf of the CCO with an understanding of tone audience and context
• Serve as a liaison between the CCO and internal stakeholders across the firm building credibility and trust at every touchpoint
• Maintain organized systems for documentation files and information flow across all three departments
• Assist in the development and drafting of presentations and slide decks on a wide range of topics ensuring content is clear wellstructured and tailored to the intended audience
• Provide general administrative support on an as needed basis including assisting with the coordination tracking and facilitation of firmwide compliance initiatives such as required trainings and policy acknowledgments
• Use Technology tools thoughtfully to produce higher-quality work more efficiently applying sound judgment about when and how to apply them

Partner recruiting at Fenwick is a high-stakes relationship-intensive process that requires discretion precision and strong organizational execution. You will play a meaningful role in supporting this pipeline end-to-end.

• Coordinate and track all aspects of partner candidate pipelines including outreach scheduling interview logistics and follow-up communications
• Maintain accurate candidate records activity logs and status tracking in the firms recruiting systems
• Support the preparation of candidate materials meeting packets and evaluation documentation
• Liaise with candidates search firms and firm leadership with professionalism and discretion
• Assist with scheduling lateral partner interviews across multiple offices and time zones
• Ensure a seamless candidate experience at every stage of the process

• Provide project coordination support for compliance risk and information governance initiatives including tracking workstreams and milestones
• Assist with the preparation of reports training materials and communications for internal audiences
• Help coordinate firm-wide compliance programs policy rollouts and training logistics
• Support research data gathering and analysis on risk-related topics as needed
• Assist with vendor relationships contract tracking and committee meeting logistics

• Proactive by nature you spot what needs to happen before being asked and you make it happen
• Detail-oriented with zero tolerance for your own errors; you double-check everything
• A strong communicator clear in writing poised in conversation and a genuinely active listener
• Relationship-first you invest in people build trust quickly and understand that relationships are the infrastructure of every institution
• Intellectually curious you ask good questions dig below the surface and learn the business deeply
• Calm under pressure you manage competing priorities without losing quality or composure
• Discreet and trustworthy you understand the confidentiality requirements of a law firm environment and conduct yourself accordingly
• Collaborative you default to partnership and are generous with your time and knowledge

Desired Skills & Qualifications:

• 35 years of experience in an administrative operations or executive support role ideally in a professional services legal or corporate environment
• Demonstrated experience supporting senior leaders or managing complex multi-stakeholder workflows
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; ability to tailor messaging for different audiences
• High proficiency with Microsoft Office suite (CoPilot Outlook Word PowerPoint Excel); familiarity with project management or recruiting platforms a plus
• Track record of thriving in fast-paced high-volume environments while maintaining quality
• Bachelors degree or equivalent practical experience
• Prior exposure to legal compliance risk or recruiting functions is a plus but not required

Fenwick & West is a premier technology and life sciences law firm with a singular focus on the innovation economy. We work with companies and investors shaping the future and we hold ourselves to the same standard of excellence we help our clients pursue. Our people are collaborative intellectually engaged and deeply committed to doing great work.

This role offers meaningful exposure to firm leadership a high-visibility portfolio of work and real opportunity to grow. If you are someone who wants to build skills take on responsibility and be trusted from day one this is that job.

Benefits and Compensation Details:

At Fenwick we believe that our partners and employees are our most important asset. Helping you and your families achieve and maintain good health - physical emotional and financial - is the reason we offer a comprehensive benefit program. We provide benefits to eligible employees under plans such as Healthcare Life Insurance Health Savings Accounts Flexible Spending Accounts and Wellbeing. Except as otherwise required by law temporary employees are generally not entitled to these benefits.

The anticipated range for this position is:

$84000 - $120000

Depending on the role the actual base salary offered may depend upon a variety of factors including without limitation the qualifications of the individual applicant for the position years of relevant experience level of education attained certifications or other professional licenses held and if applicable the location in which the applicant lives and/or from which they will be performing the job.

A discretionary bonus for eligible employees may also be available based on performance. Additional information about employee eligibility for benefits and discretionary bonus will be made available upon request.