Operations Manager

Job Description

The Hearst Corporation Office of General Counsel (OGC) functions as a full-service in-house boutique law firm for all facets of the Hearst Corporation's roughly 360 businesses. Hearst owns dozens of daily and weekly newspapers, hundreds of global consumer magazines, 30 broadcast and radio stations, and has ownership stakes in leading cable networks, including ESPN, A&T and Lifetime. The fastest growing part of Hearst includes significant holdings in health care, automotive and financial services information companies, such as Fitch Ratings. Hearst also holds significant commercial real estate interests as well as forestry and solar operations and cattle and farming operations on ranches. Hearst has more than 15,000 employees, over a dozen offices internationally and is a Fortune 500 company by size on all metrics.

Key Job Responsibilities

The Office of General Counsel seeks a highly-motivated team player to implement best-in-class management of our daily legal operations. The position will offer growth and experience-broadening opportunities to create best in class systems, policies and processes required for maximum efficiency and alignment within the department and cross-functionally. The role will work collaboratively with Hearst businesses and other support departments. Candidates must have experience maintaining a legal billing and matter management system, managing law firm pricing and billing practices. Willingness to participate in professional association forums to remain current in knowledge base required. Experience managing Request for Proposal (RFP) processes preferred.

Outside Counsel Program Management

• Manage outside counsel and other legal services supplier relationships.
• Support Hearst users of the Matter Management System by providing training and responding to inquiries. Maintain legal, business and finance user guides and supplier-facing rate and billing policies/guidelines.
• Administer the Matter Management System including ability to advance knowledge in Liquid programming as well as submitting and managing enhancement requests. Maintain system administrator guide.
• Partner with finance colleagues to ensure bills are paid in a timely manner and against the correct budgets.
• Manage rate review processes, providing internal and external benchmark analytics and recommendations.
• Provide guidance to attorneys and manage legal services procurement processes to coordinate selection processes, including RFPs, and to determine appropriate price range. Support tool deployment and enhancement (EX: Priori Scout) to aid outside counsel selection process.
• Generate invoice aging, accrual and other spend reports, as well as annual auditor report.
• Analyze data and design dashboards and reports tracking efficiency and effectiveness indicators to facilitate resource allocation and other management decisions; develop and oversee Key Performance Indicators for monitoring and reporting of departmental performance.

Additional Responsibilities

• Contribute to additional projects as assigned.

Qualifications, Knowledge and Skills

• Minimum 3-5 years professional services management experience in an analytical, data driven, and entrepreneurial environment. Experience in a corporate legal, big four accounting or another professional services environment required.
• Prior experience in law firm pricing analytics and billing practices in a corporate legal setting, or vendor serving corporate legal clients, required. Prior experience working in a legal billing system required. Onit Matter Management application experience preferred.
• Bachelor's Degree required with major course work in business administration or management, finance, or operations preferred.
• Active participation in Buying Legal Council, CLOC or similar professional development organization preferred.
• Proactive, entrepreneurial approach to recognizing needs, solving problems, anticipating issues and developing solutions; excellent business judgment and strategic thinking.
• Strong organizational skills and understanding of how to establish priorities and demonstrate flexibility as workloads fluctuate.
• Dynamic interpersonal skills and the presence to partner with attorney professionals. Must also be able to maintain good interpersonal relations and communications with support staff and other peer managers; proven aptitude to engage, influence and align internal and external stakeholders.
• Strong written/verbal communications skills and good presentation/facilitation skills.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite including Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, PowerBI and advanced proficiency with Excel (v-lookup, pivot tables, charts, and formulas) required. Comfortable with technology.

Eligibility Requirements

• Must be willing to work onsite (currently hybrid) in New York, NY. Occasional work travel may be required.

In accordance with applicable law, Hearst is required to include a reasonable estimate of the compensation for this role if hired in New York City. The reasonable estimate, if hired in New York City, is $120,000-$140,000. Please note this information is specific to those hired in New York City. If this role is open to candidates outside of New York City, the salary range would be aligned to that specific location. A final decision on the successful candidate's starting salary will be based on a number of permissible, non-discriminatory factors, including but not limited to skills and experience, training, certifications, and education. Hearst provides a competitive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, disability and life insurance, 401(k), paid holidays and paid time off, employee assistance programs, and more.

About Us

Hearst is a leading global, diversified media, information and services company with more than 360 businesses. Its major interests include ownership in cable television networks such as A&E, HISTORY, Lifetime and ESPN; global financial services leader Fitch Group; Hearst Health, a group of medical information and services businesses; transportation assets including CAMP Systems International, a major provider of software-as-a-service solutions for managing maintenance of jets and helicopters; 33 television stations such as WCVB-TV in Boston and KCRA-TV in Sacramento, California, which reach a combined 19% of U.S. viewers; newspapers such as the Houston Chronicle, San Francisco Chronicle and Times Union (Albany, New York); more than 300 magazines around the world, including Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Men's Health and Car and Driver, and digital services businesses such as iCrossing and KUBRA; and investments in emerging digital entertainment companies such as Complex Networks.

Hearst is an Equal Employment/Affirmative Action employer. Hearst does not discriminate in hiring on the basis of sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religious creed, national origin, physical or mental disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. Follow us on Twitter @Hearst. To learn more about Hearst, visit hearst.com.