Project Manager, OD Labs

The Project Manager is responsible for the end-to-end delivery of technology initiatives including custom software development, third-party platform deployments, AI adoption, and workflow design. This role manages project scope, schedule, budget, risks, and vendor relationships, and keeps practice groups, firm leadership, and vendors aligned throughout delivery. The position works in partnership with the AI Architect and Business Analysts assigned to OD Labs and reports to the Director of OD Labs.

These are the essential functions of the position. Successful job applicants will be able to perform these essential functions with or without requested reasonable accommodation:

• Manage end-to-end delivery of OD Labs initiatives, including custom development, vendor platform deployments, AI adoption, and firm-wide rollouts, from initiation through active use.
• Manage initiatives through the OD Labs delivery model of prototype, pilot, production, enhancements, and operational handoff, validating each phase before scaling, with a focus on the minimum viable product (MVP), the critical path, and no more than two active projects at a time.
• Develop and maintain project plans, schedules, budgets, and resource plans, coordinate internal and external resources, and track status against scope, schedule, and budget, recommending adjustments as needed.
• Plan and lead project team meetings, including setting agendas, coordinating attendees, and following up on action items.
• Maintain risk, issue, and dependency logs, and elevate items that may affect schedule, cost, or scope with a recommended resolution.
• Manage relationships with outside technology vendors, including forward-deployed engineers, holding them accountable to deliverables, quality standards, and timelines and keeping vendor scope aligned with the current MVP objective.
• Support process mapping by capturing current and future-state workflows, facilitating working sessions, and translating practice group needs into actionable requirements, in coordination with Business Analysts.
• Prepare and deliver project status updates to multiple levels of firm leadership, including senior leadership, identifying upcoming decisions and their impact.
• Plan and support change management and adoption, including rollout planning, training materials and user guides, tracking of adoption metrics and user feedback, and operational handoff.
• Identify project stakeholders and communicate project direction and upcoming milestones so that practice groups and team members remain informed.
• Maintain the confidentiality of sensitive firm and client information.

Required

Education and Experience:

• Bachelors’ Degree preferred
• 5+ years of experience working inside a law firm in a role connected to the delivery of legal work, such as legal assistant, paralegal, practice group coordinator, legal operations, or recruiting. Experience with in or alongside practice groups is preferred.
• 2+ years of experience managing technical projects, such as custom software development, systems rollouts, or technology adoption initiatives.
• Experience owning project budgets, tracking project financials, and reporting status to stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to identify, track, and elevate risks and dependencies with proposed solutions.
• Strong knowledge of project management practices, including scope, schedule, budget, risk, and change management.
• Working understanding of how attorneys communicate and set priorities, and how decisions are made within a law firm.
• Ability to drive work forward with incomplete requirements and changing priorities.
• Ability to build alignment among attorneys, firm leadership, vendors, and technical team members.
• Excellent written and verbal…