Portfolio Operations Manager

Ballard Spahr•Philadelphia, PA

8d•Remote

About The Position

Ballard Spahr is a nationally recognized law firm with more than 750 lawyers across 19 offices in the United States. A career at Ballard Spahr means joining a team of talented mentors, colleagues, and friends, supported by strong leadership that actively encourages professional growth. Ballard Spahr is looking for a Portfolio Operations Manager responsible for day-to-day operation and governance of the enterprise portfolio. This individual will exercise discretion, build relationships, and develop plans while leading diverse project teams to achieve successful delivery. The selected individual will work closely with EPMO leadership, Project Management teams, business leaders, and cross-functional stakeholders, the Portfolio Operations Manager coordinates portfolio intake and prioritization, facilitates portfolio governance and review activities, and provides leadership with timely visibility into portfolio performance, priorities, risks, dependencies, and capacity. This position is remote, and consideration will be given to those near the Philadelphia office or surrounding areas, with the expectation to work in the office as needed.

Requirements

A bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Management, Project Management, Information Systems, or a related field.
5+ years of experience working at a law firm with experience in portfolio management, PMO operations, project management, business operations or a related function.
Knowledge of business analysis and project management best principles, tool and methodologies; including Waterfall and Agile.
Strong analytical and problem solving skills with the ability to interpret portfolio data.
Experience facilitating stakeholder discussions, documenting business processes, developing process flows and supporting project planning and status reporting.
Strong negotiation, conflict resolution and stakeholder management skills.
Excellent organization skills and attention to detail with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office, particularly in Excel and PowerPoint with experience working with project, portfolio or workflow management tools.
Ability to work independently, sound judgement, identify issue and escalate matter appropriately.

Nice To Haves

Self-motivated with a passion for growth and willing to stay updated with emerging technologies and industry trends, particularly in project management and generative.
Strong verbal and written communication skills. The ability to listen, understand information and ideas presented, while using analytical skills to interpret the issue at hand and develop applicable or appropriate recommendations and solutions.
Keen attention to detail with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines independently.
Ability to lead, drive, and support projects for successful business outcomes.

Responsibilities

Manage the day-to-day operations of the enterprise portfolio.
Coordinate project intake, activation, prioritization, and portfolio workflows.
Plan and facilitate portfolio review and governance meetings.
Define and monitor portfolio KPIs, metrics, milestones, deadlines, and reporting requirements.
Develop and maintain portfolio dashboards, reports, and other materials that provide actionable insights to leadership and stakeholders.
Monitor portfolio performance, risks, issues, dependencies, and capacity, escalating matters as appropriate.
Drive stakeholder communications and ensure projects meet established readiness requirements prior to activation.
Maintain accurate and reliable portfolio data across portfolio management tools and repositories.
Partner with the EPMO leadership to support effective portfolio planning, prioritization, and execution.
Continuously improve portfolio governance, processes, tools, reporting, and operating practices.
Identify opportunities to improve portfolio transparency, efficiency, consistency, and decision-making.
Support project and portfolio initiatives through business analysis activities, including process documentation, workflow mapping, requirements gathering, stakeholder facilitation, and identification of process improvement opportunities.
Provide project management support for strategic projects and other initiatives as needed, in partnership with the Project Management team.