Firm Administrator
Talley LLP
Orange, California
FT - Onsite

About the Firm

Talley, LLP, and its affiliated entities, Talley Law Group, LLP ("TLG"), Talley Capital Group, LLC ("TCG"), and Talley Wealth Management, LLC ("TWM") (collectively "Talley"), form a full-service financial, tax, legal, and consulting organization serving entrepreneurially driven businesses and their owners. Talley partners with clients as business advisors, not just service providers, constantly seeking innovative ways to strengthen their bottom line.
Talley, LLP, was founded in 1989, with the mission of helping entrepreneurially driven businesses, their owners, and high net worth individuals, to manage their financial affairs and to achieve their business objectives profitably and efficiently. Our professionals strive to become each client’s Most Trusted Advisor (MTA) by delivering global solutions to our client’s complex challenges and opportunities.
Our services include:

Audit & Assurance services, including financial reporting
Tax compliance
Tax planning, and proactive advice
Business consulting
Estate planning, business planning, M&A, and tax law services delivered through TLG
Technology-focused accounting, controller and CFO services
M&A, growth-through-acquisition, and operational consulting delivered through TCG

Talley is a boutique firm with 50+ U.S.-based professionals and 20 to 30 offshore/outsourced team members. Headquartered in Orange, CA, the firm has grown rapidly, becoming a leading Orange County professional services provider. We embrace a work culture built on accountability, results, and exceptional client service delivered by professional, motivated individuals.
Position Summary
The Firm Administrator is the firm's integrator. The partners and the Chief Operating Officer set the strategy, and the Firm Administrator gets it executed. Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, this leader turns firm priorities into clear plans, owners, and timelines at the staff level, keeps the work moving, and makes sure commitments are delivered. The Firm Administrator also leads the Administration department and the people who keep the firm running every day.
The role sits at the center of a growing, multidisciplinary firm. The Firm Administrator works across the Tax, Audit and Assurance, Client Accounting Services (CAS), and Legal teams, aligns administrative support with the tax and audit busy seasons, oversees the firm's standard operating procedures, billing and collections, office operations, and firm leadership support, and leads the administrative team in adopting approved artificial intelligence tools. It is an ideal seat for an operations leader who enjoys building structure, connecting people, and seeing initiatives through to completion.
The firm's Human Resources Generalist reports to the Firm Administrator for supervision only. Human resources work is not part of this role. Payroll, benefits administration, employee relations, recruiting, onboarding, learning and development, personnel records, and employment law compliance remain the responsibility of the Human Resources Generalist. The Firm Administrator sets priorities for the Human Resources Generalist, aligns that work with firm operating plans and busy season needs, and evaluates performance, but does not perform human resources functions.
Why Join Talley

A seat at the center of the firm. The Firm Administrator works directly with the Chief Operating Officer and the partners and sees firsthand how strategic decisions become results across every department.
A multidisciplinary platform. Talley brings audit, tax, client accounting, legal, capital, and wealth management services together in one organization, which means variety, exposure across practice areas, and meaningful operational challenges.
Room to build. The firm has grown rapidly, and this role has the mandate to shape how the firm operates, from procedures and standards to meeting cadence and accountability.
Modern tools. Talley is actively adopting artificial intelligence and practice technology, and this role leads that adoption within the administrative team.
An established firm with a clear culture. Talley has served entrepreneurial businesses and their owners since 1989, with a work culture built on accountability, results, and exceptional client service.

Position Overview

Title	Firm Administrator
Department	Administration
Reports to	Chief Operating Officer
Supervises	Administration personnel, organized by functional area with a designated lead for each; Human Resources Generalist (supervision only)
Functional areas	Strategy Execution; Firm Operations and Coordination; Standard Operating Procedures; Billing and Collections; Office Coordination; Firm Leadership Support; AI Adoption within Administration
Works closely with	Partners and department leaders of Tax, Audit and Assurance, CAS, and Legal; Chief Financial Officer; Chief Technology Officer; Project Management Office
Location	Orange, California (In-Office: Monday - Friday)

Key Responsibilities
1. Department Leadership

Supervise all Administration personnel, including work assignment, goal setting, performance evaluation, and development, and coordinate with the Human Resources Generalist on hiring, onboarding, and corrective action.
Supervise the Human Resources Generalist, including setting priorities, aligning work with firm operating plans and busy season needs, and evaluating performance. Human resources processes, compliance, and decisions on human resources matters remain with the Human Resources Generalist and are not performed by the Firm Administrator.
Oversee and support firm operations in each administrative functional area, delegating day-to-day coordination while retaining accountability for the department's overall performance.
Coordinate Administration departmental and individual performance goals, monitor results, and report on departmental performance to the Chief Operating Officer.
Execute departmental priorities, assign work, and ensure that requests from partners and departments are completed accurately and on schedule.
Foster a professional, collaborative work environment that supports employee engagement and retention.
Lead the firm's Talley Community Outreach program.

