Change Project Manager-Legal Projects 12 Mth FTC

The Legal Operations & Project Management team works with both the lawyers and core business services functions to help the business manage legal matters (projects) more effectively (from pricing and scoping, through to delivery and evaluation). 

About us

CMS is a Future Facing firm with more than 80 offices in over 45 countries and 5,800+ lawyers worldwide. We combine deep local market understanding with a global perspective. We are passionate about building strong relationships with our clients, our people, and the communities we work in.

We take a bold, dynamic, and agile approach to ensure our clients are able to face the future with confidence. We are driven by emerging technologies such as generative AI and readily embrace the possibilities it opens up for developing new and better ways of working.  Our aim is to inspire, impact and support our clients and our people, helping them to maximize their potential and thrive.

About the role

We are seeking an experienced Change Project Manager to support a large scale transformation project with a strong emphasis on applying change methodologies and effective communication strategies. This role requires a results-driven professional with a proven ability to implement structured ways of working, and drive sustainable outcomes in professional services or legal environments.
Key Responsibilities
•    Develop and implement structured change management plans to support project objectives.
•    Build strong, collaborative relationships with stakeholders at all levels, ensuring to advocate for the project objectives.
•    Conduct thorough assessments to identify the scope and impact of changes on people, processes, and technology.
•    Support and execute clear, targeted communication outputs to ensure stakeholders understand and provide updates and build shared narratives to support buy-in to change.
•    Work within the project team and stakeholders to map As-Is and To-Be processes to identify gaps and inefficiencies, providing actionable recommendations to streamline workflows.
•    Implement governance structures to monitor progress, manage risks, and provide regular updates to senior leadership on change initiatives.
•    Proactively identify potential areas of resistance, developing mitigation strategies and fostering stakeholder buy-in to ensure smooth adoption.
•    Manage the end-to-end delivery of deliverables, ensuring milestones are achieved.
•    Establish mechanisms to gather feedback to support the project.
 

About you

The ideal candidate will combine technical expertise in project management with deep knowledge and experience of change methodologies in practice and a focus on clear, impactful communication. Key attributes and qualifications include:
•    Extensive experience in applying structured change methodologies to deliver measurable results.
•    Exceptional project management experience to contribute to drive actions and deliverables forward.
•    Exceptional ability to craft and deliver clear, concise, and persuasive communications tailored to diverse stakeholder groups.
•    Skilled in assessing the impact of changes and using data to inform strategies, ensuring decisions are evidence-based.
•    Demonstrated ability to engage, influence, and secure buy-in from stakeholders across all levels of seniority.
•    Ability to design and deliver workshops, and other enablement activities to support stakeholders and project milestones.
•    Comfortable navigating ambiguity and managing resistance, with the ability to adapt plans in response to evolving needs.
•    Highly organised, with the ability to prioritise tasks and manage multiple competing deadlines.
•    Familiarity with the nuances of partnership cultures and working within complex organisations.

Office Skills 

•    Excellent working skills of MS office applications (Word, Outlook, Power point etc.) to support effective documentation and communication.
•    Advanced knowledge and experience of data manipulation and visualisation tools including Excel.
•    Advanced knowledge of process mapping.
•    Exceptional written and verbal communication skills and presentation skills, with the ability to craft and deliver presentations for different audiences.

Commercial Skills
•    Demonstrated strong commercial acumen with the ability to align business strategies with technical solutions.
•    Solid financial awareness, including the capability to interpret and apply financial data to inform decisions and drive value.
Market and client insights within the Legal Project Management (LPM) and Legal Operations space are highly desirable, bringing added depth to client-focused solutions.

What’s in it for you?

We want to reward you today and help you plan for tomorrow. We appreciate that everyone is different, therefore we have designed a benefits system that offers choice and flexibility based on individual needs and lifestyles. To name a few, these include:

•    Competitive basic salary (reviewed annually)
•    Flexible, hybrid working policy
•    Generous bonus scheme
•    Up to 25 days holiday (rising to 28 days with service)
•    Holiday exchange scheme
•    Private medical insurance
•    Enhanced parental leave
•    Reasonable adjustments and accommodation for disabled talent in accordance with the Equality Act 2010.

If you would like to read more information regarding our range of benefits, please visit our Rewards & Benefits page on our website.

Equal opportunities

At CMS, we place diversity and inclusion at the centre of our culture and the heart of our organisation. As a firm we recognise, celebrate, and embrace the diverse talent our society has to offer because we know that to solve big problems, we need the best and brightest minds available to us.  In support of this goal, we commit to actively breaking down barriers which stand in the way of those from diverse backgrounds and play our part in levelling the playing field. 
 
As a Future Facing Firm, we strongly believe that a career in law should be open to people from all walks of life, because not only does diversity of thought and experience make our firm a stronger and more sustainable business, but it also makes it a more rewarding place to work.
 
When recruiting, we prioritise attracting talented people and we actively promote a flexible working environment which enables all our team members to thrive. If you see a role you are interested in, but don’t feel you meet 100% of the criteria we encourage you to still consider making an application. We also welcome applications from those who may be looking to return to the workforce after a career break. 
 
We are proud to say our leadership in creating an inclusive working culture has been celebrated and recognised externally, including being listed for a number of years in the Times Top 50 Employers for Women and the Social Mobility Index.
 
We are a Level 2 Disability Confident Employer, and we actively encourage applications from people with disabilities, whether visible or invisible. We are committed to promoting equality of opportunity throughout our recruitment process and in every element of the employee life cycle. If you require assistance, or if you would like to discuss any accessibility requirements or adjustments as part of the recruitment process, please contact Becky Lowe at TalentAcquisition@cms-cmno.com who will be happy to support you.

Ready to apply? Here are the next steps.

We look forward to receiving your application online via the CMS careers site. Please contact our Talent Acquisition team if you have any questions. 

Please note that we have a preferred agency panel in place. Only applications submitted via the portal at the point of instruction will be accepted.

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