PMO & Demand Manager

The PMO & Demand Manager is responsible for leading the IT Project Management Office (PMO), overseeing a team of professionals who drive project execution and establish delivery standards, processes, tools, and reporting for the IT organization. The IT PMO upholds and influences gold-standard project execution by instituting discipline around intake & demand management, resource & capacity management, project & program management, and management reporting.

The PMO & Demand Manager helps the team achieve these objectives by establishing working rapport and strong partnerships with stakeholders of all levels, both within IT as well as cross-functionally in practice and support areas of the Firm.

The position requires an experienced program management professional with the right mix of relevant experience and skills, an ability to flex between the strategic and the tactical, outstanding verbal and written communication skills, and a high level of energy and flexibility to get things done and thrive in a fast-paced, team-oriented project / product development environment.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Owns the global IT project portfolio and leads the ongoing portfolio management discipline for the IT organization

Develops and implements the IT delivery framework, along with associated processes, tools, and methodologies to drive standard, quality project delivery

Establishes policies, standards, and processes for the IT PMO in partnership with the Director of Solution Delivery and IT functional leadership

Manage the PMO's performance and ensure that it is meeting its targets and KPIs.

Partners with IT and Firm leadership to facilitate annual / ad-hoc demand management for identifying, evaluating, and prioritizing technology needs

Works closely with IT and Firm leadership to translate strategic technology roadmaps into actionable delivery programs and projects

Drives continuous improvements and enforces consistency in project delivery processes across the broader IT organization

Forecasts and actively manages IT resource capacity for portfolio reporting and decisioning

Presents accurate, transparent representations of project portfolio progress, health, risks, and ongoing challenges

Publishes monthly and annual portfolio reporting to IT and cross-functional leadership to enable data-driven decisioning

Upholds IT Governance and works with IT leadership to streamline project escalation and decisioning paths

Implements and continuously refines PMO and demand management tools needed to support project planning, execution, progress reporting, and issues tracking

Oversees, coaches both PMO and broader IT delivery staff on project / program management best practices

Defines the competencies, skill levels, and talents for the PMO and demand management disciplines.

Knowledge & Experience

7+ years of relevant experience, ideally in a large Law Firm setting, a comparable professional services organization, or a legal information services provider

Demonstrated experience architecting an IT delivery framework for the execution of projects

Demonstrated experience with various project and program management disciplines, methodologies, and processes

Demonstrated experience managing complex technology projects and programs with multiple cross-functional stakeholders

Demonstrated experience with the functioning of a program management office and governance frameworks

Demonstrated experience leading technical and non-technical teams, both directly and indirectly

Experience with leading PMO, PPM, SDLC technologies and solutions (e.g., Smartsheet, JIRA)

Experience in working with cross-functional technical and non-technical teams or projects, and influencing senior level management and key stakeholders

Knowledge of and exposure to multiple, diverse technologies, and processing environments

Skills & Expectations

Proven ability to conform to shifting priorities, demands, and timelines through analytical and problem-solving capabilities

Ability to establish rapport and elicit cooperation from personnel across all levels, including executive management, and cross-functional leadership

Ability to serve as a change agent, leading and inspiring others to act, especially under circumstances when change is unpopular

Strong communications and interpersonal skills required

Must be highly motivated, analytical, organized, and efficient

Excellent problem solving and debugging skills required

Ability to work well as part of a team and lead others

Ability to present ideas in business-friendly and user-friendly language

Keen attention to detail

Education & Credentials

College degree is strongly preferred, ideally in Computer Science, Information Systems, Finance, Business Administration, or a related discipline. Master’s degree is preferred

Professional certification(s) are preferred

Position requires access to equipment, software, or technology that is subject to U.S. export controls. To be granted access pursuant to US Export Control laws, candidate must be either (a) a United States citizen or national; (b) a person lawfully admitted for permanent residence of the United States (i.e., “Green Card” holder); or (c) an INS-approved refugee or asylum holder who has applied for naturalization within six months of the date the individual first became eligible; and if not yet naturalized, is still actively pursuing naturalization if 2 years have passed since the date of application to be granted access pursuant to US Export Control laws. Candidates will be required to submit appropriate documentation to determine whether access can be granted before proceeding further through the application process.

Covington & Burling LLP is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in any aspect of employment, including hiring, salary, promotion, discipline, termination, and benefits, on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, national origin, gender, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, sexual orientation, family responsibility, disability (including physical handicap), or any other improper criterion.