Senior Manager of Legal Project Management

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP•New York, NY

7d•$185,000 - $195,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Cleary Gottlieb is a pioneer in globalizing the legal profession with 14 offices in major financial centers worldwide, operating as a single, integrated global partnership. The firm employs approximately 1,100 lawyers from over 50 countries. Since 1946, the firm has provided clients with simple, actionable approaches to complex legal and business challenges, supported by intellectual agility, commercial acumen, and a human touch. The Senior Manager of Legal Project Management will collaborate with practice groups, legal matter teams, and partners to offer strategic and operational support in project management, staffing, budgeting, profitability analysis, and client communications. This role is pivotal in driving improvements to legal service delivery by enhancing client service, streamlining workflows, championing process innovation and efficiency, and maximizing matter profitability. Reporting to the Director of Strategic Pricing and Legal Project Management, this position is a senior member of the team responsible for establishing and scaling a global Legal Project Management function. The Senior Manager will manage a portfolio of complex matters, mentor and manage LPM team members, set standards and best practices for the function, and serve as a trusted advisor to partners and practice group leaders.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree required.
At least 6 years of legal project management, practice management, or legal operations experience at a law firm; experience at a large or global firm strongly preferred.
At least 1–2 years of experience managing, mentoring, or formally supervising a team.
Demonstrated experience managing budgets, AFAs, and profitability analysis in a legal services context.
Track record of successfully managing complex, high-value, or cross-border matters.
Strong proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, Outlook, Excel, and PowerPoint).
Proficiency or willingness to develop skills in data visualization and reporting tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau).
Strong familiarity with complex organizations like law firms and the interplay among fee earners, professional staff, and processes, and an understanding of how to effect change in such environments.
Comfort with technology adoption and a continuous learning mindset, with an eye toward identifying and implementing tools that enhance matter management and client service.
High-impact written and verbal communication skills; comfortable commanding a room to drive project success and secure stakeholder buy-in at all levels, including senior partners and clients.
Proven ability to lead, motivate, and develop team members; comfortable providing constructive feedback and holding others accountable.
Poise and sound judgment; ability to manage competing priorities across multiple complex matters simultaneously.
Demonstrated ability to work effectively with global teams, including partners, associates, and professional staff across offices, departments, and jurisdictions.
Willingness and ability to operate across a wide range of tasks such as strategic planning and stakeholder engagement to hands-on troubleshooting and detail management.
Creative and resourceful thinking; ability to identify issues early and implement practical solutions.
Exceptional time management, prioritization, and decision-making capabilities.
Ability to build trusted relationships with partners and senior stakeholders.
Strong desire to help build and grow the LPM function, contributing to its visibility, credibility, and impact across the Firm.

Nice To Haves

JD or Master's degree (preferably in finance, accounting, business, or a related field) is a plus.
A project management certification (e.g., PMP, Lean Six Sigma, PRINCE2, or equivalent) is a plus.
Exposure to legal technology platforms (e.g., matter management systems, HighQ, Brightflag, iManage, or similar tools) is preferred.

Responsibilities

Apply established project management methodologies to plan, lead, and coordinate matter deliverables through written communications (including project plans, workstream trackers, and budget estimates), team meetings, and regular updates to lead partner(s), matter team members, and clients.
Collaborate with attorneys and clients to define matter scope, strategy, objectives, and key milestones.
Develop and monitor budgets, including legal spend tracking, alternative fee arrangements (AFAs), and profitability analysis, in close collaboration with the Pricing Team, Financial Reporting team, and Practice Development Lawyers (PDLs). Ensure alignment with firm matter management strategies, client expectations, and financial goals.
Support matter staffing decisions, balancing team capacity, expertise, and development needs, and facilitate clear communications regarding roles, responsibilities, and workstreams.
Ensure the accuracy, completeness, and compliance of time entries with client billing guidelines, and support the harnessing of time entry data for matter analytics and reporting.
Serve as a coordination point to ensure the matter team is meeting client expectations regarding quality, responsiveness, and deliverable timelines.
Develop and maintain project plans, track milestones, and proactively identify and escalate risks and bottlenecks.
Facilitate matter close-out processes and post-matter reviews, document key learnings, and ensure insights are captured and disseminated to improve future matter execution.
Gather and synthesize client satisfaction information and data to inform continuous improvement efforts.
Supervise, mentor, and develop Legal Project Managers, including responsibility for onboarding, goal-setting, regular performance feedback, and annual performance reviews.
Monitor and balance workloads across direct reports; assign matters and projects in coordination with the Director of Strategic Pricing and Legal Project Management to ensure appropriate coverage and professional development opportunities.
Serve as a day-to-day coach and resource for team members, providing guidance on matter management, stakeholder engagement, budgeting, and client communication.
Foster a collaborative and high-performing team environment; champion knowledge sharing and continuous improvement within the LPM function.
Participate in recruiting efforts for the LPM team as needed, including reviewing candidates, conducting interviews, and contributing to hiring decisions.
Act as an internal consultant focused on continuous improvement by performing process analysis, gathering learnings, refining workflows, implementing best practices, and advising on the innovative use of technology and tools for matter management.
Serve as the subject matter expert on project planning, scoping, fee estimating, budget preparation, fee and scope management, and status reporting.
Develop and maintain budgeting materials, project management templates, and playbooks for use in managing active and incoming matters and in business development efforts (e.g., pitch materials and RFP responses). Collaborate with PDLs, the Financial Reporting team, and other professional staff to develop and leverage these materials.
Work in close collaboration with PDLs to ensure alignment on the upcoming stages and needs of each matter, coordinating LPM and practice development support as appropriate.
Contribute to the evaluation, adoption, and optimization of legal technology platforms (e.g., matter management tools, collaboration platforms, and data visualization solutions) to enhance matter delivery and reporting.
Help define and document LPM function standards, processes, and operating procedures to support consistency and scalability as the function grows globally.
Identify and address legal project management training needs across the Firm, including the development of intranet resources, delivery of departmental sessions, and one-on-one coaching for partners and associates on project management principles and tools.
Support change management efforts related to the adoption of new processes, tools, and ways of working across practice groups and offices.