Innovation Operations Specialist

Morrison & Foerster, LLP • Washington, DC

11h • Hybrid

About The Position

The Practice Innovation & Technology team drives the firm’s AI and innovation strategy. The team leads strategic workstreams for firm leadership, evaluates and manages a growing portfolio of AI tools and vendor relationships, advises practice groups on technology-enabled workflow transformation, and handles a high volume of requests from attorneys and operational stakeholders across the firm. The Innovation Operations Specialist is the operational backbone of this team. This role owns the processes, systems, and coordination that keep a fast-moving, high-visibility team running smoothly — ensuring that nothing falls through the cracks as the team scales its impact across the firm. Reporting to the Director of Practice Innovation & Technology, you will own critical operational processes end-to-end, serve as the team’s primary point of contact for vendors and internal stakeholders, and be the person everyone relies on to keep work organized, moving, and visible.

Requirements

• 3-6 years of experience in a fast-paced, high-expectations environment — professional services, management consulting, finance, or a similar setting where precision, reliability, and the ability to manage competing priorities are table stakes.
• Experience supporting senior leaders or high-performing teams and understanding what it takes to keep complex operations running.
• Natural instinct for creating structure, tracking systems, and workflows that make a team more effective.
• Comfortable interfacing with senior stakeholders, external vendors, and cross-functional partners.
• Pride in accuracy and follow-through.
• Proactively flag issues before they become problems.
• Comfortable learning new tools quickly and can hold your own in conversations about AI and legal technology.
• See yourself as owning the operational engine of the team, not just executing tasks.
• Anticipate what the team needs, take initiative, and hold yourself to a high standard.
• Bachelor’s degree required.

Responsibilities

• Manage the intake process for requests to the Innovation team. As attorneys, practice leaders, and operational stakeholders reach out for tools, support, or consultations, log and triage those requests and route them to the appropriate team member.
• Maintain a clear, current view of the team’s request pipeline — what’s been received, what’s in progress, and what’s been resolved — and flag items that need escalation or prioritization.
• Serve as the scheduling coordinator for inbound meeting requests to the Practice Innovation team, managing calendar logistics for stakeholders seeking time to discuss innovation needs or opportunities.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for inbound vendor inquiries. Conduct initial assessments, schedule demonstrations, and manage the evaluation pipeline from first contact through the team’s decision.
• Track the team’s input on vendor evaluations, maintain evaluation records, and ensure assessment decisions are documented and communicated.
• For vendors that advance past evaluation, coordinate with the firm’s procurement and information security teams, managing the handoff, supporting risk assessment processes with information security and compliance stakeholders, and tracking progress through to execution.
• Manage licenses across the team’s portfolio of AI and technology tools: provisioning and deprovisioning user access, tracking utilization, and maintaining accurate records of the firm’s tool ecosystem.
• Track team spend against budget across vendor contracts and technology investments. Process invoices, reconcile expenses, and maintain visibility into budget status.
• Maintain the contract calendar: renewal dates, notice periods, pricing terms, and key milestones. Proactively flag upcoming deadlines and surface opportunities to optimize license allocation and spend.
• Coordinate logistics for leadership meetings, Innovation Advisory Group sessions, training workshops, and team events: scheduling, room booking, distributing materials, and tracking follow-up items.
• Produce regular operational reports and dashboards covering vendor pipeline status, request volumes and trends, license utilization, and budget tracking. Ensure the team and leadership have clear visibility into operational health.
• Support the operational side of team communications: maintaining distribution lists, scheduling announcements, updating the team’s intranet presence, and coordinating logistics for firmwide programs and rollouts.

Benefits

• Variety of options for medical, dental, vision, life and disability coverage
• Industry-leading parental leave and family benefits including adoption and fertility treatment options and backup child and elder care
• Global wellness program, including free access to Talkspace and Calm apps
• Annual community service day
• Birthday holiday
• Education reimbursement annually
• Dedicated Talent Development team
• Competitive annual profit-sharing contribution

What This Job Offers

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