Senior Innovation Project Manager

Kirkland & Ellis; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 176,000 - 220,000; Full time

Job summary

Kirkland & Ellis in Chicago is seeking a Senior Innovation Project Manager to lead strategic initiatives that advance the firm’s AI and innovation roadmap, collaborating with attorneys, technologists, and external vendors.

You will own projects end-to-end—from ideation to deployment—ensuring alignment with risk, security, governance, and scalable delivery, while using data to drive adoption and business impact.

Qualifications

• Minimum 7 years of project or product management experience in a global professional services environment.
• Proven ability to lead technology transformation, launches, and cross-functional programs.
• Experience delivering custom software projects with engineering, data, risk, and business stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead innovation delivery aligning with the firm's AI and innovation roadmap.
• Define product vision and roadmaps with leadership and tech teams.
• Manage full project lifecycle from ideation to launch and optimization.
• Coordinate multi-phase initiatives across engineering, data, risk, and business.
• Collaborate with Palantir Foundry/AIP development teams and manage sprints.
• Incorporate adoption metrics and business outcomes post-launch.
• Prepare updates and materials for steering committees and reviews.
• Align teams across Innovation, IT, Risk, Security, and vendors.
• Identify and mitigate risks, issues, dependencies, and governance concerns.

Skills

Cross-functional leadership

Stakeholder management

Project management

Product management

Data analysis

GenAI familiarity

Communication skills

Vendor partnerships

Education

Bachelor's degree

PM certifications (PMP/CAPM/PMI-ACP/AgilePM)

Tools

Palantir Foundry

Palantir AIP

Excel

Power BI

Microsoft Office

Low-code/no-code platforms

Job description

Job ID: 8934

Updated: Aug 14, 2026

Location: Chicago, IL, United States

Category: Innovation

About Kirkland & Ellis

At Kirkland & Ellis, we don't just meet the standard for legal excellence - we set it. Our culture is built on teamwork, ingenuity and an unwavering commitment to continuous growth. We tackle the most sophisticated legal challenges with bold ideas and innovative solutions, powered by the exceptional experience and ambition of our 7,000+ people, including 4,000+ attorneys, across 24 offices worldwide. Our dedicated professionals share our lawyers' commitment to excellence and show up each day to do meaningful work that helps drive global business, investment and innovation forward.

What You'll Do

Are you ready to turn bold ideas into scalable technology solutions that help shape the future of legal services?

• Lead innovation delivery: Drive strategic initiatives that support the Firm's AI and innovation roadmap, including internal platforms, client-facing solutions, and vendor-enabled capabilities.
• Shape product direction: Partner with Innovation leadership, attorneys, and technical teams to define product vision, roadmaps, use cases, and priorities that align with business needs.
• Own the full lifecycle: Guide projects and products from ideation, requirements, development, testing, and launch through continuous improvement, with a focus on scalable and repeatable solutions.
• Manage complex builds: Lead multi-phase technology initiatives and integrations, aligning engineering, data, risk, and business stakeholders around scope, timelines, dependencies, and outcomes.
• Partner with technical teams: Work directly with engineering and development teams on custom software builds, including Palantir Foundry and Palantir Artificial Intelligence Platform (AIP) application development where applicable, while managing sprint cadences, technical dependencies, release readiness, and product scope.
• Use insights to improve adoption: Incorporate user feedback, adoption metrics, and business outcomes to refine products after launch and strengthen long-term impact.
• Track progress and communicate clearly: Maintain real-time project data and trackers, prepare actionable updates, and present materials for project status meetings, stakeholder reviews, and steering committees.
• Build alignment across teams: Collaborate with Innovation, leadership, IT, Risk, Security, attorneys, administrative stakeholders, and third-party vendors to translate strategic goals into clear action plans and measurable results.
• Manage risks and governance: Identify, track, and mitigate risks, issues, dependencies, and governance considerations, escalating matters when timing, cost, resources, policy, or compliance may affect outcomes.

What You'll Bring

• Education and credentials: Bachelor's degree and/or project management certification, such as Project Management Professional (PMP), Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM), PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP), or Agile Project Management (AgilePM), strongly preferred.
• Relevant experience: Minimum of 7 years of experience in project management, product management, or a similar operational role involving cross-team coordination within a global professional services organization or law firm.
• Technology transformation expertise: Experience managing technology transformation, change initiatives, product or service launches, or other tech-enabled strategic priorities that enhance client service offerings.
• Software delivery fluency: Experience managing or delivering custom software development projects, application builds, data platform implementations, or enterprise low-code/no-code platforms, with confidence discussing sprint cycles, technical scope, and release processes.
• Platform and vendor experience: Experience working with technology vendors and strategic partnerships strongly preferred; direct experience managing Palantir Foundry or AIP development projects is a strong plus.
• Stakeholder leadership: Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to collaborate with and influence leadership, attorneys, technologists, and business teams.
• Ownership and organization: High professionalism, autonomy, accuracy, accountability, and organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and stakeholder needs independently.
• Governance and emerging technology mindset: Familiarity with data governance, information security, and responsible AI frameworks preferred, along with enthusiasm for using emerging technologies to transform the business and practice of law.
• Tools and analytics: Proficiency in Microsoft Office, with experience in data analysis, Excel, Power BI or similar tools, Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI), business intelligence tools, or legal technology solutions preferred.

If you're excited to lead meaningful innovation, connect strategy with delivery, and make an impact as a Senior Innovation Project Manager, we'd love to hear from you!

Compensation

The base salary range below represents the low and high end of the salary range for this position in Chicago. This range may differ based on your geographic location and cost of living considerations. At Kirkland & Ellis, we consider compensation more than just a base salary. We offer an exceptional range of flexible benefits including comprehensive healthcare, paid time off, and retirement. We also offer personal support and tailored learning and development opportunities all designed to help you realize your full potential both in life and at work.

Compensation Range:

Chicago: $176,000 - $220,000

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. #LI-Hybrid #LI-SM1