Director, Legal Innovation & Operations (Legal Spend & Firm Management)

NBCUniversal•Universal City, NY

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

Reporting to the SVP, Legal, AI Innovation & Legal Operations, the Director owns the operating strategy, roadmap and execution for the Legal Department’s financial management, outside counsel and external-provider management, e-billing and related governance, within the broader strategy, priorities and resource parameters established by the SVP.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience
8+ years of experience in Legal Operations, Legal Finance, Outside Counsel Management, Strategic Sourcing, or a related field
Demonstrated experience managing complex budgets, forecasts, accruals and financial reporting within a large organization
Experience managing outside counsel guidelines, panel programs, firm selection, evaluations, scorecards, and business reviews
Experience serving as a business owner, senior administrator, or functional lead for an e-billing, matter-management, or legal spend-management platform
Advanced proficiency in Excel and experience analyzing and presenting complex financial and operational data

Nice To Haves

Experience with business-intelligence or data-visualization tools such as Power BI or Tableau preferred
Excellent written, verbal communication and presentation skills, including the ability to explain complex financial information and recommendations to senior legal and business leaders
Excellent attention to detail, sound judgment, and willingness to take initiative; a self-starter who works well without close supervision
Experience supporting a major organizational transformation, separation, integration, or platform migration preferred
Experience in entertainment/media or a legal department preferred

Responsibilities

Advise and partner closely with attorneys, Finance, HR, Procurement, law firms and other external providers to improve cost predictability, deliver measurable financial savings, strengthen provider performance, and support informed decision-making
Establish matter-level financial management standards, including matter budgets, accruals, reporting, forecast updates, variance thresholds and escalation requirements
Own the Outside Counsel Guidelines and related governance, and drive firm compliance with billing, staffing, and other applicable terms
Manage the full external provider lifecycle, including firm selection, competitive RFPs, onboarding and offboarding, engagement terms, panel and preferred-firm strategy, scorecards, business reviews, and performance intervention
Lead annual and off-cycle rate negotiations, rate benchmarking, alternative fee arrangements, and other value-based pricing models
Own the e-billing platform and invoice review workflow, including timekeeper rates, accruals, automated and manual review rules, and escalation of noncompliance, billing leakage, or inappropriate staffing
Lead the business-side implementation, migration and optimization of legal e-billing and spend-management platforms, including requirements, data conversion and validation, process redesign, reporting validation, user adoption and vendor transition; partner with technology teams on technical implementation, integrations and ongoing support
Own the commercial and financial management of Legal Operations technology and service vendors, including sourcing support, pricing, contract and renewal strategy, budget management and vendor performance, in partnership with the SVP, applicable business owners and Procurement
Report quarterly on spend, forecast accuracy, savings and cost avoidance, billing compliance, firm performance, and vendor performance, with clear recommendations for action
Lead, coach and develop direct report(s); establish clear priorities and performance expectations; review work product; provide actionable feedback; and support the direct report(s) professional development