Senior Manager, Outside Counsel Management

Job Description:

The Senior Manager, Outside Counsel Management role is responsible for the strategy, governance, performance, and financial management of the company's global outside counsel and alternative legal services provider (ALSP) portfolio. This role serves as the primary steward of legal spend, law firm relationships, billing governance, panel management, and vendor performance across all practice areas and geographies.

Working closely with the General Counsel, Legal Leadership Team, Center of Legal Excellence (Mars Legal Operations), Finance, and Mars Managing Attorneys, this role drives the department's outside counsel strategy to ensure the company receives the highest quality legal services at the best overall value.

This individual combines legal industry expertise, financial acumen, data analytics, vendor management, and change leadership to optimize legal service delivery and continuously improve the legal department's operating model.

What are we looking for?

• 8–15+ years’ experience in one or more of the following:
  • Legal operations
  • Outside counsel management
  • Legal procurement
  • Law firm pricing
  • Legal vendor management
  • Large corporate legal department operations
• Experience working within a multinational corporate legal department
• Expert level experience with outside counsel management platforms
• Experience with AI-enabled legal operations solutions

What will be your key responsibilities?

Global Outside Counsel Strategy & Governance

• Develop and maintain the enterprise-wide outside counsel strategy.
• Design and manage law firm panel programs, preferred provider arrangements, and strategic partnership frameworks.
• Establish governance standards for engagement, selection, evaluation, and offboarding of law firms and legal service providers.
• Drive consistency in outside counsel management across business segments, regions, and legal practice areas.
• Serve as the primary advisor to legal leadership on outside counsel market trends, alternative service delivery models, and emerging legal industry developments.

Legal Spend & Financial Management

• Oversee global outside counsel spend across all legal matters.
• Develop annual budgets, forecasts, accruals, and spend projections.
• Monitor budget-versus-actual performance and identify opportunities for cost optimization.

Alternative Fee Arrangements & Commercial Negotiations

• Lead or support negotiations with law firms, especially in RFPs and AFAs
• Expand adoption of alternative fee arrangements where appropriate.
• Conduct benchmarking and market analysis to support pricing decisions.

Matter Management & Billing Governance

• Own outside counsel billing governance and compliance programs.
• Maintain and enforce outside counsel guidelines.
• Oversee eBilling and matter management platforms.
• Establish billing controls and invoice review processes.
• Monitor compliance with billing guidelines, budget requirements, etc.
• Drive continuous improvement in billing accuracy and spend transparency.

Legal Technology & Digital Transformation in eBilling

Expert usage of, and awareness of the evolving space, in the following categories:

• eBilling systems
• RFP tools
• Data and tools (e.g. PowerBI, Tableau, etc.)
• AI-enabled legal technologies
• Matter management platforms

What can you expect from Mars?

• Work with over 130,000 diverse and talented Associates, all guided by The Five Principles.
• Join a purpose driven company, where we’re striving to build the world we want tomorrow, today.
• Best-in-class learning and development support from day one, including access to our in-house Mars University.
• An industry competitive salary and benefits package, including company bonus.

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The base pay range for this position at commencement of employment is between the range listed below, however, base pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including but not limited to job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. The total compensation package for this position will include variable pay, medical and dental benefits, participation in 401k plan, and paid time off benefits. Details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided if an applicant receives an offer of employment.