Manager, Strategic Partnerships (Bar Association Program)

Smokeball•Chicago, IL

9d•Remote

About The Position

Smokeball is seeking a partnerships leader to scale and manage its Bar Association Partnership Program. This role involves managing multiple programs and relationships across numerous state and local bar associations. The position will help lead a small, growing team, own partnership performance and operations, and expand the company's collaborations with bar partners nationwide. The ideal candidate will bring creativity and a structured growth approach to strengthen strategic partnerships with bar associations. This role is open to remote candidates or those in the Chicagoland area. For candidates in Chicagoland, the role will be hybrid with two days per week in the office.

Requirements

5+ years' experience running LegalTech bar association programs, or experience working at a U.S. Bar Association managing relationships with legal technology vendors.
Deep understanding of the legal technology and Legal AI space.
Strong familiarity with commercial contracts and contract negotiation.
Proven ability to run a scaling partnerships team or a history of building and scaling partnerships programs.
Experience managing or mentoring team members.

Nice To Haves

JD or legal experience is a plus.

Responsibilities

Develop and evolve partner program strategy and areas of focus with the Partnerships team.
Lead the strategic partnerships team, supporting bar association partners and team members.
Lead negotiations and creation of terms with key partners, including reviewing and approving contracts, redlines, and setting commercial terms.
Identify new growth opportunities with existing and prospective partners.
Create and present proposals to bar associations, boards, and internal leadership.
Oversee end-to-end operations of the bar partnership program, including building scalable processes, managing budgets, and ensuring effective use of tools.
Establish and track KPIs, revenue targets, and program performance.
Collaborate cross-functionally with marketing, product, sales, and leadership teams to integrate Smokeball's bar partnerships program.