Operations Manager, Brisbane

 

Location: Brisbane

 

Contract Type: Permanent

 

MinterEllison is one of Australia’s largest independent law and consulting firms. With a heritage of almost 200 years, we are known for our excellence, and our authentic and enduring relationships with our clients, our people and our communities. Clients seek out MinterEllison to help them solve complex problems every day. We do this by our full-service legal offering and complementary consulting offering.

 

We offer opportunities to work on industry-leading mandates for top-tier clients, while being part of a high-performing and collaborative team that values excellence, diversity of thought, curiosity, and inclusion. We value our people and empower them to achieve their ambitions - with the support, trust and autonomy to grow their careers in meaningful ways.

 

At MinterEllison, we're leading the way with AI and other emerging technologies, powering innovation right across our firm. You will have the opportunity to engage with AI tools we've built, and other external AI tools, to enhance efficiencies and excellence internally and with our clients.

 

We support sustainable ways of working regarding how, when and where you work and offer a wide range of social, financial and health benefits (see https://www.minterellison.com/-/media/Minter-Ellison/Files/Careers/MinterEllison-Employee-Benefits-Dec_2025.pdf)

 

The Team

 

Corporate Services is the team behind the day-to-day experience of working at MinterEllison. Across our offices, we manage the spaces, hospitality, records and operational services that enable our lawyers, consultants and clients to do their best work.

 

What sets this team apart is its leadership. You'll work alongside leaders who genuinely back each other, share knowledge openly and care about getting the best from their people. There's a strong sense of trust, but also a shared accountability to deliver. It's a team that celebrates success together, supports each other through challenges, and remains focused on the impact we create for the firm.

 

Your Role

 

We are looking for a Brisbane-based Operations Manager to lead our Queensland office and take national ownership of our Premises workstream covering space management, facilities management, and physical security across the firm.

 

This is a senior role with real breadth. Locally, you will own the standard of Corporate Services delivery in Brisbane end-to-end, leading a team of operational leaders across both business services and client services, building strong relationships with the Office Managing Partner and senior stakeholders, and making sure our office runs at the level our people and clients expect.

 

You will manage the local budget, hold vendors to account, oversee building and lease obligations, and be the person everyone trusts to keep things running safely and well.

 

At the national level, you will shape and lead the Premises stream strategy across all six offices and there is a lot happening in that space right now.

 

We are going to market this year for a new space planning and booking platform, replacing our current tools with a single integrated solution connecting desk and room bookings, in-office presence data, space planning, and allocations across all our offices. This is a project you will lead, and we want someone who has done this before and knows what good looks like.

 

Looking further ahead, there is a Brisbane office relocation on the horizon. It is a few years out and planning is in its early stages but the person who joins now will have a seat at the table from the beginning, owning the operational pieces, contributing to the broader project as it takes shape, and leaving a real mark on the experience of everyone who works in the Brisbane office.

 

More About You

 

You have real depth in facilities and workplace management. You know how to run a building, handle access control, and physical security, and select technology that actually works for the people using it. You have managed vendors, held budgets, and dealt with landlords and building managers without losing your cool.

 

But what will matter most here is how you lead people.

 

You invest in your team. You build environments where people feel safe to speak up, ask for help, and do their best work. You hold people accountable without making it feel punitive, and you understand that a high-performing team and a happy one are usually one and the same. You bring calm to pressure, clarity to complexity, and you know when to step in and when to trust your leaders to run.

 

You are credible with Partners and senior stakeholders and confident enough to bring them on a journey, influencing how they think about and engage with the services and spaces around them, even when that means challenging what they are used to. You communicate directly, handle hard conversations well, and are comfortable using AI tools practically with the judgement to know where they help and where human oversight matters.

 

You will also bring:

 

• 10+ years of leadership experience at a senior level in a complex, multi-site or multi-function environment
• Demonstrated experience managing a corporate office to the highest standard, preferably in professional services, legal, or a comparable client-facing environment
• Commercial literacy: able to build budgets, interpret P&L, and make resource decisions with financial rigour
• A direct, clear communication style with the ability to handle difficult conversations constructively

Why This Role

 

Genuinely interesting work. A pipeline of projects that will stretch and develop you. And a leadership group that doesn't take itself too seriously and is genuinely invested in the people around them.

 

If that sounds like your kind of place, we would love to hear from you.

 

How to apply

 

We encourage applications from people of all ages, abilities, cultural backgrounds, genders (including trans or gender diverse), LGBTQ+ people and those with carer responsibilities. We particularly encourage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to apply.

 

We prefer to connect with people directly, so please submit your CV by clicking on the 'Apply' button. We encourage all applications, including if you do not meet all the criteria listed for the role. Your application will also enable us to consider you for other opportunities that may be available at MinterEllison.

 

If you are currently a MinterEllison employee, please apply through the internal careers page.

 

If you would like further information, require any adjustments throughout the recruitment process or for a confidential discussion, please contact Jess.Brown@minterellison.com.