Johns Hopkins University (JHU) is seeking an experienced, results-driven Legal Operations Advisor to lead the design, buildout, and continuous improvement of the operational infrastructure supporting the Sr. Vice President and Office of the General Counsel (OGC). This newly created role will work in direct partnership with OGC leadership, including the General Counsel, Deputy General Counsel, Practice Group Leaders, and Chief of Staff, to ensure the operational efficiency and effectiveness of the office.
This position will oversee a range of legal operations functions, including maintaining and developing workflows, budget management frameworks, technology strategies, performance metrics, and change management. The role also collaborates regularly with Practice Group Leaders, and university administrative leaders to ensure alignment with the General Counsel's vision and institutional priorities.
Specific Duties & Responsibilities
Operational Leadership, Process/System Improvement and Project Management
Anticipate, identify and troubleshoot issues of operational concern or significance within the Office of General Counsel.
Manage complex, cross-functional projects from inception to completion across OGC practice groups, applying rigorous project management methodologies to deliver initiatives on time and within budget.
Partner with the Chief of Staff to create, implement and maintain a standardized legal intake system.
Manage the continuous improvement and maturation of operational processes and workflows to enhance efficiency, consistency, and effectiveness across the department, including standardizing tools, templates, and playbooks to promote best practices across practice groups.
Assess and refine current practices and systems-such as legal holds, intake, and matter management and triage-to improve usability, scalability, and alignment with institutional needs.
Legal Technology Strategy
Work in partnership with the Chief of Staff and Practice Group leaders to develop and execute OGC's legal technology roadmap. This includes evaluating and implementing matter management systems, e-billing platforms, contract lifecycle management solutions, e-discovery tools, and document automation platforms. Serve as primary liaison with university IT, procurement, and external vendors to ensure effective deployment, integration, and adoption.
Budget, Financial Management, and Outside Counsel
Assist with OGC's annual budget planning process in coordination with university finance, analyzing legal spending patterns and identifying cost savings.
Develop and enforce guidelines governing outside counsel retention, billing compliance, and spend management, leveraging data and analytics to evaluate firm performance and inform retention decisions.
Data Analytics and Performance Metrics
Partner with internal subject matter experts to develop dashboards and reports on matters, workload, outside counsel spend, cycle times, and other indicators of departmental performance to support data-driven decision-making and strategic planning.
Change Management and Communication
Work in alignment with the Chief of Staff to function as a change agent within OGC and drive the adoption of new processes and technologies across attorneys, paralegals, and staff. Manage design, rollout, and training for all new systems and processes.
Team Leadership and Cross-Functional Collaboration
Collaborate with cross-functional partners - including the offices of the President and Provost, Finance, HR, IT, Compliance, and Risk Management - to align OGC operations with broader institutional goals.
Build and maintain successful working relationships that support university-wide collaboration, and a strong focus on customer service and positive stakeholder engagement.
Other duties as assigned.
Minimum Qualifications
Bachelor's degree from an accredited university.
Minimum five (5) years of increasing responsible experience in strategic management, legal operations, legal administration, senior paralegal experience, or law practice management, gained in-house, in the government, or at a law firm.
Additional education may substitute for required experience, to the extent permitted by the JHU equivalency formula.
Strong communication, organizational, and interpersonal skills.
Proven capacity for tactful collaboration and always ensuring confidentiality.
Preferred Qualifications
Demonstrated ability to manage complex, cross-functional projects using formal project management methodologies.
Proven experience modernizing or building new legal operations functions, workflows, or systems.
Exceptional written and oral communication skills, including the ability to share presentations and influence senior leadership and diverse stakeholder groups.
Proficiency with legal operations technologies, including matter management systems, e-billing software, and document management tools.
Experience working with analysis software such as Power BI, Onit, Tableau, and Excel
Demonstrated ability to drive organizational change and technology adoption across diverse teams.
Project management-related certifications and training (e.g., PMP, CAPM, Lean Six Sigma).
Technical Skills & Expected Level of Proficiency
Budgeting - Intermediate
Project Planning - Intermediate
Critical Thinking - Intermediate
Operational Oversight - Intermediate
Process Improvement - Intermediate
Project Management - Intermediate
Project Documentation - Intermediate
Resource Management - Intermediate
Strategic Thinking - Intermediate
Workflow Management - Intermediate
The core technical skills listed are most essential; additional technical skills may be required based on specific division or department needs.
Classified Title: Legal Operations Advisor
Role/Level/Range: ATP/04/PF
Starting Salary Range: $85,500 - $149,800 Annually (Commensurate w/exp.)
Employee group: Full Time
Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:30am - 5:00pm
FLSA Status: Exempt
Location: Hybrid/Homewood Campus
Department name: VP and General Counsel Administration
Personnel area: University Administration
Equal Opportunity Employer
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.
