Administrative Operations Manager

At Smith Debnam, our philosophy is simple - to provide the best possible value to our clients. We firmly believe that the key to delivering such a value is equally simple - the people who make it happen. Our professional service team, the attorneys, paralegals, and staff, are therefore our most important assets. We are committed to maintaining an environment that provides professional fulfillment, actively supports professional development, and communicates the value of each person's contributions.

Smith Debnam has been providing legal services to businesses and individuals in the Carolinas for more than 50 years. We provide employees with an enriching, professional work environment that rewards employee excellence, fosters teamwork, and supports professional development. Our employees also enjoy competitive salaries, quality benefit programs and flexible work hours.

Position Summary

The Administrative Operations Manager oversees the administrative operations functions supporting Smith Debnam’s Consumer Collections practice group, including file intake and account-maintenance, claims inventory, client support, quality assurance, staff development, vendor management, and operational compliance. This hands-on leadership role requires strong people management skills, sound operational judgment, attention to detail, and the ability to analyze data, improve processes, and resolve issues in a fast-paced environment.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

Client Support & Operations:

• Provide clients with regular account and inventory updates and resolve escalated, non-legal issues.
• Lead operational onboarding of new clients and implement new or revised client requirements, policies, and procedures.
• Maintain client-specific forms, templates, workflows, and requirements within the collection-management system.
• Partner with attorneys, Compliance, Operations, and Technology to address client needs and support effective operations.
• Stay informed of system changes, regulatory developments, and evolving client requirements.

Quality Assurance & Inventory Management:

• Oversee the intake, maintenance, and processing of new, reopened, recalled, and replacement claims.
• Monitor account data, judgments, balances, and other client-required information for accuracy and completeness.
• Develop and review quality-assurance, exception, and operational reports to identify trends, errors, and areas for improvement.
• Investigate operational and account-level issues, identify root causes, and implement corrective actions.
• Maintain departmental procedures and support client audits and compliance-related deliverables.

Team Leadership

• Lead and oversee Account Maintenance Clerks, File Intake Clerks, and the Database Administrator.
• Establish priorities, manage workloads, and ensure timely and accurate completion of work.
• Coach, develop, and evaluate employees, including performance reviews, goal setting, training, and professional development.
• Lead hiring and onboarding and oversee training for new employees.
• Oversee the implementation and training of new procedures for staff.
• Provide guidance on escalated operational, system, and workflow issues.
• Manage employee access to client and vendor systems and foster a collaborative, accountable, and service-oriented team environment.

Vendor & Technology Management

• Review vendor invoices and monitor vendor performance and quality.
• Partner with internal technology teams and outside vendors to resolve issues and implement system and workflow improvements.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Associate or bachelor’s degree in business administration, accounting, finance, or a related field preferred.
• Minimum of three years of operations-management experience in banking, financial services, collections, legal services, or a related industry.
• Minimum of three years of direct supervisory experience managing a team of three or more employees.
• Strong Microsoft Excel skills and experience analyzing operational and consumer-account data.
• Demonstrated ability to identify errors, analyze root causes, and implement effective solutions.
• Strong organizational, analytical, communication, and interpersonal skills with exceptional attention to detail.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a deadline-driven environment and collaborate effectively across departments.
• Working knowledge of basic accounting and mathematical principles.
• Familiarity with the civil litigation or creditors’ rights preferred.