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Ares Management · 1 day ago

Associate, Legal Vendor Strategy & Management

Los Angeles, CA

Full-time

Onsite

Mid Level

$105K/yr - $120K/yr

3+ years exp

Ares Management is a leading firm driven by its core values and commitment to fostering an inclusive work environment. They are seeking a data-driven Associate, Legal Vendor Strategy & Management to enhance legal vendor and spend management practices, translating data into actionable insights for decision-making. The role involves collaborating with stakeholders to optimize vendor performance and support budgeting and forecasting efforts.

Asset ManagementBusiness DevelopmentCreditFinanceFinancial ServicesInsurance

Growth Opportunities

H1B Sponsor Likely

Responsibilities

Develop, maintain and continuously enhance spend reporting, analytics and performance dashboards that support vendor management, budgeting and executive decision-making

Support annual budgeting, rolling forecasting and variance analysis in partnership with Legal leadership and Finance and Accounting at the matter, vendor and portfolio levels

Identify cost drivers and inefficiencies, including pricing gaps, scope creep and demand drivers; recommend corrective actions aligned with sourcing and pricing strategies

Analyze and maintain vendor scorecards integrating spend, rate discipline, matter mix, AFA usage and performance metrics to enable vendor differentiation and governance

Produce monthly and quarterly reporting packages highlighting trends, savings opportunities, demand drivers and resource optimization insights for leadership review with clear implications for action

Partner with cross-functional stakeholders to enforce data capture standards for vendor, matter, budget and invoice intake at the point of request and billing

Ensure the accuracy, completeness and timeliness of legal spend and vendor data used for forecasting, sourcing and performance reviews

Collaborate with cross-functional teams to align data inputs and workflows with leadership reporting and decision-making needs

Support reconciliation, testing and system integration activities to enhance data flow and reliability while improve scalability of reporting

Implement and administer RFP and vendor sourcing tools, including configuration, data standards and integration with other matter and spend systems

Maintain centralized, up-to-date firm profiles capturing capabilities, pricing models, performance history and areas of expertise to support sourcing and allocation decisions

Analyze vendor utilization, sourcing mix, AFA adoption and rate structures to inform strategy and portfolio optimization

Support RFPs and competitive sourcing initiatives through data analysis, pricing comparisons and proposal evaluation including scoring and recommendations

Track vendor performance against KPIs, including pricing commitments, AFAs and compliance with Outside Counsel Guidelines (OCGs)

Use performance data to identify improvement opportunities and support vendor review discussions with fact-based materials and insights

Plan, organize and support Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) with key vendors, including agenda development, performance materials and follow-up actions

Develop and maintain vendor knowledge maps that document firm capabilities, subject-matter strengths, historical matter experience and strategic fit across practice areas

Qualification

Financial analysisVendor analyticsData analysisLegal technology systemsPower BITableauSQLCommunication skillsAttention to detailCollaborative mindset

Required

Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Economics, Accounting or Data Analytics or equivalent quantitative discipline required

3+ years of experience in financial analysis, legal operations or pricing, management consulting or business intelligence, with exposure to spend management, vendor analytics or cost governance, ideally within a corporate or professional services environment

Experience analyzing complex data sets related to spend, pricing or performance and providing actionable insights and reporting

Familiarity with legal technology systems, legal e-billing tools, matter management platforms or law firm practice management systems

Advanced with PowerPoint, Excel and BI tools (Power BI, Tableau, Looker); experience building automated dashboards, repeatable reporting and effective presentation decks; experience with DAX, Python or SQL a plus

Strong analytical and quantitative skills with the ability to translate data into clear recommendations that support sourcing, budgeting and vendor management decisions

Excellent attention to detail and commitment to data integrity across financial, vendor and matter data

Strong written and verbal communication skills; able to effectively interact with senior leadership and cross-functional stakeholders

Collaborative, adaptable mindset suited to a transformative, data-driven environment with evolving processes and systems

Benefits

Comprehensive Medical/Rx

Dental and Vision plans

401(k) program with company match

Flexible Savings Accounts (FSA)

Healthcare Savings Accounts (HSA) with company contribution

Basic and Voluntary Life Insurance

Long-Term Disability (LTD) and Short-Term Disability (STD) insurance

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Commuter Benefits plan for parking and transit

Access to a world-class medical advisory team

A mental health app that includes coaching, therapy and psychiatry

A mindfulness and wellbeing app

Financial wellness benefit that includes access to a financial advisor

New parent leave

Reproductive and adoption assistance

Emergency backup care

Matching gift program

Education sponsorship program

Company

Ares Management

Glassdoor4.1

Ares Management is an alternative asset manager focusing on credit, private equity, and real estate.

Founded in 1997

Los Angeles, California, USA

1001-5000 employees

http://www.aresmgmt.com

H1B Sponsorship

Ares Management has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)

Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship

Represents job field similar to this job

Trends of Total Sponsorships

2025 (7)

2023 (1)