Innovation Strategy Manager

Innovation Strategy ManagerCooley is seeking an Innovation Strategy manager to join Cooley's Practice Innovation team.Position summary: As a leading technology law firm, Cooley is determined to become a leader in the digital practice of law. The Innovation Strategy Manager is responsible for managing Cooley's new practice Innovation pipeline. This role is responsible for the product discovery, user research, and incubation process, evaluating and prioritizing innovation initiatives, and incorporating AI and emerging technologies to create a competitive advantage for Cooley's world-leading legal practices. Cooley Innovation embraces a culture of customer service excellence, and all members of the department are expected to embody this attitude. Specific duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:Position responsibilities:Manage the practice innovation pipeline to discover, incubate, pilot and evaluate new product opportunities that will yield the greatest benefits to the firm and its attorneysLeverage best practices in user research and design to deeply understand attorney and client pain points, and identify high-value opportunities to improve legal workflowsRefine, systematize and scale the practice innovation pipeline process to promote greater efficiency, uniformity, and transparency into how product decisions are madeIdentify and evaluate practice innovation opportunities leveraging cutting-edge emerging technologies and AI advancementsFoster strong working relationships with change management, innovation counsel and product, engineering, and other teams to evaluate products and use cases, run pilots, launch products and drive engagementCollaborate in cross-functional intake and prioritization across technology and operations departmentsCollaborate with the Associate Director of Practice Innovation and innovation leadership to develop and manage data-driven evaluation process to quantify the business value of practice-facing productsManage direct report(s) with a focus on fostering a high-performance, collaborative, innovative, and results-driven team cultureCollaborate in the development of and adoption of unified work management practices across practice innovation to promote transparency, clarity, scalability and efficiencyServe as direct supervisor and mentor to direct reportsProvide day-to-day supervision of direct reports, ensure compliance with assigned work hours and monitor for compliance with all firm and department policies. Manage staffing coverage, review and process time logs/time off requestsSupport business professional development and continued educational opportunitiesIn collaboration with immediate supervisor and CN HR, participate in hiring, performance appraisals, counseling, termination and other employee lifecycle eventsAll other duties as assigned or requiredSkills & experience:Required:After orientation at Cooley LLP, exhibit proficiency in the Microsoft Office suite, iManage and other firm applicationsAbility to work extended and/or weekend hours, as requiredAbility to travel, as required5+ years of directly applicable experience (e.g., user research, design thinking or human centered design facilitation, product discovery process, prototyping, legal technology use and adoption, quantitative evaluation). Eligible for consideration of Senior designation with 7+ years applicable experience in the field with 2+ years of exempt/management experience in relevant rolesExperience in managing cross-functional projects involving users, product and design, knowledge management, technology and practicing lawyers or clientsPreferred:Bachelor's degree, Juris Doctor(ate) or non-US equivalentExperience with core large law technologies such as iManage or NetDocs, Elite 3E, Intapp products, Litera products, Thomson Reuters and Lexis productsAdvanced knowledge of the workflows and the core needs of practicing lawyersStrong understanding of legal technology, emerging technology and AIStrong effective presentation experience and skills to varied audiencesExperience with technology usage data and metrics and ability to leverage data for insights and storytelling using data visualization applications such as Power BI and TableauProject management experienceSupervisory experienceCompetencies:Strong focus on identifying core user and business needs and delighting users at scaleAdvanced knowledge of product process (including design thinking and human centered design methodologies), and experience in facilitating user research and journey mappingStrong leadership experience and ability to build, manage and mentor a teamExcellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to translate complex technical concepts to legal professionals and senior executivesAbility to influence and collaborate with multiple stakeholders across various departments (product, engineering, change management, practicing attorneys, clients, etc.)Strong prioritization, project management, creative problem-solving and time management skillsAbility to focus on detail without losing sight of bigger pictureCooley offers a competitive compensation and excellent benefits package and is committed to fair and equitable employment practices.EOE.The expected annual pay range for this position with a full-time schedule is $115,000 - $170,000. Senior level candidates may be considered for this position and would be eligible for a higher salary range based on experience. Please note that final offer amount will be dependent on geographic location, applicable experience and skillset of the candidate.We offer a full range of elective benefits including medical, health savings account (with applicable medical plan), dental, vision, health and/or dependent care flexible spending accounts, pre-tax commuter benefits, life insurance, AD&D, long-term care coverage, backup care for children and/or adults and other parental support benefits. In addition to elective benefit options, benefited employees receive firm-paid life insurance, AD&D, LTD, short term medical benefits as well as 21 days of Paid Time Off ("PTO") and 10 paid holidays each year. We provide generous parental leave and fertility benefits. New employees will attend a detailed benefit orientation to learn more about our many benefits and resources. #J-18808-Ljbffr

Created: 2025-09-17