Firm Operations Project Manager

Cooley LLP is seeking a Project Manager to join the Firm Operations team.

• →Establish rapid familiarity with various project lifecycles including but not limited to agile custom software development, software and vendor selection (RFI/RFP), process reengineering initiatives; extensively research project frameworks where required to quickly self-start and deliver various types of projects successfully
• →Critically analyze work on receipt and on an ongoing basis, ensuring the most efficient and cost-effective options are employed, factoring in detailed assessments of in-house assets and proposing business process changes where appropriate
• →Ensure that business needs and desired project outcomes are documented and measured (during and post-implementation) at a detailed and comprehensive level, continually leading to better decisions and investments
• →Extensively research and understand market relevance (and alternatives) and monitor for changing conditions that may impact the scope or body of work
• →Proactively build and maintain delivery and test plans that are built to surface issues, risks and dependencies as early as possible; ensure that project/task dates, assignments and regular updates are made consistently in the project management platform (project plans in the firm’s PPM platform should serve as one-stop shop for what’s happening on a given project at any point in time)
• →Ensure stakeholder and firm operational readiness for delivery of work, build and deliver change management and communication plans accordingly
• →Ensure that all key project artifacts are delivered – roles and responsibilities, scope statement/charter, business requirements, test plan, release plan, change management and communication plan, etc
• →Proactively and transparently communicate bodies of work, progress/stoppages, potential risks and issues to team leadership on a proactive and ongoing basis; when in doubt, escalate  
• →Work intra and inter team to understand, evaluate and action enterprise resource constraints, work/delivery overlap, and areas where outcomes and business benefits are not adequately well-defined to warrant firm investment
• →Adhere to consistently evolving and improving delivery standards established by team/department leadership
• →Establish and maintain program-level KPIs and reports
• →All other duties as required

Required:

• After orientation at Cooley LLP, exhibit proficiency in the Microsoft Office suite, iManage and other firm applications
• Ability to work extended and/or weekend hours, as required
• Ability to travel, as required
• 3+ years project management and planning experience implementing projects. Senior candidates must have 5+ years applicable experience in the field. 
   

Preferred:

• Bachelor’s degree
• Certified Project Manager (from accredited program) and/or PMP credential
• Experience with a suite of projects/programs inclusive of process reengineering and improvement, software and vendor evaluation and selection (RFPs) and implementation, and agile custom software development
• Experience working in the legal and/or operations industry

Competencies:  

• Ability to trust and elicit trust
• Strategic, critical thinking and reasoning skills
• Excellent verbal and written comprehension skills  
• Strong business acumen
• Risk intelligent, anticipatory and perceptive
• Proactive and agile, able to think 5 steps ahead
• Outcome-driven and solution-oriented; driver and task-maker rather than task-taker
• Deep blend of delivery experience and business analysis experience
• Able to juggle and prioritize multiple competing priorities; swift turnaround on deliverables to be able to manage multiple critical initiatives at once
• Comfortable operating within a grey area and willing to ask questions and ask for help
• Expert collaboration and communication skills, ability to professionally convey clear and concise information to any audience

Cooley offers a competitive compensation and excellent benefits package and is committed to fair and equitable employment practices.

EOE.

The expected annual pay range for this position with a full-time schedule is $110,000 - $160,000. Please note that final offer amount will be dependent on geographic location, applicable experience and skillset of the candidate. Senior level candidates may be considered for this position and would be eligible for a higher salary range based on experience.

We offer a full range of elective benefits including medical, health savings account (with applicable medical plan), dental, vision, health and/or dependent care flexible spending accounts, pre-tax commuter benefits, life insurance, AD&D, long-term care coverage, backup care for children and/or adults and other parental support benefits. In addition to elective benefit options, benefited employees receive firm-paid life insurance, AD&D, LTD, short term medical benefits as well as 21 days of Paid Time Off (“PTO”) and 10 paid holidays each year. We provide generous parental leave and fertility benefits. New employees will attend a detailed benefit orientation to learn more about our many benefits and resources.