Project Manager Technology Operations Jobs in Chicago, IL

Cooley is seeking a Technology Operations Analyst to join the Technology Operations team.

About Cooley: Cooley is a global law firm with an expansive practice and more than 3,000 employees and partners worldwide. We value and celebrate diverse perspectives and strive to create a workplace where every individual can thrive. At the core of Cooley's success is the exceptional talent and unwavering spirit of our people. We embrace individuality while fostering a 'one-firm' culture where collaboration and creativity thrive. Our people are the foundation of our success and the driving force behind everything we do.

Hybrid Schedule Philosophy: As part of the Cooley culture, we recognize and appreciate the value of being together, in person, to build comradery with others in the office and to be a contributing member of the Cooley office. However, we also appreciate the benefits and flexibility that come from remote working. As such, the default assumption for employees and partners is a hybrid schedule: some in-office presence and some work from home days absent certain essential in-office roles that require five (5) days/week in-office.

Position summary: The Technology Operations Analyst is responsible for analyzing, evaluating, formulating and authenticating needs and business cases for the firm's technology initiatives and programs. This role requires deep subject-matter knowledge of technology operations and IT service management (ITSM) practices, combined with strong business analysis skills. The Analyst is responsible for researching and gathering the facts needed to guide leadership decision-making, maintaining a strong view toward external benchmarks and industry practice as they pertain to technology operations, and exercising independent judgment in evaluating and improving operational programs. As a member of the Office of the Chief Security and Technology Officer (CSTO), the Analyst is expected to understand the full operational lifecycle of the programs and technology they support, from intake, assessment, prioritization, and governance through portfolio oversight, reporting, and continuous improvement. The Analyst serves as a trusted partner, guiding stakeholders through the end-to-end portfolio management experience and ensuring operational excellence across all technology processes. The Analyst validates technology operations processes against Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) best practices and drives the ongoing maturity of intake governance, portfolio monitoring, and service management practices across the department. Specific duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

Position responsibilities:

• Research, analyze and synthesize all related and peripheral facts for a given project/objective, distill comprehensive information (with supporting details) in a user-friendly way to aid in leadership decision-making such that all business decisions can be data-driven and factually supported
• Support intake governance activities, including routing, prioritization, and tracking of technology requests in accordance with established governance frameworks, surfacing and helping resolve competing priorities across stakeholders
• Liaise fluently between business and technology stakeholders
• Validate technology operations processes against ITIL best practices, identifying opportunities to standardize and mature procedures across Change, Problem, and Release Management
• Conduct extensive research and maintain an understanding of market relevance (and alternatives) and monitor for changing conditions that may impact a scope or body of work
• Collaborate with business and technology stakeholders on the digitization of business process and automation through low-code / no-code platforms
• Formulate, evaluate and maintain business processes and practices for supported departments; identify and communicate bottlenecks and opportunities for efficiency
• Support portfolio monitoring and true-up activities, reconciling data across systems and escalating discrepancies to leadership
• Support vendor evaluation and contract renewal processes for supported technology
• Define, build, and maintain technology executive dashboards and reporting, and research external benchmarks and market practices to evaluate operational performance and recommend targets and improvements
• Prepare and maintain standard operating procedures (SOPs) and knowledge base articles to support technology operations and aid the evaluation, design, testing, and implementation of process or tooling changes
• Own enablement and adoption for new or updated technology processes and tools, developing training, communications, and adoption metrics to drive sustained utilization across the firm
• All other duties as assigned or required

Skills and experience:

Required:

• After orientation at Cooley LLP, exhibit proficiency in the Microsoft Office suite, iManage, firm-approved AI tools, and other firm applications
• Advanced MS Excel and PowerPoint skills
• Ability to work extended and/or weekend hours, as required
• 4+ direct applicable years of experience in technology operations or support, ideally as a technology analyst (Senior designation will be considered for those with 5+ years' applicable experience and proven ability to work independently with a demonstrated mastery of the skills needed for the role.)
• Familiarity with IT service management (ITSM) concepts and the ITIL framework (e.g., change, incident, and problem management)
• Core knowledge of applications and technologies such as Adobe Workfront, Microsoft Power Platform, SharePoint

Preferred:

• Bachelor's degree
• ITIL Foundation certification or working knowledge of ITIL v4 service management principles
• Experience with technology governance, portfolio management, or intake processes
• Experience working in the legal and/or operations industry
• Expertise with low/no-code development
• Experience with custom software development
• Ability to travel

Competencies:

• Exhibit strong analytical, critical thinking, and reasoning skills
• Strong business acumen
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Risk intelligent, anticipatory and perceptive
• Outcome-driven, solution-oriented, and a creative problem solver
• Proactive and agile, able to anticipate needs and think several steps ahead
• Self-starter who takes initiative on independent research and analysis
• Comfortable operating within ambiguity; ask questions and seek help, when needed
• Expert collaborator, able to convey clear and concise information to any audience, including firm senior leadership
• Adaptable and flexible in a dynamic environment
• Detail-oriented with strong organizational skills
• Dependable, humble, and operate with integrity
• Able to juggle and prioritize multiple competing priorities with swift turnaround on deliverables
• Champions ITIL best practices and contributes to the continuous maturity of technology operations processes

Cooley 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 $103,000 - $150,000. Please note that final offer amount will be dependent on geographic location, applicable experience and skillset of the candidate. Senior level candidates may be considered for this position and would be eligible for a higher salary range based on experience.

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.