Strategy & Operations Manager

Cozen O'Connor; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 175,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid schedule

Hybrid work locations

Job summary

Cozen O’Connor is seeking a Strategy & Operations Manager to join the Office of the Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer. The role spans firm strategy, AI initiatives, and end-to-end process redesign across practices and departments.

Ideal candidates have 5+ years in management consulting or strategy/operations roles, excel and PowerPoint fluency, and a demonstrated ability to drive recommendations into execution at senior levels. Hybrid schedule in primary offices offered.

Qualifications

• Must be able to structure ambiguous problems, perform analysis, and drive execution.
• Strong analytical toolkit with data fluency and comfort with AI tools.
• Excellent written and verbal communication; able to brief senior executives effectively.

Responsibilities

• Support the development and execution of the firm’s strategic plan.
• Partner with practice group leaders and administrative leaders on growth strategy, market expansion, pricing, and talent.
• Build analyses, materials, and recommendations used by firm leadership to make decisions.
• Translate findings into actionable plans and stay involved through execution.
• Lead end-to-end redesigns of complex, cross-functional business processes from diagnosis through adoption.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Project management

Communication

Strategic mindset

AI awareness

Education

Bachelor's degree

MBA or JD (optional)

Tools

Excel

PowerPoint

AI tools

Job description

Job Description

Cozen O’Connor is a leading U.S. law firm with a long track record of growth and an entrepreneurial leadership team that takes the business of law seriously. We are hiring a Strategy & Operations Manager to join the Office of the Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer that works on the most important issues facing the firm.

Job Description

Cozen O’Connor is a leading U.S. law firm with a long track record of growth and an entrepreneurial leadership team that takes the business of law seriously. We are hiring a Strategy & Operations Manager to join the Office of the Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer that works on the most important issues facing the firm. This role suits someone who likes variety, ambiguity, and proximity to decision-makers. In any given quarter you might help a practice group sharpen its growth strategy, help the firm shape and deploy a high-impact AI tool, and lead an end-to-end rebuild of a core operational process. You will work across practices, departments, and firm leadership. The role offers broad exposure to firm leadership and to the full scope of running a modern professional services firm.

Responsibilities

The portfolio is broad. Expect a mix of strategy, operations, and transformation work across three areas:

Firm Strategy

• Support the development and execution of the firm’s strategic plan.


• Partner with practice group leaders, department heads, and administrative leaders on growth strategy, market expansion, pricing, talent, and other commercial topics.


• Build the analyses, materials, and recommendations that firm leadership uses to make decisions.


• Translate findings into actionable plans the business actually adopts — and stay involved through execution.

AI & Innovation

• Identify high-value AI use cases in partnership with our innovation team, and help shape buy-vs-build decisions.


• Help deploy AI, focusing on the hard work of process design, change management, and adoption that determines whether AI tools deliver value.


• Stay close to how AI is reshaping legal services and surface new opportunities early.

Operational Transformation

• Lead end-to-end redesigns of complex, cross-functional business processes — from diagnosis through implementation and adoption.


• Identify opportunities to simplify and modernize how work gets done across the firm.


• Bring structured problem-solving and project management discipline to operations work.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in management consulting, strategy, or business operations roles. Experience at a top management consulting firm is a strong plus.


• A demonstrated ability to structure ambiguous problems, do the analytical work to solve them, and drive recommendations into execution.


• Strong analytical toolkit — fluent in Excel and PowerPoint, comfortable working with data, and increasingly fluent with AI tools.


• Excellent written and verbal communication; the ability to make complex topics simple and to brief senior executives effectively.


• Project management discipline — you can run multiple workstreams in parallel, hit deadlines, and manage stakeholders without being asked.


• Genuine curiosity about AI and emerging technologies and how they will reshape professional services.


• High EQ, low ego, and the kind of judgment that earns trust with senior leaders on sensitive work.


• A bachelor’s degree is required. An MBA, JD, or other advanced degree is a plus but not required.


• Experience in legal, financial, or other professional services is helpful but not required.

Why Cozen O’Connor

• A real seat at the table. You will work directly with the firm’s most senior leaders on the issues they care most about — with the mandate to drive ideas through to execution, not just shape them.


• Scope and variety. Strategy, operations, AI, growth — you will touch all of it.


• A front-row seat to the AI shift. This is one of the most interesting moments to be in legal services, and the firm is investing accordingly.


• Hybrid flexibility. Based in Philadelphia, New York, or Washington, D.C., with a hybrid in-office/remote schedule.


• Compensation and benefits. A competitive package.

The salary range for this role is $150,000 - $175,000 and represents the Firm’s good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting. Actual compensation will be dependent upon a number of factors, including but not limited to, the candidate’s relevant experience, qualifications and location.

About Us

Known for its commitment to action and tangible results, Cozen O'Connor has rapidly grown to become one of North America's fastest-growing law firms. Offering full-service expertise in litigation, business law, and government relations, the firm serves a diverse clientele, including global Fortune 500 companies, growing middle-market firms, startups, and high-profile individuals. Established in 1970, Cozen O’Connor has more than 1,000 attorneys who help clients manage risk and make better business decisions. The firm counsels clients on their most sophisticated legal matters in all areas of the law, including litigation, corporate, and regulatory law. Representing a broad array of leading global corporations and middle market companies, Cozen O’Connor services its clients’ needs through 35 offices across two continents. The firm is consistently ranked among the top 100 law firms in America and has received recognition from prestigious legal and business organizations such as Chambers & Partners, The American Lawyer, The Legal 500, and Best Lawyers. Cozen O'Connor is dedicated to excellence and strives to achieve the right results for its clients, no matter how complex or critical the legal challenges may be.

Cozen O’Connor is committed to fostering greater inclusion in the legal profession. We understand the organizational effectiveness that comes from welcoming and valuing differences within the firm, and we know that assembling a team with a breadth of perspectives and experience is necessary to provide the highest quality legal service. We encourage candidates to apply and join us in this effort.

Cozen O’Connor actively welcomes applicants who have previously left the workforce and are looking to return to their careers. Gaps in experience are not penalized.

Cozen O’Connor is an Equal Opportunity Employer, including disabled and veterans.