Technology and Engineering Product Lead, Legal

Ares has over 20 years of success driven by our people and culture. Our core values—Collaborative, Responsible, Entrepreneurial, Self‑Aware, Trustworthy—guide our purpose to be a catalyst for shared prosperity and a better future. We are committed to fostering a welcoming and inclusive work environment where high‑performance talent from diverse backgrounds can build careers in this exciting industry.

Ares is seeking a Technology and Engineering Product Lead, Legal to join Corporate Technology. This role will shape and execute the product strategy and roadmap for technology capabilities supporting Ares’ Legal and related GRC workflows—driving scalable, secure, and audit‑ready solutions that improve operational efficiency, transparency, and stakeholder experience.

• Own the product strategy and roadmap for the Legal Systems portfolio, aligning priorities with Legal leadership, enterprise objectives, and Corporate Technology direction.
• Serve as the primary technology partner to Legal stakeholders—building trusted relationships, shaping demand, and translating business goals into clear product capabilities and measurable outcomes.
• Provide subject matter leadership across core Legal and GRC workflows, including intake/triage, matter management, entity governance, eDiscovery enablement, and controls/issue management.
• Drive discovery and definition activities: process mapping, end‑user journey mapping, requirements elicitation, user stories, acceptance criteria, and prioritization—leveraging Lucidchart and clear documentation standards.
• Lead and coordinate delivery across the full product lifecycle: design, build oversight, testing/UAT, release management, change management, training, adoption tracking, and post‑launch support.
• Coordinate cross‑platform dependencies and roadmap sequencing with other product owners and platform teams to ensure end‑to‑end outcomes across Legal, Risk, Compliance, Finance, and Data.
• Partner with Enterprise Architecture, Security, and Data teams to ensure solutions align with enterprise standards for resiliency, identity/access controls, privacy, data governance, records retention, and auditability.
• Define and maintain platform governance: prioritization processes, backlog management, release discipline, documentation, and operational readiness standards.
• Manage vendor relationships and delivery partners as needed, including selection support, roadmap alignment, implementation oversight, and service performance management.
• Provide executive‑ready communications and reporting: roadmap progress, risks/issues, dependencies, KPIs, and clear decision points with recommendations.

• 10+ years of experience in technology product management, business analysis, or delivery leadership supporting Legal systems and/or GRC platforms in financial services or similarly complex environments.
• Bachelor’s degree required; technology background preferred.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; ability to influence across senior stakeholders and technical teams.
• Adaptable and able to work effectively in a fast‑paced, evolving environment.

• Demonstrated SME‑level familiarity with Legal and GRC technology ecosystems and workflows, including one or more of:
  Legal Entity Management systems (e.g., GEMS or comparable); GRC platforms (e.g., Archer or similar) and related controls/issue workflows;
  Matter management platforms and legal intake processes; eDiscovery tools and supporting document workflows;
  Tools and workflows supporting side letters, private funds, and the fund lifecycle.
• Proven track record implementing and enhancing legal/GRC systems with end‑to‑end ownership (requirements through adoption and operationalization).
• Strong process mapping and solution documentation skills, including proficiency with Lucidchart (preferred).
• Working knowledge of integrations and data concepts (APIs, batch, data feeds, reporting), and the ability to partner effectively with engineering and integration teams.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross‑functional working groups, manage timelines, and drive results in a matrixed environment.
• Strong…