Operational Excellence Project Manager Jobs in Washington, DC

Project Manager

Drive Operational Excellence

At Ashurst Perkins Coie US LLP, our people are our greatest asset. We're looking for a collaborative, detail-oriented Project Manager to join our Projects and Programs team and help deliver an exceptional employee experience.

In this role, the Enterprise Project Management Office (EPMO) drives firmwide initiatives across technology, HR, marketing, finance, and practice management. The EPMO leads projects spanning new applications, strategic planning, process improvement, and policy development-bringing technical know-how, legal industry insight, and strong project management to turn ideas into impact.

What You'll Do

Project Management and Leadership

Independently manage complex technical and strategic projects across firm departments and practice groups, translating roadmaps into measurable results. Apply expertise in stakeholder management, planning, scope and schedule management, communications, risk and issue resolution, vendor management, budget control, and program management.

• Plan and Mobilize: Develop project charters, plans, schedules, resource strategies, and team expectations using the firm's project management methodology.
• Drive Scope and Delivery: Define and control scope, establish project baselines, manage schedules, and negotiate changes to keep initiatives aligned with objectives.
• Lead Change and Communication: Build change management and communication plans; deliver clear status updates, recommendations, and insights to sponsors, stakeholders, and senior leadership.
• Manage Risk and Issues: Identify risks early, implement mitigation strategies, and drive issues to resolution using proven project management practices.
• Manage Vendors: Coordinate contracts, approvals, performance, and vendor relationships in partnership with procurement, business owners, and subject matter experts.
• Own Budgets: Develop project estimates, manage expenses against approved budgets, and provide clear financial reporting.
• Orchestrate Programs: Coordinate interconnected projects, managing dependencies, risks, issues, and priorities across business areas.
• Exercise Leadership: Serve as an independent, decisive problem solver who brings sound judgment, agility, and accountability to complex initiatives.

What You'll Bring

• Agility and Adaptability: Ability to thrive in ambiguity, quickly adapting strategies and priorities to keep projects moving.
• Executive Communication: Exceptional written, verbal, and presentation skills, with the ability to clearly communicate proposals, risks, and outcomes to senior leaders.
• Collaboration and Organization: Highly organized and effective coordination of cross-functional teams and leadership stakeholders.
• Negotiation and Influence: Skilled negotiation with a proven ability to secure resources and build alignment across teams.
• Strategic Execution: Experience with structuring complex or undefined initiatives, creating practical approaches that keep projects aligned to objectives.
• Project and Time Management: Effective management of multiple projects while balancing scope, schedule, budget, resources, and competing priorities.
• Financial Acumen: Development of accurate time, resource, and cost estimates and management of projects to budget.
• Critical Thinking: Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a solutions-oriented mindset.
• Facilitation: Expert facilitation of design, process improvement, decision-making, and technical and project closeout sessions-driving clear recommendations and decisive outcomes.
• The position requires a minimum of five years of Project Management experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working within a PMO and partnering with Business Systems Analysts.
• Working knowledge of PMBOK and modern project management practices.
• Familiarity with SDLC, Scrum, Agile, and other software development methodologies.
• Proven experience with vendor management, project budgeting, and resource planning.
• Proficiency with project management methodologies and tools, including Smartsheet and Visio.
• Skill in developing and applying work breakdown structures for effective planning, estimating, and execution.
• Bachelor's degree in business, engineering, computer science, or a related field.
• Formal training in project management, risk management, and negotiation is highly desirable.
• PMP or comparable certification is preferred but not required.

Why Join Ashurst Perkins Coie?

Join a collaborative, high-performing Projects and Programs team where your expertise will help shape the employee experience across our global organization. In this role, if you are passionate about delivering exceptional service and making a lasting impact, you will find meaningful opportunities to grow your career while helping create an outstanding experience for our people.

This position is eligible for an annual discretionary bonus, 401(k) plan, medical, dental, and vision insurance, accrued paid time off plan starting at 20 days annually, personal medical and parental leave, up to 10 paid holidays, and family care benefits. More information regarding benefits and programs may be found here.

This position may be filled in the following locations. The listed compensation range reflects the typical pay for this role, though it is rare for new hires to receive an offer at the top of the range. Actual compensation may vary depending on experience, skills, market conditions, and internal equity.

Colorado compensation range: $106,080.00 to $164,120.00 annually

Illinois compensation range: $111,960.00 to $173,210.00 annually

Washington state compensation range: $111,900.00 to $173,120.00 annually

Washington, D.C., compensation range: $120,850.00 to $186,970.00 annually