Senior Associate, Legal Project Manager

Over the last 20 years, Ares’ success has been driven by our people and our culture. Today, our team is guided by our core values – Collaborative, Responsible, Entrepreneurial, Self-Aware, Trustworthy – and our purpose to be a catalyst for shared prosperity and a better future. Through our recruitment, career development and employee-focused programming, we are committed to fostering a welcoming and inclusive work environment where high-performance talent of diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives can build careers within this exciting and growing industry.

Job Description

Ares Management Corporation (NYSE: ARES) is a leading global alternative investment manager. We are seeking a dynamic and strategic Senior Associate, Legal Project Manager to join our innovative legal team. This new role will be pivotal in driving our legal strategy and operational excellence. The position will be based in Bellevue, WA, Los Angeles or New York City. Reporting directly to the Head of Legal Strategy + Innovation, this role will be focused on strategy execution and project management as well as operational tasks designed to increase departmental cohesion and productivity. The ideal candidate will be able to think “big picture” and focus on what is essential while executing at a high level and leveraging their excellent communication skills (oral, visual and written) to create impact.

The Ares Legal team is responsible for advising on a wide range of legal matters and helps guide Ares’ business through an evolving and complex financial, legal and regulatory environment across the multiple jurisdictions in which Ares operates.

REPORTING RELATIONSHIPS
Reports to: Head of Legal Strategy + Innovation (“LSI”)

Primary functions & responsibilities

• Assist the Head of LSI and Ares’ General Counsel with the formulation of the Legal department’s strategic road map—including:

  • maintaining a database of pain points/opportunities for impact and potential, active and completed projects

  • conducting research and initial feasibility assessments on potential initiatives, including cost-benefit analyses

  • assisting with prioritization /project portfolio management

  • measuring impact   

• Manage an active roster of longer-term/cross-functional projects, including serving as an advisor to stakeholders and third-party service providers and acting as the go-to person for details and status updates

• Execute on a variety of discrete operational tasks—such as:

  • preparing departmental newsletters and other communications

  • maintaining the Legal intranet site and other knowledge management systems

  • “producing” townhalls and offsites from a content perspective

  • developing new-joiner materials

• Deliver presentations to stakeholders at multiple levels, focusing on key takeaways and clearly answering questions at the appropriate level of detail

• Drive projects forward with ability to “connect-the-dots” between dependencies and planning needs

• Identify best practices for operational processes and system optimizations

• Assist with implementation and integration activities

• Communicate business requirements to technical teams and vice versa

• Be hands-on in all aspects of project management, including:

  • Requirements gathering, documentation and use case development

  • Future-state process design and gap analyses

  • Process workflow documentation and diagrams

  • Training/acceptance plan development and execution

  • Communications with stakeholders relative to the status

  • Collaboration with stakeholders to create business cases, project plans, steering committee presentations, business requirements and other project documentation

Qualifications

Education:

Bachelor’s degree

Required Experience:  

• 6 - 8 years of experience in business process re-engineering, process design, consulting or a related field

• Experience in the analysis and design of new business processes, requirements definition, implementation and change management

Skills and Attributes:  

• Analytical and systems-oriented mind with a passion for executing new ideas to increase efficiency and effectiveness

• Strong communication skills (oral, written, and visual) to all levels of the firm

• Team orientation and ability to work collaboratively

• Solutions-minded self-starter with the ability t