Associate Director, IT Portfolio Management

About Kirkland & Ellis

At Kirkland & Ellis, we don't just meet the standard for legal excellence - we set it. Our culture is built on teamwork, ingenuity and an unwavering commitment to continuous growth. We tackle the most sophisticated legal challenges with bold ideas and innovative solutions, powered by the exceptional experience and ambition of our 7,000+ people, including 4,000+ attorneys, across 24 offices worldwide.

Our dedicated professionals share our lawyers' commitment to excellence and show up each day to do meaningful work that helps drive global business, investment and innovation forward.

What You'll Do

As the Associate Director, IT Portfolio Management, you'll play a pivotal role within the IT Portfolio and Transformation Office, overseeing a portfolio of technology initiatives that support firm-wide priorities. You'll bring a holistic, enterprise-level perspective to project delivery-ensuring alignment with strategic goals while proactively managing risks, dependencies, and resources across initiatives.

In this role, you'll guide and mentor Project Managers and Business Analysts, shaping both the quality of delivery and the growth of your team. You'll collaborate across business and IT stakeholders, influence decision-making at all levels, and help ensure successful adoption of transformative technology solutions.

Portfolio Leadership:
Oversee a portfolio of technology projects, maintaining visibility into scope, progress, risks, and resource allocation to ensure alignment with strategic objectives.
Strategic Planning & Execution:
Define portfolio goals, key performance indicators (KPIs), and operational plans; track performance and drive continuous improvement across initiatives.
Team Leadership & Development:
Lead, coach, and develop Project Managers and Business Analysts, fostering a high-performing, collaborative team culture.
Governance & Oversight:
Provide guidance on project strategies, plans, and deliverables, ensuring consistency with project management lifecycle standards and organizational policies.
Resource & Dependency Management:
Review work plans, identify cross-project dependencies, resolve resource conflicts, and optimize capacity planning.
Change Management:
Champion Organizational Change Management practices, ensuring consistent adoption strategies, communications, and training across initiatives.
Risk & Issue Management:
Identify and address portfolio-level risks and blockers, serving as an escalation point and driving timely resolution.
Stakeholder Engagement:
Communicate portfolio health, risks, and outcomes to stakeholders and leadership; facilitate governance forums and decision-making processes.
Delivery Support:
Step in to lead high-priority or complex projects when needed, ensuring successful outcomes in critical situations.
Continuous Improvement:
Measure success through delivery outcomes, team performance, and business impact, while fostering a culture of accountability and innovation.

What You'll Bring

Education:

Bachelor's degree required;
Prosci (or similar) Change Management certification is a plus.

Experience:

10+ years of experience in IT projects, programs, portfolio management, including application delivery, infrastructure, or security initiatives.
Portfolio Management Expertise:
Deep knowledge of Project Management Lifecycle (PMLC) methodologies and experience managing multiple concurrent projects at scale.
Leadership & People Management:
Proven ability to lead and develop teams, with direct management experience of Project Managers and/or Business Analysts.
Change Management Capability:
Strong background in Organizational Change Management, including stakeholder engagement, communications planning, and driving technology adoption.
Technical & Tools Proficiency:
Familiarity with Project and Portfolio Management tools (e.g., Service Now, Microsoft Project), Agile tools (e.g., JIRA, Azure Dev Ops), and Microsoft 365 tools such as Teams, SharePoint, Visio, and Power BI.
Strategic Thinking & Communication:
Ability to influence stakeholders, communicate clearly at all levels, and translate complex technical initiatives into business value.
Analytical & Problem-Solving

Skills:

Strong ability to assess risks, analyze data, and develop practical solutions in a fast-paced environment.
Collaboration & Adaptability:
Comfortable working across cross-functional teams, managing competing priorities, and delivering results under changing conditions.

If you're excited to lead complex technology portfolios, empower teams, and drive meaningful business outcomes in this Associate Director, IT Portfolio Management role, we'd love to hear from you!

Compensation

The base salary range below represents the low and high end of the salary range for this position in Chicago. This range may differ based on your geographic location and cost of living considerations. At Kirkland & Ellis, we consider compensation more than just a base salary. We offer an exceptional range of flexible benefits including…