Director of Practice Management

Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 215,000 - 285,000; Full time

Job summary

Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP is seeking a Director of Practice Management to serve as a trusted advisor to practice and industry leaders. The role blends business consulting, operational leadership, and cross-functional collaboration to turn priorities into action.

The Director reports to the Senior Director of Practice Management. The position emphasizes strategic planning, project leadership, and partnership with Finance, Marketing, and Talent teams to optimize performance and profitability

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; MBA preferred.
• Minimum of 8 years of progressive experience in business administration, practice management, or business operations within a professional services environment (e.g. legal, consulting, financial).
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and manage complex projects in a collaborative manner within a matrix organization
• Exceptional strategic business planning skills, with the ability to develop long‑range initiatives that align organizational goals with market opportunities and operational capabilities
• Strong project management and prioritization skills
• Strong financial acumen and budgeting skills
• Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills
• Exceptional executive presence and presentation skills
• Sound independent judgment, tact, and discretion in handling sensitive and confidential information
• Ability to build trust and lead through influence
• Adaptability, initiative, and a positive, can‑do attitude in a fast‑paced evolving environment
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, project management tools, and business intelligence tools
• Proficiency in Salesforce or other CRM, with tableau reporting a plus

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary point of contact and strategic partner to industry and practice group leadership on all strategic and operational matters.
• Lead development of practice/industry group business plans aligned to the firm strategic plan in coordination with business professional teams.
• Lead project management of Practice/Industry key initiatives.
• Organize and execute periodic Practice/Industry group meetings with agendas and follow-up.
• Foster engagement and a positive, collaborative culture.
• Partner with Finance in development of revenue budgets and forecasts.
• Partner with Business Professional teams in development, prioritization and management of budgets.
• Partner with Finance/Practice Analytics to improve performance metrics and profitability.
• Support Pricing team in development and approval of alternative fee arrangements.
• Partner with Marketing and Business Development to align resources and support go-to-market strategies.
• Provide input to Client Development and Marketing initiatives (CRM, Website, Brand).
• Support client satisfaction programs and Salesforce data cleanliness efforts.
• Collaborate with Talent Engagement and Talent Acquisition on staffing and recruitment.
• Lead lateral hire integration and support performance reviews.
• Provide input on training needs to Talent Learning and Development.
• Collaborate with General Counsel and Risk Management on new client intake and approval processes.
• Partner with Technology and Knowledge Management on AI and use cases.
• Deliver data-driven performance reporting to address gaps.
• Drive process improvement and share best practices across teams.
• Maintain documentation of processes and policies.
• Perform other duties and special projects as assigned

Skills

Cross-functional leadership

Strategic planning

Project management

Financial acumen

Communication

Executive presence

MS Office

Salesforce

Tableau

Education

Bachelor’s degree

MBA preferred

Tools

Salesforce

Tableau

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Department: Accounting/Practice Management

Job Number: 100626

Offices: Washington, D.C.; Boston; Chicago; Los Angeles; New York; San Francisco

With eleven offices across the United States, 500+ professionals and 350+ business professionals, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP (www.manatt.com) is a multidisciplinary, integrated national professional services firm known for quality and an extraordinary commitment to clients. The firm’s groundbreaking approach brings together legal services, advocacy and business strategy. This approach differentiates Manatt from its competitors and positions the firm to provide a distinct and compelling value proposition.

The Opportunity

The Director of Practice Management is at the center of how our practices and industry groups operate, collaborate, and achieve their goals. As a trusted advisor to Practice and Industry Leaders, the Director brings together the right people, expertise, and resources from across the Firm to turn priorities into action. This highly visible role blends business consulting, operational leadership, and cross-functional collaboration to identify opportunities, solve complex business needs, advance best practices, and help Group leaders successfully execute against their objectives and performance goals. The Director reports to the Senior Director of Practice Management.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership and Planning

• Serve as the primary point of contact and strategic partner to industry and practice group leadership on all strategic and operational matters.
• Lead the development of practice/industry group business plans aligned to the firm strategic plan in coordination with business professional teams (e.g. Business Development/Marketing, Finance, Talent, Learning and Development, Knowledge Management, Technology). Drive execution of the plan, monitor progress to goals, and communicate status against plan on a regular basis.
• Lead project management of Practice/Industry key initiatives.
• Organize and execute periodic Practice/Industry group meetings by developing agendas, organizing speakers/participants, preparing/overseeing presentations, facilitating meetings, and ensuring follow-up of next steps.
• Foster engagement and a positive, collaborative culture.

