Senior Manager, Legal Operations

About Team / Role

The Senior Legal Operations Manager role plays a pivotal role within WEX’s Global Legal organization, reporting to the VP, Legal Commercial International & Enterprise Initiatives. The successful candidate who assumes this new role will focus on the following core areas for all Global Legal operations and functions:

• Financial management: Utilize data-driven insights to optimize financial strategies and ensure that legal spend aligns with broader business objectives.

• External Partnerships: Act as a liaison to outside counsel and law companies, using analytics to guide partnership decisions and maximize value.

• Technology Integration: Leverage cutting-edge technology tools to enhance operational efficiency and support innovative legal solutions.

• Cross Functional Alignment: Work closely with the global legal team, HR partners, finance partners and key stakeholders across WEX to ensure cohesive and aligned strategies across the organization.

How you'll make an impact

• Be a strategic partner to the CLO and the Legal Leadership team.

• Lead the team of legal operations professionals that support the entire Legal department in providing strategic and efficient legal support to the company globally. 

• Take ownership of the full lifecycle of the Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) tool implementation, including the successful deployment across the global business. Support the Executive Sponsor and the Legal Sponsor, ensuring the legal team can focus on their core responsibilities throughout the integration. Provide strong change management leadership in spearheading the adoption of the tool, and ensure its successful implementation across the organization. Apply knowledge of industry best practice to enhance existing tools (including contract management, intake and e-billing tools) and develop and adopt new technologies to enable further collaboration and a more streamlined workflow within the department. Review and enhance existing processes for increased efficiency.

• Manage new legal system deployments, enhancements and related process guidelines and troubleshoot issues with the Technology teams and with the vendors.

• Research, benchmark, and analyze data to make informed recommendations.  Identify and track the right department metrics, KPIs and legal operations reporting to better inform decision making. 

• Track in house trends and best practices within legal departments to provide meaningful insights and advise on department initiatives and decisions that directly contribute to the strategic direction and vision of the WEX Legal Department.

• Improve data integrity and analytical reporting capability assisting lawyers in making more informed decisions around management of outside counsel and internal hiring. 

• Lead and ensure the legal teams are working with maximum efficiency internally and with critical partners (Finance, GMs, HR and external partners, including law firms) through strong collaboration and execution skills.

• Oversee and lead the day-to-day operations as well as all operational projects and activities for the Legal department. Ensure the priorities (quarterly, annual) across Legal are clearly defined and communicated, and updated as needed throughout the year. 

• Facilitate the process for the lawyers to onboard, instruct and manage external counsel including the provision of necessary reporting to the CLO and Legal Leadership team.

• Develop, set, maintain and monitor, the strategic direction, prioritization and communications across the global legal organization working to ensure activities and initiatives directly connect/contribute to overall team strategy. 

• Assess and resolve issues that hinder the CLO and the Legal Leadership team from operating at maximum effectiveness. Examples: Meeting preparation; financial and budget reporting and support; strategic lead on projects; presentation development, etc.

• Financial Management: Develop, monitor, and report on team budget/s globally, with a focus on financial performance. Use storytelling to convey insights, document and raise trade-off discussions, address dependencies, confusions, and interconnectedness.

• Create, maintain, and develop cross-departmental relationships to improve communication, influence outcomes, and foster long-term partnerships critical to organizational success.

• Manage internal resources by organizing continuing legal education (CLE) for attorneys.

Experience you'll bring

• Bachelor's Degree required.

• Recommended 10+ years in Program Management / Business Operations roles and significant experience working with or on a Legal team as an analyst. 3 years of experience leading in an in-house legal operations team or leading in an operational management role is highly desirable.

• Robust experience working on legal matter intake, technology implementation, analytics, and financial reporting.

• Payments business experience a plus.

• Proven experience maintaining and evolving a productive company culture.

• Critical thinking skills to analyze problems and develop creative, practical and efficient solutions.

• Strong relationship management skills within global teams and across the organization.

• Visionary leadership skills to identify areas for improvement and effectively inspire change within the legal team and the lines of business across the organization.

• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to write clear and concise communications for employees at all levels.

• Reputation for, and absolute commitment to, integrity and professionalism.

• Trusted Advisor.

• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.

• Ability to prioritize and work on multiple projects and tasks at the same time.

•  Adaptable and comfortable working collaboratively and independently.

• Proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and GSuite.

The base pay range represents the anticipated low and high end of the pay range for this position. Actual pay rates will vary and will be based on various factors, such as your qualifications, skills, competencies, and proficiency for the role. Base pay is one component of WEX's total compensation package. Most sales positions are eligible for commission under the terms of an applicable plan. Non-sales roles are typically eligible for a quarterly or annual bonus based on their role and applicable plan. WEX's comprehensive and market competitive benefits are designed to support your personal and professional well-being. Benefits include health, dental and vision insurances, retirement savings plan, paid time off, health savings account, flexible spending accounts, life insurance, disability insurance, tuition reimbursement, and more. For more information, check out the "About Us" section.Pay Range: $128,000.00 - $170,000.00