Director of Practice Management

Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 215,000 - 285,000; Full time

Job summary

Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP seeks a Director of Practice Management to align practice and industry groups with the firm’s strategic goals. You will act as a trusted advisor, coordinating resources across Finance, Marketing, Talent, Learning and Development, and Technology to drive initiatives that improve performance and profitability.

The role requires leadership of complex projects, strong business planning, and executive communication.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 8 years of progressive experience in business administration, practice management, or business operations within a professional services environment.
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and manage complex projects in a collaborative matrix organization.
• Excellent strategic planning skills with the ability to align goals with market opportunities and operations.
• Strong project management and prioritization skills.
• Strong financial acumen and budgeting skills.
• Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills.
• Executive presence and presentation skills.

Responsibilities

• 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.
• Drive execution of the plan, monitor progress to goals, and communicate status against plan regularly.
• Organize and execute periodic Practice/Industry group meetings with agendas and speakers.
• Partner with Finance in development of revenue budgets and forecasts.
• Support pricing, marketing, and client development initiatives.
• Provide input to talent, learning, and development programs and training needs.
• Collaborate with Business Professional teams and technology to drive efficiency and data-driven reporting.
• Maintain documentation of processes, policies, and operational needs.
• Perform other duties and special projects as assigned.

Skills

Cross-functional leadership

Project management

Financial acumen

Strategic planning

Executive communication

Tools

Salesforce

Tableau

CRM

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.

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

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 newemployee’s Form I-9 to confirm workauthorization.

IMPORTANT: If the Government cannotconfirm that you are authorized to work,this employer is required to provide youwritten instructions and an opportunityto contact SSA and/or DHS before taking adverse action against you, includingterminating 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 matchthe photograph appearing on somepermanent resident and employmentauthorization cards with the official U.S.Citizenship and Immigration Services’(USCIS) photograph.If you believe that your employer hasviolated its responsibilities under thisprogram or has discriminated againstyou during the verification processbased upon your national origin orcitizenship status, please call the Office of Special Counsel at1-800-255-7688 (TDD: 1-800-237-2515).