Portfolio & Project Manager

Akin • Washington, WA

22h • $125,000 - $170,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP is a leading international law firm with more than 900 lawyers in offices throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. We are currently seeking a Portfolio & Project Manager in the Information Technology department, reporting to the Director, Project Management Office (PMO). The Portfolio & Project Manager can reside in the Dallas, Houston, New York, Philadelphia or Washington, DC office with hybrid work capabilities and will be responsible for maintaining the accuracy and integrity of the project and demand portfolios to support informed decision‑making by firm leadership, and managing projects as needed. The Portfolio & Project Manager is expected to perform all responsibilities with a commitment to providing superior service to the firm’s attorneys, advisors and business service professionals, and foster an atmosphere of teamwork and continual improvement. The Portfolio & Project Manager is also expected to contribute to the continued growth of the PMO.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree strongly preferred
• Two to four or more years of experience managing projects in a professional services environment
• A minimum of two years of experience in Information Technology is required, preferably in a law firm or professional services environment
• Excellent critical thinking, creative problem-solving and decision-making skills
• Reporting and data visualization
• Resource capacity planning and forecasting
• Project portfolio management and reporting using a portfolio management tool
• Demonstrated experience using AI‑enabled analytics and reporting tools to support portfolio analysis, forecasting, and senior‑level reporting, including the ability to interpret and validate AI‑generated insights.
• Ability to exercise sound judgment when applying insights from AI‑assisted tools, ensuring outputs align with business context, data quality standards, and stakeholder expectations.
• Ability to synthesize portfolio‑level data and present clear, objective insights that enable senior leaders to make prioritization and investment decisions.
• Exceptional project management and planning and organizing skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and adjust to changing priorities in a professional and collaborative manner
• Skilled in working in teams, demonstrated by effectiveness in influencing and leading others (by example), delegation, negotiation, adaptability and conflict resolution
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, demonstrated by an ability to communicate with attorneys and staff in an effective, non-technical manner
• Strong technical knowledge in relevant areas, especially IT
• Strong initiative, demonstrated through willingness and ability to assume new tasks and responsibilities and proven ability to maintain and update technical knowledge and skills
• Strong service orientation, and an ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with users, peers, office and firm management, and outside business partners
• Ability to work well under pressure, facilitate solutions, and meet deadlines and milestones for projects assigned
• Commitment to professional growth and development

Nice To Haves

• Qualification in Project Management (e.g. PMP) or equivalent certification is preferred, but not required
• Familiarity with ITIL v4 framework preferred, but not required
• Knowledge of a PPM (Project Portfolio Management) application and AI‑enabled analytics or reporting tools desired.

Responsibilities

• Working with the Director, Project Management Office, assume day-to-day responsibilities for: Accuracy and integrity of the project and proposed project (demand) portfolios
• Coordinate the intake process for new demands and proposed projects, ensuring requests are submitted completely, consistently, and in accordance with PMO standards.
• Partner with requestors and business stakeholders to clarify scope, objectives, assumptions, and dependencies for proposed initiatives prior to portfolio review.
• Using metrics and other information to predict resource constraints and potential impacts to portfolio execution
• Analyze intake data for proposed projects to identify capacity impacts, dependencies, and risk patterns that inform portfolio‑level discussions and executive decision‑making.
• Apply AI‑assisted analysis to support forecasting of resource capacity and demand patterns, validating outputs to ensure they are accurate, explainable, and appropriate for portfolio‑level decision‑making.
• Assemble, update and disseminate portfolio reports for Chief Officers and other senior stakeholders to support prioritization, sequencing, and resource allocation decisions across both active projects and proposed new demands
• Use AI‑enabled analytics and reporting tools to enhance portfolio and KPI analysis, identify trends and risks, and improve the quality, timeliness, and consistency of executive reporting in support of informed executive decision‑making.
• Lead or contribute to the planning and implementation of projects as assigned by the PMO Director
• Facilitate the definition of project scope, goals and deliverables
• Work with project owners to define project tasks and resource requirements
• Develop, edit and maintain full-scale project plans
• Assemble, coordinate, lead and support project team
• Track project budget, resource capacity, and project deliverables
• Manage project resource allocation
• Participate in the planning of project timelines
• Manage vendor or other third-party relationships as needed
• Regularly monitor and report on progress of the project to all stakeholders
• Maintain status reporting of all assigned projects and assist in generating periodic reports to the Chief Officers and other key stakeholders, highlighting risks, constraints, dependencies, and trade‑offs relevant to portfolio‑level decisions
• Apply continuous process improvements and any new, proven relevant standards where appropriate
• Conduct risk assessment for all assigned projects and ensure proper execution of the risk strategy throughout the projects lifecycle
• Handle all other duties as assigned by the Director of PMO or other firm management in a timely and productive manner
• Maintain and improve project management skills and abilities through continuing professional education and certifications

Benefits

• salary or hourly wages may be only part of the total compensation package, which may also include a full range of health and other insurance benefits, financial and/or other benefits (including 401(k) eligibility), a discretionary bonus, and various paid time off benefits.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level