Director, Legal Operations

Marmon Holdings, Inc.•Chicago, IL

2d•$140,000 - $210,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Director, Legal Operations leads Marmon Legal’s operations, data, and technology functions, and takes operational and coordination work off Marmon’s attorneys. Reporting to the Chief Legal Officer, the Director’s primary focus is M&A due diligence and integration coordination, management of the Legal Department’s key initiatives (including the upcoming CLM implementation), and ownership of the legal operating model — freeing Marmon's attorneys to focus on legal analysis and judgment. The role requires proven program-management and continuous-improvement skills, together with enough technical understanding to guide how Legal’s software, systems, and data fit together and connect to the rest of Marmon. The Director uses Legal’s data to focus attorney and outside counsel time on highest-value work (the 80/20 rule) and to improve the return on legal spend and legal technology. The Director, Legal Operations will manage a team of 4 direct reports plus contractors as appropriate, including members of Marmon’s Global Innovation Center (GIC) dedicated to specific Legal projects and technology.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required, preferably in Information Systems, Computer Science, Engineering, Business, or a related field
12+ years of progressive experience in program management, legal operations, technology, or consulting, ideally in a multi-entity or Fortune 500-scale organization
Proven record of delivering multiple cross-functional programs on time and on budget, including at least one enterprise system implementation (CLM preferred, e.g., Agiloft, Ironclad, Icertis)
Proven use of Lean/Six Sigma or similar methods to improve business processes, with measurable, lasting results
5+ years directly managing technical staff (e.g., data analysts, systems administrators, application specialists), including senior team members or managers
Experience managing due-diligence and integration work in a fast-paced, decentralized, multi-entity environment
Understand technology well enough to guide system design, challenge vendors and internal teams, and lead technical staff credibly
Leading direct reports while influencing senior leaders, attorneys, and business-unit executives without direct authority
Clear executive communication and reporting
Data-driven decision-making and ROI analysis
Change management and user adoption
Strong ethics and discretion in handling privileged, confidential, and sensitive information

Nice To Haves

An advanced degree (e.g., MBA or JD) is a plus
PMP and Lean Six Sigma Green Belt (or higher) strongly preferred
A legal operations credential (e.g., CLOC CLOP) is a plus
How business software and cloud applications are selected, configured, and implemented
How databases work, how data flows between systems, and what it takes to keep data accurate and consistent
Reporting and analytics tools (e.g., Power BI)
AI and automation tools, including their practical limits, risks, and governance requirements
Legal technology, including CLM, matter management, e-billing, entity management, risk management (RMIS), legal hold, and e-discovery

Responsibilities

Manage the M&A process for acquisitions and divestitures from due diligence through closing and integration, so attorneys can focus on legal analysis rather than deal administration
Run diligence request lists, trackers, and status reporting, and coordinate Legal, Finance, Tax, Treasury, HR, IT, and Compliance to keep deliverables on schedule, using the Data Analytics team’s exposure analysis to flag risks
Manage post-closing integration, including legal-entity integration, contract assignment, records and data transfer, and compliance onboarding
Build and maintain reusable M&A playbooks, checklists, templates, and a diligence knowledge base so each transaction does not start from scratch
Maintain a clear division of labor: the Director runs the process; attorneys retain all legal judgment, risk assessment, and negotiation
Lead replacement of the legacy contract system, with implementation targeted to begin in January 2027, bringing the current selection and build work under single ownership
Manage the implementation — legacy-data cleanup, system design, data migration, testing, and go-live — with the Digital Transformation team leading system configuration
Put in place standard contract intake, approval, signature, and renewal workflows to replace the current inbox-driven process
Develop contract templates, playbooks, and clause libraries, informed by AI-assisted review of legacy contracts, in partnership with, and under the direction of, Contracts and IT
Drive user adoption through training and change management
Negotiate annual flat-fee agreements for contract reviews, in partnership with, and under the direction of, Contracts
Manage departmental KPIs, dashboards, and business reviews, working with the Data Analytics team, to report regularly to leadership on project status, risks, and performance against targets
Combine spend, matter, contract, compliance, and risk data from separate systems into consistent, reliable data that can be viewed in a single dashboard
Lead and develop these teams by setting annual objectives, reviewing performance, and coaching
Manage team workload and budget (including licenses, vendors, and contractors), and set priorities when demand exceeds capacity
Cross-train staff and document critical systems, data, and processes so none depend on a single individual
Manage additional staff and contractors, including Global Innovation Center (GIC) resources
Set Legal’s technology strategy and guide how Legal’s systems (e.g., CLM, e-billing, Origami, Diligent Entities, matter management, legal hold, Microsoft 365, Power BI) are set up, connected, and governed
Map how data moves between Legal systems and other Marmon systems
Establish a single, trusted source for key legal data with clear data ownership and quality standards
Lead technology evaluations and vendor selection, including requirements, RFPs, and demonstrations, in partnership with IT and Procurement
Eliminate redundant tools and unused licenses to improve adoption and the return on technology spend
Serve as the single accountable owner (the ‘quarterback’) of the Legal Department’s operating model, maintaining a central tracker of all major initiatives with priorities, status, resources, and risks
Establish standard, right-sized project practices: charters and business cases, defined scope and roles, schedules, and change control
Manage concurrent programs and their budgets, escalating risks and trade-offs to the Chief Legal Officer with clear recommendations
Manage technology vendors and consultants against agreed scope, milestones, and service levels
Measure each initiative after launch against the business case that justified it
Lead the Legal Department’s continuous-improvement program, applying Lean/Six Sigma methods to high-value processes such as contract review, litigation intake, legal holds, entity management, and compliance workflows
Measure process performance (cycle time, volume, cost, and attorney time) before and after changes, and put controls in place so improvements last
Maintain a prioritized list of improvement opportunities and report savings and time recovered
Identify work that can be automated, outsourced, offshored, or brought in-house, including through the GIC, ALSPs, paralegals, and contractors