Panera Bread · 4 weeks ago
Manager, Legal Operations
Newton, MA
Full-time
Hybrid
Mid, Senior Level
$120K/yr - $167K/yr
4+ years expPanera Bread is seeking a Manager of Legal Operations to support the day-to-day operations of their Legal Department. This role involves managing contract workflows, coordinating with outside counsel, and assisting with budgeting and reporting while working cross-functionally with various teams to enhance efficiency and accountability.
BakeryCateringFood and BeverageRestaurants
Responsibilities
Support Legal’s contract management process, including intake, triage, tracking, and approvals
Help maintain visibility into contract renewals, expirations, and key milestones
Update and maintain standardized contract templates, playbooks, and approval workflows to promote consistency and compliance
Assist in identifying opportunities to automate manual tasks and improve turnaround times using workflow tools
Assist with day-to-day administration of Legal Tracker, including matter setup, vendor entry, invoice review, accrual collection, and basic reporting
Coordinate with IT and vendors on system updates, troubleshooting, and user access requests for Legal technology tools (e.g., e-signature, entity management, CLM)
Generate standard reports and dashboards from system data to support department visibility and planning
Assist with onboarding of outside counsel and vendors and ensure adherence to Panera’s Outside Counsel Guidelines
Support Legal’s budgeting and forecasting processes by tracking invoices, accruals, and spend trends
Prepare routine spend and matter reports for Legal leadership and Finance
Maintain organized vendor records and help monitor compliance with approved rates and engagement terms
Monitor the Legal intake inbox and routing system to ensure requests are logged and assigned promptly
Track request status and turnaround times to maintain transparency and accountability
Compile data on request volumes and trends to support process improvement
Coordinate with Compliance and Governance teams to align Legal processes with company policies, data retention standards, and internal controls
Assist in tracking and documenting Legal-related compliance requirements, such as certificates of insurance or policy acknowledgments
Maintain organized electronic files and records for regulatory and contractual compliance
Maintain Legal’s shared resources, templates, and FAQs
Assist in drafting internal communications and user guides for Legal systems and processes
Support collaboration and information sharing across Legal, Risk, and Compliance teams
Compile and update Legal operations metrics and dashboards (spend, matters, contracts, cycle times)
Analyze basic data sets to identify patterns or areas needing attention
Assist with annual goal-tracking, project planning, and process documentation
Support projects and initiatives aimed at improving Legal’s efficiency and service delivery
Qualification
Required
Bachelor's degree required; certification in Legal Operations, Project Management, or Process Improvement (e.g., CLOC, ACC, PMP) preferred
4–7 years of experience in legal operations, project management, or business operations
Hands-on experience administering Legal Tracker or similar legal e-billing/matter management systems
Experience with contract lifecycle management (CLM) systems and workflow design
Strong analytical, organizational, and project management skills
Excellent communication skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across teams and translate legal needs into business-friendly solutions
Ability to leverage technology and automation to improve efficiency and performance
Preferred
Certification in Legal Operations, Project Management, or Process Improvement (e.g., CLOC, ACC, PMP)
Advanced Excel or Power BI proficiency for reporting and analytics preferred
Familiarity with budgeting, vendor management, and process governance
Company
Panera Bread
Panera Bread is a bakery-cafe chain restaurants offers a wide array of pastries and baked breads. It is a sub-organization of JAB Holding Company.
10001+ employees
Funding
Current Stage
Public CompanyTotal Funding
$100M2017-04-05Acquired
2014-06-16Post Ipo Debt· $100M
1991-01-14IPO
Leadership Team
Earl Ellis
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Mark Shambura
Chief Marketing Officer
Recent News
2026-01-20
2026-01-16
2026-01-14
Company data provided by crunchbase