2. Strategy Execution
The Chief Operating Officer and the partners set the direction, and the Firm Administrator turns it into action. Success in this area means every firm priority has a practical plan, a named owner, a realistic timeline, and visible progress until it is complete.

Turn firm priorities set by the partners and the Chief Operating Officer into practical operating plans, breaking each priority into staff level action items with clear owners, deliverables, and timelines.
Build and maintain a central operations tracker that gives leadership a clear, current view of every open initiative, its owner, and its status.
Lead a regular operations meeting with Administration leads to review progress, reassign work, and clear obstacles.
Deliver a monthly operations report to the Chief Operating Officer that shows what was completed, what is open, and what is at risk, with a recommended path forward for any item that is behind.
Take ownership of action items assigned by the partners and the Chief Operating Officer after leadership meetings, assign them to the right staff, see them through, and close the loop with leadership when each is complete.
Hold owners accountable for their commitments, address missed deadlines directly, and agree on a recovery plan that brings work back on track.
Resolve operational issues between departments at the staff level, and escalate to the Chief Operating Officer only those matters that need a leadership decision, along with options and a recommendation.

3. Firm Operations and Coordination

Identify processes, policies, and systems that differ across Tax, Audit and Assurance, CAS, and Legal, and lead efforts to standardize them where it improves efficiency or consistency.
Learn how the tax busy season, the audit busy season, extension deadlines, and CAS close cycles work, as set by department leaders, and understand what each department needs from the administrative team at each stage.
Partner with each department leader ahead of each busy season to confirm administrative support needs, and put an administrative support plan in place before the season begins.
Analyze workload, capacity, and staffing data across departments to identify bottlenecks, and recommend reallocation of administrative resources during peak periods.
Review administrative support with department leaders after each busy season, and implement approved improvements before the next season begins.
Manage the departmental budget and oversee administrative vendor relationships, presenting recommendations for new expenditures and cost saving measures with supporting analysis.
Coordinate with the Project Management Office on firm-wide initiatives affecting Administration and with Information Technology on systems and technology requirements.
Keep firm leadership informed of operational and workplace matters, and escalate issues that warrant leadership attention in a timely manner.

4. Billing and Collections

Manage the billing and collections staff and processes. Strategic direction for this function is provided by the Chief Financial Officer; the Firm Administrator is responsible for staffing, execution, and performance.
Oversee billing and time administration in the firm's practice management system (Karbon), including client and engagement setup, billing configuration, time entry compliance, invoicing, and work-in-progress management.
Ensure the monthly billing close is completed within the firm's established timeline and that collections are pursued consistently and promptly.
Ensure the accuracy of client records and financial reporting data maintained by the department.
Provide partners and department leaders with regular work in progress, realization, and accounts receivable reporting, and follow through on the billing and collection actions that result.
Coordinate with the Project Management Office, which administers practice management workflows, automations, and performance reporting, on changes that affect billing and time.

5. Office Operations and Firm Leadership Support

Oversee office operations, including facilities, supplies, mail and courier services, conference rooms, and reception coverage.
Oversee firm leadership support, and the finalization and delivery of audit and assurance deliverables.
Evaluate and implement services and technologies that improve the efficiency of office operations.

6. Artificial Intelligence Adoption within Administration

Coordinate rollout, training, and adoption of approved AI tools within the administrative team, and see that every Administration team member is trained on each approved tool.
Identify administrative workflows where approved AI tools can reduce manual work, set a time savings goal for each, and report results to the Chief Operating Officer.
Ensure that AI use within Administration follows the firm's AI usage policy and client data safeguards.

7. Standard Operating Procedures, Policies, and Compliance

Oversee the firm's standard operating procedures across all departments, including a consistent format, a central repository, a designated owner for each procedure, and a regular review schedule that keeps procedures current.
Confirm that procedures are followed in practice, and see that they are updated when processes, systems, or tools change.
Establish quality control procedures for critical administrative processes, with priority given to billing and collections.
Maintain cross-training sufficient to ensure continuity of critical administrative functions.
Define and communicate the department's responsibilities, points of contact, and request procedures to the rest of the firm.
Administer the firm's tracking of professional license renewals and CPE compliance, coordinate peer review logistics, and administer annual independence confirmations.