Operations

• Partner with Finance in development of revenue budgets and forecasts.
• Partner with Business Professional teams in development, prioritization and management of Practice/Industry expense budgets (e.g. Marketing, Learning and Development, Technology).
• Partner with Finance/Practice Analytics team in development of strategies to improve performance metrics and profitability.
• Support Pricing team in the development and approval of alternative fee arrangements.
• Partner with Marketing and Business Development to align resources, identify cross-selling opportunities, and support go-to-market strategies.
• Provide input to and visibility for Client Development and Marketing initiatives (e.g. CRM, Website, Brand.)
• Support the development, implementation, and monitoring of client satisfaction programs.
• Support pipeline management and Salesforce data cleanliness efforts.
• Partner with the Talent Engagement team to monitor utilization metrics, identify skill gaps and training needs, and support compliance with firm policies (e.g. time entry and in-office attendance).
• Partner with Talent Acquisition team to identify talent needs and support recruitment and on-boarding efforts.
• Lead lateral hire integration process.
• Support Talent Performance and Advancement team to ensure an effective performance review and advancement process.
• Provide input to Talent Learning and Development team on training needs.
• Collaborate with General Counsel and Risk Management to ensure efficient and streamlined new client/matter intake and approval process.
• Partner with Technology and Knowledge Management teams on key initiatives and solutions, including artificial intelligence and other practice/industry-specific use cases.
• Partner with C‑Suite and Business Professional teams to assimilate information across teams and deliver data‑driven performance reporting and recommendations to address performance gaps.
• Drive process improvement and the sharing of best practices across teams.
• Maintain documentation of processes, policies, and operational needs.
• Perform other duties and special projects as assigned; responsibilities may be added or adjusted as determined by business needs.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required, MBA preferred
• Minimum of 8 years of progressive experience in business administration, practice management, or business operations within a professional services environment (e.g. legal, consulting, financial)
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and manage complex projects in a collaborative manner within a matrix organization
• Exceptional strategic business planning skills, with the ability to develop long‑range initiatives that align organizational goals with market opportunities and operational capabilities
• Strong project management and prioritization skills
• Strong financial acumen and budgeting skills
• Ability to proactively identify problems, develop practical solutions, and deliver on‑time, on‑budget results
• Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills
• Exceptional executive presence and presentation skills
• Sound independent judgment, tact, and discretion in handling sensitive and confidential information
• Ability to build trust and lead through influence
• Adaptability, initiative, and a positive, can‑do attitude in a fast‑paced evolving environment
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, project management tools, and business intelligence tools
• Proficiency in Salesforce or other CRM, with tableau reporting a plus

The base annual pay range for this role is between $215,000 - $285,000. The base pay to be offered will vary and depend on skills and qualifications, experience and location. A full range of medical, financial and/or other benefits dependent on the position will also be offered.

EEO/AA EMPLOYER/Veterans/Disabled

Manatt is an equal opportunity employer, dedicated to a policy of non-discrimination in employment on any basis including race, color, physical or mental disability, religion, creed, national origin, citizenship status, ancestry, sex or gender (including gender identity, gender expression, status as a transgender or transsexual individual, pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), age (over 40), genetic information, past, current, or prospective service in the uniformed services, sexual orientation, political activity or affiliation, genetic or and any other protected classes or characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, or local law. Consistent with the American Disabilities Act, applicants may request accommodations needed to participate in the application process.

This employer will provide the Social Security Administration (SSA) and, if necessary, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), with information from each new employee’s Form I‑9 to confirm work authorization. IMPORTANT: If the Government cannot confirm that you are authorized to work, this employer is required to provide you written instructions and an opportunity to contact SSA and/or DHS before taking adverse action against you, including terminating your employment. Employers may not use E‑Verify to pre‑screen job applicants or to re‑verify current employees and may not limit or influence the choice of documents presented for use on the Form I‑9. In order to determine whether Form I‑9 documentation is valid, this employer uses E‑Verify’s photo screening tool to match the photograph appearing on some permanent resident and employment authorization cards with the official U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ (USCIS) photograph. If you believe that your employer has violated its responsibilities under this program or has discriminated against you during the verification process based upon your national origin or citizenship status, please call the Office of Special Counsel at 1‑800‑255‑7688 (TDD: 1‑800‑237‑2515).