Legal Project Manager Jobs in Riverside, CA (NOW HIRING)

JOB SUMMARY:

The State Expansion Project Manager is responsible for leading the strategic planning, governance, and execution of the company's expansion into new states. This role partners closely with executive leadership and cross-functional teams including Product, Underwriting, Compliance, Legal, IT, Claims, Finance, Operations, Marketing, and third-party vendors to successfully launch new markets. The Project Manager owns the overall program roadmap, coordinates enterprise-wide workstreams, manages executive steering meetings, oversees vendor implementations, identifies and mitigates risks, and ensures operational readiness through post-launch stabilization. This individual serves as the central leader for state expansion initiatives while establishing repeatable frameworks that support the organization's long-term growth strategy.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Lead the end-to-end planning, governance, execution, and delivery of strategic state expansion initiatives.

2. Develop and maintain integrated project plans, roadmaps, milestones, dependencies, budgets, and resource plans.

3. Partner with executive leadership to define expansion strategy, priorities, launch readiness, and success metrics.

4. Lead cross-functional teams to ensure all business areas complete required deliverables on schedule.

5. Facilitate executive steering committee meetings, project status meetings, and decision-making sessions.

6. Identify, assess, and proactively mitigate project risks, issues, dependencies, and resource constraints.

7. Coordinate regulatory filing activities with Compliance and Legal while aligning operational readiness to approval timelines.

8. Oversee third-party vendors, implementation partners, and consultants to ensure contractual deliverables and timelines are achieved.

9. Collaborate with Product, Underwriting, Claims, IT, Finance, Operations, Marketing, and Customer Service to prepare each business area for launch.

10. Manage project budgets, vendor statements of work, implementation schedules, and financial tracking.

11. Prepare executive dashboards, presentations, and status reports highlighting milestones, risks, decisions, and overall portfolio health.

12. Support testing, operational readiness, training, go-live planning, and post-launch stabilization activities.

13. Establish standardized project governance, documentation, templates, and best practices for future state expansion efforts.

14. Drive continuous improvement by identifying opportunities to streamline launch processes and reduce implementation timelines.

SKILLS AND EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

• 5+ years of project management experience leading large, cross-functional enterprise initiatives.

• Property & Casualty insurance experience required; state expansion or regulatory implementation experience strongly preferred.

• Demonstrated experience presenting to and influencing executive leadership.

• Strong understanding of project governance, portfolio management, and project management methodologies.

• Excellent analytical, organizational, negotiation, and problem-solving skills.

• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.

• Ability to manage multiple complex initiatives in a fast-paced environment.

WORKING CONDITIONS AND PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

Working Conditions:

• This position operates primarily in a professional office environment with the option for remote or hybrid work, subject to business needs.

• Requires frequent collaboration with executive leadership, cross-functional teams, regulatory agencies, third-party vendors, and external business partners.

• Regular participation in virtual and in-person meetings, presentations, and strategic planning sessions.

• May require occasional travel, including overnight travel, to company offices, vendor locations, industry conferences, or prospective expansion markets.

• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment with multiple concurrent projects, shifting priorities, and aggressive implementation timelines.

• Extended work hours may be required periodically to support critical project milestones, regulatory deadlines, market launches, testing activities, and post-launch stabilization efforts.

• Must be able to maintain confidentiality when handling sensitive business, financial, regulatory, and strategic information.

Physical Requirements:

• Prolonged periods of sitting and working at a computer workstation.

• Frequent use of a computer, keyboard, mouse, telephone, and other standard office equipment.

• Must be able to communicate effectively through verbal and written interactions, including presentations, meetings, and conference calls.

• Ability to review, analyze, and interpret complex documents, reports, contracts, project plans, and regulatory filings.

• Requires the ability to remain stationary for extended periods while attending meetings, conducting project reviews, and performing administrative tasks.

• Ability to occasionally move throughout office environments and travel between locations as needed.

• May occasionally lift and carry materials, files, laptops, or presentation equipment weighing up to 15 pounds.

• Must possess visual acuity sufficient to read detailed reports, spreadsheets, presentations, and electronic communications.