Associate Director It Program Management

About Kirkland & Ellis

At Kirkland & Ellis, we are united in our ambition and drive to move forward. We share core values that help us achieve excellence: collaboration, talent empowerment, service, inclusion, respect and gratitude. Our people are our greatest asset, and we invest in the brightest talent and encourage a diversity of perspectives and strengths to create dynamic teams that operate at the pinnacle of their field. Our talented professionals show up every day knowing they will engage in meaningful work, continuous learning and professional development.
 
As one of the world’s leading law firms, we serve a broad range of clients with market-leading practices in private equity, M&A and other complex corporate transactions; investment fund formation and alternative asset management; restructurings; high-stakes commercial and intellectual property litigation; and government, regulatory and internal investigations. We handle the most complicated and sophisticated legal matters because we don’t just meet industry standards, we create them. We bring innovation and entrepreneurialism to every engagement and, as a result, have long-standing client relationships with leading global corporations and financial sponsors. With 6,500 employees (including 3,500 lawyers) operating from 20 offices across the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Asia, we are one of the largest law firms in the world and a top financial performer.

Essential Job Functions

The Associate Director, IT Program Management role is responsible for leading the most complex, critical Technology project efforts in accordance with the Firm’s project lifecycle, policies, procedures, standards, and guidelines.  This role will be accountable for deployment and adoption of transformational Technology programs which span various business areas and functions across the firm.  They would plan, create, lead, and execute a detailed change management plan that would include but not be limited to, stakeholder analysis, communications planning, assisting the training team on training development and training plans to ease and drive user adoption to new and changing technology-based solutions. This role will work closely with teams within and outside of IT to develop Program deployment plans and approaches which are consistent across Firm initiatives.  This role is also responsible for overseeing assigned project resources.

This role requires a results-driven professional who is highly organized, with a keen attention to detail, a strong commitment and focus on results for the customer.  The individual must have excellent people and process management skills, ability to solve complex problems, a strong technology background, and an ability to write, lead and present at meetings and influence people effectively.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Leads projects and programs in accordance with Firm's project management lifecycle at both program and project levels.  Provides strategic direction to project teams in partnership with technical leads.
• Develops and manages to appropriate work breakdown structure (WBS) and resource plan that supports overall project goals and timeline, driving deliverables and milestones from inception to project close
• Plan, lead and implement Change Management plans related to business processes and technologies.
• Drive adoption and proficiency of changes within the organization in compliance with Change Management methodologies.
• Develop project strategies, plans and artifacts, including stakeholder assessment, communications, leadership alignment, organization transition, change readiness, capability transfer, and assist the training team with identifying needed end-user training.
• Oversee team execution in accordance with project plans, tools, and methods, and support resource planning and acquisition.
• Develop short and long-term goals, KPIs, processes and objectives, and develop and execute against annual operational plan.
• Facilitate change management activities with cross-functional team members and stakeholders to understand and ensure adoption of the Enterprise Business Transformation
• Work with appropriate to help ensure high-quality, engaging, and effective change management materials are produced, including communications, manuals, online courses, and hands-on workshops and training for projects.
• Recognizes and manages project risks and issues, including mitigation options, status, and impact.  Acts as an escalation point for project team members.
• Effectively manages project communication and governance to keep sponsors and stakeholders apprised of status, escalate risks and issues, and drive decisions in a timely and appropriate manner.
• Leads by example with transparency, accountability and ownership for successful execution of assigned programs and projects; may step in as needed to support key project(s) or program based on risk and business criticality.
• Works with teams to help understand and define the needs of the Firm practices and administrative functions at an enterprise level to help set IT program. 
• Actively measures success by providing on time, on budget project delivery that meets business requirements and objectives.
• Develop and/or lead change management efforts across all phases of projects and initiatives to drive the Firm’s culture of continuous improvement.

OTHER FUNCTIONS

• Any other related functions/duties as assigned by management. Functions may vary based on project and Information Technology department needs.

Qualifications & Requirements

Education, Work Experience, Skills

Required:

• 10+ years in IT project/Program Management of application delivery, security, and/or infrastructure projects
• Bachelor’s degree
• Several years of experience in Organizational Change Management and IT training or instructional design, with a strong understanding of IT principles and practices, delivering Cloud and/or SaaS based products.
• Proven leadership abilities and experience managing a project team.
• Expertise in PMLC, project and program planning and leadership experience.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and build positive working relationships.
• Self-motivated, organized, and able to multi-task and effectively prioritize competing demands.
• Strong understanding of change management, stakeholder assessment, learning theories, design principles, change communication methods.
• Excellent strategic leadership, communication, and collaboration skills.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work effectively with business and IT cross-functional teams.
• Proven change management skills.

Technologies/Software

• Project and Portfolio Management tools (such as Eclipse, ServiceNow, Microsoft Project)
• Agile management tools (such as JIRA, Azure Dev Ops)
• Microsoft Office, SharePoint, Visio, Teams, Skype

Certificates, Licensures, Registrations

• Prosci certification or similar preferred but not required

How to Apply

Thank you for your interest in Kirkland & Ellis LLP.  To complete an application and submit your resume, please click "Apply Now."

Equal Employment Opportunity

All employment decisions, including the recruiting, hiring, placement, training availability, promotion, compensation, evaluation, disciplinary actions, and termination of employment (if necessary) are made without regard to the employee’s race, color, creed, religion, sex, pregnancy or childbirth, personal appearance, family responsibilities, sexual orientation or preference, gender identity, political affiliation, source of income, place of residence, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, age, marital status, military veteran status, unfavorable discharge from military service, physical or mental disability, or on any other basis prohibited by applicable law.

Closing Statement

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