Key Competencies for Success

Integration and Execution: Turns partner level strategy into practical plans with clear owners and timelines, follows commitments through to completion, and holds people accountable.
People Leadership: Develops and retains capable administrative staff; sets clear expectations and provides constructive feedback.
Organization and Prioritization: Manages competing demands from multiple stakeholders and ensures commitments are met.
Judgment and Discretion: Handles confidential information appropriately and exercises sound judgment in escalating matters to leadership.
Financial Acumen: Understands time and billing, invoicing, work in progress, and accounts receivable in a professional services environment.
CPA Firm Operations: Understands how the tax and audit busy seasons, extension deadlines, and CAS close cycles work, and what each department needs from the administrative team at each stage.
Influence Without Authority: Builds credibility with partners and department leaders and drives change across teams that do not report to the role.
Process Orientation: Builds and maintains standard operating procedures, standardizes workflows, and continuously improves them.
Technology Proficiency: Proficient with practice management systems and the Microsoft 365 suite; adopts artificial intelligence tools and leads the administrative team in using them effectively.
Communication and Professionalism: Communicates clearly and professionally with partners, professionals, and staff at all levels.
Service Orientation: Committed to providing responsive, high-quality support to the firm's professionals and clients.

Qualifications
Required

Seven or more years of progressive experience in operations or administrative management, including at least three years supervising a team of five or more employees.
Experience overseeing time and billing, invoicing, and collections within a practice management system.
Working understanding of tax, audit, and client accounting workflows and the seasonal demands of a CPA firm.
Experience building or managing a standard operating procedure program.
Demonstrated ability to lead change and influence partners and department leaders without direct authority.
Demonstrated success in developing and improving operational processes.
Proficiency with Microsoft 365 and the ability to learn new systems quickly.
Bachelor's degree or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Preferred

Firm administrator or operations management experience in a public accounting, legal, or other professional services firm.
Experience with professional services practice management platforms, such as Karbon.
Certified Legal Manager (CLM) or comparable firm administration credential.
Human resources experience, which is helpful for supervising the Human Resources Generalist. Human resources functions are not part of this role.
Experience leading the rollout and adoption of AI tools in a professional services setting.

Measures of Success
First 90 Days

Complete introductory meetings with Administration personnel, partners, department leaders, and the firm's executive team.
Build an inventory of current firm priorities and open initiatives with the Chief Operating Officer, with an owner identified for each.
Launch the operations tracker and a regular operations meeting with Administration leads.
Deliver the first monthly operations report to the Chief Operating Officer.
Meet with the leaders of Tax, Audit and Assurance, CAS, and Legal to understand the busy season workflow and what each department needs from the administrative team.
Meet with designated Administration leads and establish documented responsibilities for each functional area.
Implement a consistent system for assigning, tracking, and reporting departmental work.
Establish departmental and individual performance goals for all Administration personnel.
Publish a summary of departmental responsibilities and points of contact for the firm.
Establish a standard format and central repository for firm procedures, and complete an inventory of existing procedures across all departments that identifies gaps.
Develop a plan, in coordination with the Chief Financial Officer, to document billing and collections procedures and quality controls.

First Year

Departmental tasks completed on time at a rate of at least 80 percent.
Operating plans in place for all current firm priorities by the end of the first six months.
At least 80 percent of operating plan action items completed by their agreed due dates.
Monthly operations report delivered to the Chief Operating Officer every month.
Monthly billing close consistently completed within the firm's seven-business-day target.
Documented procedures, each with a designated owner, in place for at least 90 percent of administrative workflows and for the critical firm workflows identified with each department leader.
Documented procedures and quality controls in place for all critical billing and collections processes.
Cross-training in place for at least 90 percent of critical functions.
Administrative support plan in place before each busy season, and a post season review completed after each season.
At least three processes, policies, or systems standardized across departments.
Fewer operational issues escalated to the Chief Operating Officer, measured against the first quarter baseline.
All Administration personnel trained on approved AI tools, with time savings documented in at least three administrative workflows.
Improved retention within the Administration department.
Improved ratings of Administration's service and responsiveness in the firm's internal surveys.

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Firm Administrator

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