Legal Services Strategy Program Manager

Overview

Microsofts Corporate, External and Legal Affairs (CELA) organization is rebuilding how it buys, manages, and measures outside legal services. AI is resetting the economics of the legal industry, and Microsoft intends to lead through this transformational moment. The Legal Services Strategy team works with a group of broad, cross-organizational stakeholders to set the direction for CELA's outside counsel engagement; this role co-builds and runs the processes, platforms, and vendor relationships that operationalize those decisions.

The Legal Services Strategy Program Manager owns much of the day-to-day execution across the outside counsel lifecycle. The goal is to manage day-to-day work programmatically, ensuring that the knowledge we generate becomes a reusable foundation for future AI engagement rather than remaining fragmented across email threads, spreadsheets, and individual memories.

This is a moment of change. The program is being redesigned while it runs, priorities will shift as the strategy takes shape, and systems this role depends on today may be replaced within a year. The right person reads that as the opportunity rather than the risk, and brings comfort with ambiguity, a bias toward building something great and improving it, and the composure to hold a line with sophisticated counterparties.

This is an individual contributor role reporting to the Legal Services Strategy Lead.

It is a rare chance to help redefine how one of the worlds largest legal departments works with outside counsel, and to build much of the operating model that makes it work.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with cross-organizational teams to rebuild and run our system for managing Microsofts law firm relationships, tracking communications, commitments, and next steps, and producing reporting leadership can act on.

• Own the annual rate card negotiation process end-to-end with support from our vendors: firm outreach, rate intake and validation, exceptions, deadlines, and the health of the tooling behind it.

• Operationalize and enforce the outside counsel guidelines: correct matter setup, invoice compliance, exceptions pushed back to firms, and a firm-by-firm scorecard covering on-time billing, narrative quality, and AI disclosure.

• Run legal RFPs and the Legal Talent Marketplace, keeping competitive sourcing moving to decision and steering requesters toward flexible talent.

• Own law firm and supplier onboarding: the gate that decides whether Microsoft adds a firm at all, plus the mechanics of registration, payee setup, and access.

• Run the conflict waiver process: map approval levels, automate the routine decisions, escalate the rest, and manage turnaround time.

• Deliver the CELA CLE program, curating topics that matter to Microsoft lawyers and running it as a Strategic Partner Program benefit.

• Support the operating rhythm: business review data, engagement and spend reporting, vendor agreements and renewals, and triage of various communications.

• Lead vendor relationships aligned to the above responsibilities and work cross-functionally with a diverse set of stakeholders to complete and influence work.

Qualifications

Required / Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelors Degree in Business, Operations, Finance, or related field AND 6+ years experience in program management, process management, or process improvement OR equivalent experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Masters Degree in Business, Operations, Finance, or related field AND 8+ years experience in program management, process management, or process improvement

• OR Bachelors Degree in Business, Operations, Finance, or related field AND 12+ years experience in program management, process management, or process improvement

• OR equivalent experience.

• 6+ years in program management, legal operations, procurement, or vendor management, including time in a corporate legal department, a law firm business function, or a legal services provider.

• End-to-end ownership of a recurring, deadline-driven process, including its intake, systems, exceptions, and reporting.

• Working knowledge of how outside counsel are engaged, billed, and managed, including rates, billing guidelines, and matter management or e-billing systems.

• Experience running RFPs and administering supplier agreements, statements of work, and purchase orders.

• Proven ability to thrive in a dynamic environment with shifting priorities, and to re-sequence work without losing commitments already made.

• Demonstrated data and systems instincts, and the writing and presence to hold a position with senior stakeholders and sophisticated external counterparties.

• Experience with legal operations platforms: e-billing, matter management, spend analytics, RFP and pricing tools, or CRM.

• Familiarity with the alternative legal services provider market and how its economics compare with law firms.

• Experience drafting or administering outside counsel guidelines and billing policies.

• Understanding of how AI is changing legal service delivery, pricing, and value measurement.

• Process automation experience with low-code tools, workflow platforms, or AI agents.

• A J.D. or paralegal background is welcome but not required.

Business Program Management IC5 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $116,900 - $203,600 per year. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $148,400 - $222,600 per year.

Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here:

https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-corporate-pay

This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance with religious accommodations and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations.