Chief Operating Officer (COO)

About the role

GHJ Search and Staffing serves as the recruitment division of GHJ, a prominent national accounting and advisory firm. Our team provides qualified Accounting and Finance professionals on a temporary and permanent basis across a broad range of industries. GHJ’s relationship with our Global Advisory and Accounting Network provides the resources needed to better understand client’s needs, attract a higher caliber of candidates and assess candidate potential.

A well-established, multi-office law firm is seeking an experienced Chief Operating Officer (COO) to serve as the firm’s senior business executive and trusted partner to the Managing Partner. This is a rare opportunity for an accomplished professional services leader to take ownership of firm administration, strengthen the organization’s people and processes, and help shape its next chapter of growth and leadership succession.

The COO will lead the firm’s non-attorney administrative functions, with a particular focus on human resources, recruiting, people management, and practice operations. The role is designed for a hands-on, highly organized leader who can bring structure and accountability to firm operations while building trusted relationships across attorneys, staff, and firm leadership.

An established Controller oversees day-to-day accounting and finance, allowing the COO to focus more broadly on people, operations, strategic initiatives, and organizational effectiveness.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead HR, recruiting, onboarding, employee relations, performance management, and retention initiatives
• Oversee benefits strategy and renewals, including relationships with brokers and providers
• Lead firmwide administrative operations and establish clear, scalable procedures and accountability
• Evaluate staffing needs, resource allocation, workflows, and operational efficiency
• Serve as a trusted advisor to the Managing Partner and support firm leadership on strategic initiatives
• Help capture and institutionalize critical operational knowledge while supporting long-term succession planning
• Negotiate major vendor, insurance, benefits, and legal technology contracts
• Maintain strong working knowledge of legal technology and business systems and support new implementations
• Partner with the Controller on budgeting, financial planning, KPIs, and business performance
• Foster a collaborative, high-performing culture while providing leadership and mentorship to administrative teams

Qualifications

• Significant progressive leadership experience within a law firm, accounting firm, or other professional services environment
• Strong background in HR, recruiting, employee relations, and people leadership
• Demonstrated success improving operations, workflows, and organizational processes
• Experience managing and negotiating significant vendor and service-provider relationships
• Familiarity with legal or professional services technology and business systems
• Strong financial acumen and ability to partner effectively with finance leadership
• Exceptional judgment, discretion, organization, and follow-through
• Executive presence with the ability to build credibility across partners, leadership, and staff
• Bachelor's degree in Business, Management, Finance, Accounting, Human Resources, or related field