Senior Innovation Engineer Jobs in Chicago, IL (NOW HIRING)

About Kirkland & Ellis
At Kirkland & Ellis, we don't just meet the standard for legal excellence - we set it. Our culture is built on teamwork, ingenuity and an unwavering commitment to continuous growth. We tackle the most sophisticated legal challenges with bold ideas and innovative solutions, powered by the exceptional experience and ambition of our 7,000+ people, including 4,000+ attorneys, across 24 offices worldwide. Our dedicated professionals share our lawyers' commitment to excellence and show up each day to do meaningful work that helps drive global business, investment and innovation forward.
What You'll Do
Are you ready to turn bold ideas into scalable technology solutions that help shape the future of legal services?
As a Senior Innovation Project Manager, you'll help advance Kirkland & Ellis' Artificial Intelligence (AI) and innovation project portfolio, supporting initiatives from early concepts through enterprise deployment and adoption. Based in Chicago, IL, this role reports to the Director of Strategic Projects and Programs and sits within the Innovation function, partnering closely with attorneys, leadership, technical teams, Information Technology (IT), Risk, Security, and external technology vendors to deliver practical, high-impact solutions.
• Lead innovation delivery: Drive strategic initiatives that support the Firm's AI and innovation roadmap, including internal platforms, client-facing solutions, and vendor-enabled capabilities.
• Shape product direction: Partner with Innovation leadership, attorneys, and technical teams to define product vision, roadmaps, use cases, and priorities that align with business needs.
• Own the full lifecycle: Guide projects and products from ideation, requirements, development, testing, and launch through continuous improvement, with a focus on scalable and repeatable solutions.
• Manage complex builds: Lead multi-phase technology initiatives and integrations, aligning engineering, data, risk, and business stakeholders around scope, timelines, dependencies, and outcomes.
• Partner with technical teams: Work directly with engineering and development teams on custom software builds, including Palantir Foundry and Palantir Artificial Intelligence Platform (AIP) application development where applicable, while managing sprint cadences, technical dependencies, release readiness, and product scope.
• Use insights to improve adoption: Incorporate user feedback, adoption metrics, and business outcomes to refine products after launch and strengthen long-term impact.
• Track progress and communicate clearly: Maintain real-time project data and trackers, prepare actionable updates, and present materials for project status meetings, stakeholder reviews, and steering committees.
• Build alignment across teams: Collaborate with Innovation, leadership, IT, Risk, Security, attorneys, administrative stakeholders, and third-party vendors to translate strategic goals into clear action plans and measurable results.
• Manage risks and governance: Identify, track, and mitigate risks, issues, dependencies, and governance considerations, escalating matters when timing, cost, resources, policy, or compliance may affect outcomes.
What You'll Bring
• Education and credentials: Bachelor's degree and/or project management certification, such as Project Management Professional (PMP), Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM), PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP), or Agile Project Management (AgilePM), strongly preferred.
• Relevant experience: Minimum of 7 years of experience in project management, product management, or a similar operational role involving cross-team coordination within a global professional services organization or law firm.
• Technology transformation expertise: Experience managing technology transformation, change initiatives, product or service launches, or other tech-enabled strategic priorities that enhance client service offerings.
• Software delivery fluency: Experience managing or delivering custom software development projects, application builds, data platform implementations, or enterprise low-code/no-code platforms, with confidence discussing sprint cycles, technical scope, and release processes.
• Platform and vendor experience: Experience working with technology vendors and strategic partnerships strongly preferred; direct experience managing Palantir Foundry or AIP development projects is a strong plus.
• Stakeholder leadership: Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to collaborate with and influence leadership, attorneys, technologists, and business teams.
• Ownership and organization: High professionalism, autonomy, accuracy, accountability, and organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and stakeholder needs independently.
• Governance and emerging technology mindset: Familiarity with data governance, information security, and responsible AI frameworks preferred, along with enthusiasm for using emerging technologies to transform the business and practice of law.
• Tools and analytics: Proficiency in Microsoft Office, with experience in data analysis, Excel, Power BI or similar tools, Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI), business intelligence tools, or legal technology solutions preferred.
If you're excited to lead meaningful innovation, connect strategy with delivery, and make an impact as a Senior Innovation Project Manager, we'd love to hear from you!
Compensation
The base salary range below represents the low and high end of the salary range for this position in Chicago. This range may differ based on your geographic location and cost of living considerations. At Kirkland & Ellis, we consider compensation more than just a base salary. We offer an exceptional range of flexible benefits including comprehensive healthcare, paid time off, and retirement. We also offer personal support and tailored learning and development opportunities all designed to help you realize your full potential both in life and at work.
Compensation Range:
Chicago: $176,000 - $220,000
How to Apply
Thank you for your interest in Kirkland & Ellis LLP. To complete an application and submit your resume, please click "Apply Now."
Don't meet every job requirement? That's okay! If you're excited about this role but your experience doesn't perfectly fit every qualification, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right person for this role or others at Kirkland.
Equal Employment Opportunity
All employment decisions, including the recruiting, hiring, placement, training availability, promotion, compensation, evaluation, disciplinary actions, and termination of employment (if necessary) are made without regard to the employee's race, color, creed, religion, sex, pregnancy or childbirth, personal appearance, family responsibilities, sexual orientation or preference, gender identity, political affiliation, source of income, place of residence, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, age, marital status, military veteran status, unfavorable discharge from military service, physical or mental disability, or on any other basis prohibited by applicable law. #LI-Hybrid #LI-SM1