Manager: IT Program Management

Mayer Brown LLP•Chicago, IL

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

Mayer Brown is an international law firm that represents major corporations, funds, and financial institutions in complex transactions and disputes. The firm values its employees and provides opportunities for growth and development. This role is within the Information Technology department in Chicago. The Manager: IT Program Management is responsible for delivering programs and/or projects on time, within budget, and within scope, while meeting business requirements. This involves close collaboration with Business Sponsors, program/project teams, and IT Management. The role may involve managing multiple projects or simultaneously managing programs and projects, including multi-year programs 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 experience directly related to the functions of the job.
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.
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.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, able to communicate effectively and in a professional manner 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.

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

Accountable for the overall management of assigned programs through the Project Delivery Framework phases: initiate, plan, execute, and close.
Develops and maintains program documentation, including charters, project plans, communications plans, program team status, executive status reports, and program roles & responsibilities, and maintains document repositories.
Facilitates executive status meetings with business sponsors and Firm leadership to review program progress, resolve issues, and raise material changes to scope, budget, or schedule.
Provides Program Management oversight, including mentoring staff in project management best practices.
Responsible for managing multiple large and complex programs concurrently.
Accountable for coordinating program activities with domestic and international team members, including establishing schedules, assigning tasks, monitoring progress, and resolving conflicts.
Accountable for the program Risk, Issue, and Change Management processes, including analysis, reporting, and escalation.
Works closely with business functional areas, vendors, and other IT teams to define program priorities, scope, approach, resource requirements, schedule, deliverables, and budgets; facilitates cross-project coordination and communication.
Responsible for the definition of program business requirements, analysis, and design; facilitates decision-making sessions for program-specific architecture, business strategy, operational processes, business processes, and organizational requirements.
Meets with program stakeholders to clearly capture business requirements, critical milestones, and dependencies, which may occasionally require travel to other offices.
Obtains stakeholder buy-in and proactively manages expectations throughout the program.
Responsible for vendor relationships throughout the program, ensuring outsourced tasks meet contract expectations, Firm standards, and are delivered on time.
Assists with the development of RFIs and RFPs as required for third-party solutions and IT services.
Provides regular status progress reports to the Project Management Office (PMO) for overall Project Portfolio tracking and management.
Assists the Global Director of the IT PMO with Project Portfolio planning and process improvements.
Adheres to and promotes IT PMO standard project management tools, procedures, and best practices.
Coordinates the creation and follow-up of program-related surveys and end-user communications that clearly explain technical concepts in non-technical language.
Coordinates risk assessment between internal functional reviews to determine the program’s potential risk to the Firm.
Acts as a liaison between IT stakeholders to strengthen understanding of business-aligned goals.
Participates in occasional calls and meetings outside of normal business hours to accommodate international team member schedules when necessary.
Challenges the status quo.
Performs other duties as assigned or required to meet Firm goals and objectives.