Legal Lead Program and Portfolio Manager (Hybrid)

American Family Insurance; Alabama; Hybrid; USD 99,000 - 167,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

401(k) plan

Pension plan

Annual incentive

Paid holidays

Paid time off

Student loan repayment

Paid-family leave

Job summary

American Family Insurance is seeking a Legal Operations Program & Portfolio Manager to oversee end-to-end management of Legal's program and project portfolio, guiding governance, demand management, resource planning, and performance oversight.

The role partners with senior leaders, translating strategy into actionable plans and delivering data-driven insights that drive continuous improvement across the organization in a Hybrid work environment.

Qualifications

• Experience providing customer‑driven solutions or service.
• Extensive experience with project/program and portfolio management tools, methods and practices.
• Demonstrated experience communicating with senior leaders
• Experience with budget, metrics and other operational analyses
• Solid knowledge of operational and strategic planning

Responsibilities

• Lead the strategy, governance, and management of Legal's portfolio of programs, projects, and strategic initiatives, ensuring alignment with business priorities.
• Oversee demand intake, prioritization, and resource planning to maximize portfolio value and delivery outcomes.
• Drive end-to-end portfolio execution by monitoring performance, managing risks and dependencies, and ensuring initiatives achieve intended results.
• Establish and maintain portfolio governance frameworks, reporting, metrics, and KPIs for transparent decision‑making.
• Partner with leaders to align priorities, resources, and execution strategies.
• Deliver data‑driven insights to leadership on portfolio performance, risks, and investments
• Champion operational excellence through best practices and continuous improvement
• Foster collaboration and accountability across stakeholder groups to support strategic objectives

Skills

Portfolio management

Governance

Demand management

Resource planning

Executive communication

Education

PMP

PgMP

Lean Six Sigma

SAFe

Job description

Join our team where strategy, innovation, and execution come together. As the Legal Operations Program & Portfolio Manager with American Family Insurance, you will oversee the end-to-end management of Legal's program and project portfolio, helping transform ideas into results. You'll lead portfolio governance, demand management, resource planning, and performance oversight while serving as a trusted advisor to leaders across the business. If you excel at solving complex challenges, influencing partners, and driving continuous improvement, this is an opportunity to make a meaningful impact across the organization. You will report to the Director, Divisional Strategy and Legal Operations. #LI-Hybrid Position Compensation Range: $99,000.00 - $167,000.00 Pay Rate Type: Salary Compensation may vary based on the job level and your geographic work location. Relocation support is offered for eligible candidates.

Primary Accountabilities

• Lead the strategy, governance, and management of Legal's portfolio of programs, projects, and strategic initiatives, ensuring alignment with business and enterprise priorities.
• Oversee demand intake, prioritization, and resource planning to maximize portfolio value and optimize delivery outcomes.
• Drive end-to-end portfolio execution by monitoring performance, managing risks and dependencies, and ensuring initiatives achieve intended results.
• Establish and maintain portfolio governance frameworks, reporting, metrics, and KPIs that enable transparency, accountability, and informed decision‑making.
• Partner with business leaders, project sponsors, and partners to align priorities, resources, and execution strategies.
• Deliver data‑driven insights to leadership on portfolio performance, risks, opportunities, and investment decisions.
• Champion operational excellence through the adoption of best practices, continuous process improvement, and enhanced portfolio management capabilities.
• Foster collaboration, accountability, and communication across stakeholder groups to support successful delivery of strategic objectives.
• Proactively adjust portfolio priorities, resource allocation, and delivery plans to achieve organizational goals.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to leadership, translating strategy into actionable plans and measurable business outcomes.

Specialized Knowledge and Skills Requirements

• Demonstrated experience providing customer‑driven solutions, support or service.
• Extensive experience with project/program and portfolio management tools, methods and practices.
• Demonstrated experience effectively communicating with senior leaders
• Demonstrated experience with budget, metrics and other operational analyses.
• Solid knowledge and understanding of operational and strategic planning.

Preferred Skills

• Strong knowledge of portfolio management, governance, demand management, resource planning, and delivery best practices.
• Proven ability to develop and implement portfolio governance frameworks, operating models, and prioritization processes.
• Experience partnering with senior leaders and executive stakeholders to align strategic priorities, investments, and business outcomes.
• Ability to analyze complex business challenges, assess tradeoffs, and provide data‑driven recommendations.
• Experience creating executive‑level reporting, dashboards, metrics, and portfolio performance insights.
• Demonstrated success driving continuous improvement, operational excellence, or business transformation initiatives.
• Professional certifications such as PMP, PgMP, Lean Six Sigma, SAFe, or equivalent are preferred.
• Experience supporting legal, compliance, risk, governance, or other highly regulated functions is desirable.

Licenses

Not applicable.

Travel Requirements

Up to 10%.

Physical Requirements

Work that primarily involves sitting/standing.

Working Conditions

Not applicable.

Additional Information

To ensure a strong start, all employees participate in our New Employee Orientation during their first week. This experience is held in person at our Madison, WI Headquarters or one of our AmFam core locations to help you connect with our mission, meet key team members and build relationships that support your growth. At times, sessions may be delivered virtually based on scheduling and availability.

• You will have access to comprehensive medical, dental, vision and wellbeing benefits that enable you to take care of your health.
• We also offer a competitive 401(k) contribution, a pension plan, an annual incentive, 9 paid holidays and a paid time off program (23 days accrued annually for full‑time employees).
• In addition, our student loan repayment program and paid‑family leave are available to support our employees and their families.

Offer to selected candidate will be made contingent on the results of applicable background checks Offer to selected candidate is contingent on signing a non‑disclosure agreement for proprietary information, trade secrets, and inventions Sponsorship will not be considered for this position unless specified in the posting In this hybrid role you will be expected to work a minimum of 10 days per month out of our Madison, WI offices. Interns and contingent workers are not eligible for American Family Insurance Group benefits.

Equal Opportunity

We are an equal opportunity employer. It is our policy to comply with all applicable federal, state and local laws pertaining to non‑discrimination, non‑harassment and equal opportunity. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state and local law. American Family Insurance is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. If a reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to conduct essential job functions, and/or to receive alternative benefits, please email [e-mail] to request a reasonable accommodation.

Company Background

American Family Insurance, based in Madison, Wis., has been serving customers since 1927. We inspire, protect and restore dreams through our insurance products, exceptional service from our agency owners and employees, community investments and creative partnerships. American Family Insurance is the nation's 12th‑largest property/casualty insurance company, ranking No. 202 on the Fortune 500 list. American Family has a current a+ credit rating through AM Best, and has distinction as a "Standing the Test of Time" company, which is represented by having an AM Best financial strength rating of A or better for at least 75 years. The company offers American Family‑brand products through a network of exclusive agency owners as well as nationwide through key strategic partnerships. American Family Insurance also includes Homesite and Main Street America Insurance. The company has approximately 10,500 employees nationwide.