Manager: IT Program Management

Mayer Brown•Chicago, IL

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

Mayer Brown is an international law firm seeking a Manager: IT Program Management to join their Information Technology department in Chicago. This role is responsible for delivering programs and/or projects on time, on budget, within scope, and fulfilling business requirements. The Manager will collaborate with Business Sponsors, program/project teams, and IT Management to ensure timely completion of deliverables. In the absence of a Program Management opportunity, the role will manage multiple projects or simultaneously manage programs and projects. This position may involve managing multi-year programs/projects with budgets exceeding $1 million and resource efforts over 2,500 hours.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and/or directly related experience.
A minimum of 8 years successfully managing large and complex IT programs and projects from inception to completion, overseeing direct/indirect reports and vendors.
12+ years of IT experience.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office and M365 products.
Strong understanding of project management principles and methods.
Demonstrated leadership and supervisory experience.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, able to communicate effectively and professionally with all levels of the Firm and outside vendors.
Ability to work in a diverse team environment and effectively support the demanding needs of the Firm.
Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines with shifting priorities.
Must be a self-starter with a high level of initiative.
Strong client-service orientation and skills, able to anticipate needs and exercise independent judgment.
Strong attention to detail, organizational skills, and the ability to handle multiple projects.
Maintains confidentiality and exercises discretion.
Exercises solid strategic thinking and problem-solving skills.
Participation in the recruitment process.
Able to determine and implement change processes to improve workflow efficiencies.
Process- and service-oriented with strong leadership and project management skills.
Able to set priorities and delegate in an efficient manner.

Nice To Haves

Legal Industry experience preferred.
Agile and DevOps experience preferred.
Current Project Management certification such as PMP, Agile, Prince 2, Master’s Certificate, CSM or other certification/degree in project management.

Responsibilities

Provide Program Management when Program opportunities exist, and Project Management in the absence of a Program opportunity, or in conjunction with a Program.
Be accountable for the overall management of assigned programs through the Project Delivery Framework phases: initiate, plan, execute, and close.
Develop and maintain program documentation, including charters, project plans, communications plans, program team status, executive status reports, program roles & responsibilities, and maintain document repositories.
Facilitate executive status meetings with business sponsors and Firm leadership to review program progress, resolve issues, and address changes to scope, budget, or schedule.
Provide Program Management oversight, including mentoring staff in project management best practices.
Manage multiple large and complex programs concurrently.
Coordinate program activities with domestic and international team members, establishing schedules, assigning tasks, monitoring progress, and resolving conflicts.
Manage the program's Risk, Issue, and Change Management processes, including analysis, reporting, and escalation.
Collaborate with business functional areas, vendors, and other IT teams to define program priorities, scope, approach, resource requirements, schedule, deliverables, and budgets.
Facilitate cross-project coordination and communication.
Define program business requirements, conduct analysis, and oversee design.
Facilitate decision-making sessions for program-specific architecture, business strategy, operational processes, business processes, and organizational requirements.
Meet with program stakeholders to capture business requirements, critical milestones, and dependencies, potentially requiring travel to other offices.
Obtain stakeholder buy-in and proactively manage expectations throughout the program.
Manage vendor relationships throughout the program, ensuring outsourced tasks meet contract expectations, Firm standards, and are delivered on time.
Assist with the development of RFIs and RFPs for third-party solutions and IT services.
Provide regular status progress reports to the Project Management Office (PMO) for overall Project Portfolio tracking and management.
Assist the Global Director of the IT PMO with Project Portfolio planning and process improvements.
Adhere to and promote IT PMO standard project management tools, procedures, and best practices.
Coordinate the creation and follow-up of program-related surveys and end-user communications, explaining technical concepts in non-technical language.
Coordinate risk assessment between internal functional reviews to determine the program’s potential risk to the Firm.
Act as a liaison between IT stakeholders to strengthen understanding of business-aligned goals.
Participate in occasional calls and meetings outside of normal business hours to accommodate international team members.
Challenge the status quo.
Perform other duties as assigned or required to meet Firm goals and objectives.