Operational Team Leader

Location: Wakefield
Hours: Full Time, 35 hours per week
Department: Legal Services

Lead, Develop and Inspire Our Paralegal Team

At Minster Law, we're looking for an experienced and people-focused Operational Team Leader to lead and develop our Paralegal community.

This is an exciting opportunity for a passionate leader who thrives on coaching, developing talent, driving performance, and creating a positive, high-performing culture. You'll play a key role in ensuring our Paralegals are equipped to deliver exceptional support to both clients and legal teams, while helping to shape the future capability of our Legal Services function.

The Role

Reporting to the Senior Operational Team Leader, you'll be responsible for leading a team of Paralegals, ensuring they have the support, training, and guidance needed to succeed.

You'll work closely with fee earners and stakeholders across the business to drive productivity, quality, engagement, and continuous improvement while acting as the primary escalation point for people-related matters.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership & Team Development

• Lead, motivate, and develop a high-performing team of Paralegals.

• Manage recruitment, onboarding, and resource planning.

• Set clear expectations around productivity, quality, behaviours, and client service.

• Deliver regular one-to-ones, performance reviews, and development plans.

• Support colleagues through the Paralegal Progression Programme and wider career development opportunities.

Performance & Delivery

• Monitor team performance against KPIs and objectives.

• Analyse management information and performance data to identify trends and improvement opportunities.

• Drive productivity, quality, and efficiency through coaching and performance management.

• Address performance concerns and support formal improvement processes where required.

• Work collaboratively with Fee Earners to ensure effective delegation and service delivery.

Wellbeing & Employee Relations

• Act as the first point of contact for attendance, wellbeing, and employee relations matters.

• Manage absence, return-to-work, and wellbeing processes.

• Lead on disciplinary, attendance, and performance management processes in partnership with HR and Operations leaders.

Stakeholder Management

• Build strong relationships across Legal Services and the wider business.

• Act as an escalation point for conduct, quality, and performance concerns.

• Gather and respond to stakeholder feedback to continually improve team performance.

• Balance client, colleague, and business needs to achieve the best outcomes.

Continuous Improvement

• Deliver training, coaching, and induction programmes.

• Support talent reviews, personal growth plans, and career development initiatives.

• Promote a culture of accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement.

• Drive positive change and encourage teams to embrace new ways of working.

About You

We're looking for an inspiring people leader who is passionate about developing others and creating high-performing teams.

Essential Skills & Experience

• Proven experience leading and developing successful teams.

• Strong coaching, people management, and performance management skills.

• Experience conducting one-to-ones, development reviews, and performance discussions.

• Strong knowledge of attendance management, wellbeing support, and employee relations.

• Ability to use data and management information to drive decision-making.

• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.

• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage competing priorities.

• Confident using Microsoft Office applications, including Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Teams.

Desirable

• Experience within a legal or professional services environment.

• Experience supporting teams through change and transformation initiatives.

What You'll Bring

• A passion for developing people and building capability.

• Strong leadership and personal accountability.

• Energy, resilience, and a positive approach in a fast-paced environment.

• The confidence to make decisions and lead through change.

• A commitment to delivering outstanding service and achieving results.

Working Pattern

This is a full-time position (35 hours per week) with agile working supported. As a people leadership role, regular on-site presence will be expected and may represent more than 50% of your working week.

Why Join Minster Law?

At Minster Law, our people are at the heart of everything we do. We are committed to supporting career development, recognising talent, and creating opportunities for progression across the business.

This role offers the opportunity to make a genuine impact by developing colleagues, influencing business performance, and helping shape the future success of our Legal Services function.

At Minster Law, we're committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels valued, respected, and able to be themselves. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and are proud to be an Equal Opportunities and Disability Confident employer.

If you're an experienced leader who enjoys developing people, driving performance, and making a real difference, we'd love to hear from you.