Director, Strategic Projects - Project Management Office

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett • New York, NY

1d • $300,000 - $350,000

About The Position

The Director, Strategic Projects (Project Management Office) serves as a strategic leader and trusted partner to Firm leadership, collaborating with Professional Staff department heads across the Firm to develop, oversee, and execute the Firm’s portfolio of projects. Leading a team that includes an Associate Director and a group of Project Managers, this role will help Firm leadership set the agenda, drive end-to-end project delivery, and ensure every initiative is scoped with firm-wide impact in mind. This leader brings execution discipline and strategic judgement, knowing how to navigate the organizational dynamics of a complex, high-stakes professional services environment. This role demands a combination of capabilities: deep project management expertise at scale; strong business and financial acumen; and the communication and relationship-building skills needed to influence across a firm of sophisticated stakeholders. The ideal candidate is a creative problem solver who anticipates friction before it becomes conflict, leads with clarity, and continuously elevates the quality and credibility of the PMO as a strategic function. Critical Firm-wide projects include the implementation of an HRIS platform, a client relationship management tool, and a staff platform solution.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree
• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification required
• 10+ years of project management leadership, preferably in the professional services industry with track record of driving complex cross functional projects end to end
• Effective people leader with demonstrated ability to delegate and prioritize work, coach and mentor team members, and drive a culture of performance and accountability
• Strong project management skills and experience with resource management, financial management, project planning and resource allocation; ability to link project execution to organizational priorities
• Strategic mindset with expertise in PMO governance, process improvement, and change management
• Superior problem-solving skills, with conceptual and analytical abilities to anticipate and address challenges
• Proven track record of developing talent and fostering high-performance teams
• Strong interpersonal and influencing skills with the ability to manage relationships with senior leaders, stakeholders, peers and direct reports across a highly matrixed environment
• Expertise with project management software tools (i.e. Jira, Smartsheet, MS Project), methodologies, and best practices
• Excellent knowledge of MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and MS Project
• Strong presentation, written, and communication skills
• Detail-oriented with strong organizational and time management abilities

Nice To Haves

• Advanced degree (MBA) preferred

Responsibilities

• Serve as a trusted strategic partner to Firm leadership and various Professional Staff teams including, but not limited to, Technology, Knowledge, Client Development & Engagement, Human Resources, Legal Talent, and Finance, translating Firm-wide priorities into actionable project roadmaps.
• Drive end-to-end lifecycle of 100+ projects annually, ensuring alignment with Firm strategy and operational landscapes across practice groups and business functions.
• Lead and develop a high-performing PMO team and fostering a culture of collaboration, strategic thinking, excellence, and continuous improvement.
• Serve as a visible presence across the Firm, navigating organizational complexity and building strong relationships with stakeholders at all levels.
• Proactively identify, assess, and resolve project risks, competing priorities, and resource constraints, applying political acumen to keep initiatives on track.
• Own PMO financial oversight, linking resource planning and budget management to project scope, with ongoing monitoring and course-correction as conditions evolve.
• Provide clear, consistent, and executive-ready project communications, synthesizing complex information into concise updates that enable Firm leadership to make confident, informed decisions.
• Champion the adoption of industry best practices across all phases of project execution, including risk management, issue resolution, stakeholder engagement, and quality assurance, elevating the PMO’s credibility as a center of excellence.
• Continuously evaluate portfolio performance through data and analytics, identifying systemic opportunities for improvement and implementing enhancements that drive measurable, Firm-wide outcomes.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Number of Employees: 501-1,000 employees