Assistant Manager - Corporate Legal Services

Position : Assistant Manager - Corporate Legal Services

Description : Manages large scale projects, manages a team, ensuring high-quality, client ready work

Direct reports : Senior Associate Attorney I and II, Associate Attorney I, II and III

Reports to : Manager, Corporate Legal Services

Location : Pune

Key Results/Outcomes :

Scoping and developing pricing models :

- Understand the client's requirements, make appropriate assumptions, and create an efficient process to derive accurate estimates

- Convert the assumptions into financial numbers and estimates

- Work with Finance and document the assumptions and estimates

- Build on expertise on other projects to ensure the scoping project is efficient and accurate

Project planning :

- Convert the assumptions and estimates into a plan

- Prepare a plan for production and a plan for staffing the project

- Create a management structure within the project team as required; drive accountability and role clarity within such structure

- Review instructions and training materials from client and drive clarity of issues

- Review contracted estimates and review rates and recommend adjustments

- Ensure that every item in the toolkit is prepared and utilized

Project kick-off :

- Plan for the pre-go live stage and work with the Quality Assurance team to assess the results and report them out

- Ensure the tool is configured according to the agreed upon workflow; in the absence of a tool, ensure that the workflow is efficient and streamlined

- Ensure that the escalation protocol is followed during pre-go live phase

Project Management :

- Manage a large project team to the project plan by tracking quality and production

- Conduct a review of the project plan and make changes, if required, based on the progress of the project in collaboration with the Ops team

- Query Resolution with the Quality Assurance team and QCs

- Review, update and consistently track scorecards, and circulate them to the team

- Review internal error reports and provide feedback to the team

- Final QC of data compiled to be delivered to the client

- Ensure timely delivery of the project in the required format and with the required quality standards

- Track time and validate that time along with the time spent on the tool

- Provide a daily and/or weekly update on whether we are tracking to the plan

- Provide regular revenue forecast updates Engage with IT to ensure that all system requirements are met for the project

- Engage with Facilities for whatever transport or facilities requirements

Quality Plan :

- Prepare and implement a quality plan

- Ensure that the escalation protocol is followed during the project

- Determine the percentage of QC and QC2 for the start of the project and plan with the Quality Assurance team for reduction in both the QC levels

- Share QC reports sent by the client with reviewers

- Communication :

Work with Quality Assurance team to :

- Report daily and/or weekly progress of quality and production to Ops Team

- Prepare agenda for the operating team and report out the details of the project: Escalations, Quality, and Production and whether tracking to plan

- Identify and escalate operational issues to ensure successful project delivery

- Escalate subject matter queries

Report out to the team resolutions to queries, feedback and updates. Ensure understanding by creating flow diagrams or outlines, if required

Client/External Communication :

- Daily and/or weekly calls with the client - whether project or subject matter related

- Prepare agenda for client visits and client calls

- Report out to the Ops team the outcomes of client visits and client calls

- Escalate tool issues to the client and interact with the tool vendor to ensure prompt resolution

Training :

Work with Quality Assurance team to :

- Review training materials from the client

- Develop and deliver refresher training

- Identify associates who require refresher training

- Coordinate with MU to design, develop and enhance training materials

- Update repository of training materials for Corporate Legal Services training

Project Completion/Business Review :

- Prepare materials (scorecards, delivery schedule, etc.) and report at the end of the project

(For ongoing projects, a monthly Business Review will be prepared.)

- External Report : Focus on what we did (plan to actual on resource utilization and time estimates), value proposition, project story or methodology (including a focus on quality) and project challenges (an opportunity to solicit feedback, any tool issues)

- Internal Report : Document what we did for future reference and for defensibility, if necessary. Identify areas for improvement. Lessons Learned - what went well and what did not go well

General Management :

- Responsible for providing regular feedback to the team, conducting performance review and mid-year performance review

- Leave management

- Identify staffing and hiring requirements and work with HR in the recruitment process by conducting interviews

- Coordinate with IT to implement changes to folder structure and security groups

- Decide last working day of associates serving their notice period

- Identify high and low performers and actively manage them (Recognition/Excellence awards, Performance Improvement Plan or exit from organization, etc.)

- Provide feedback to HR on the performance of new hires

- Monitor the daily billing requirement of the team

- Ensure that all billable time is captured and can be submitted to Finance at the end of the project

Experience/Skills/Competencies :

- Strong project management skills (includes process orientation, reporting and attention to detail, working knowledge of project management system tools), client management skills, people management skills, legal knowledge (e.g., relevant knowledge to practice area or subject matter involved in the project) required

- Additional key competencies: Leadership, resource management, budgeting

- Superior ability to search and process information

- Superior ability to manage and motivate large teams

Experience : 4 to 6 years relevant experience in managing projects related to contract management required

Education : Law degree required

Other : Traveling when required