Manager, IT Commercial Services

A senior engineering leadership role within the IT organization responsible for the design, build, integration, lifecycle, performance, and operational reliability of the firm's enterprise application portfolio, including the legal practice, business operations, productivity, and collaboration applications that directly enable attorney productivity, client service, and firmwide business operations. Reporting to the Director, Technology Services, this position leads the Enterprise Applications and IT Application Engineering teams that build, configure, integrate, and operate the application platforms supporting Steptoe LLP's offices across North America, Europe, and Asia in a 24x7 follow-the-sun model.

This role provides direct people leadership to the IT Application Engineering team and partners closely with the Enterprise Architecture & Design function, Cybersecurity (Information Security), Infrastructure & Operations Engineering, IT Operations, IT Service Delivery, Business Relationship Management, and the Director of Technology Strategy & Innovation to deliver scalable, secure, integrated, and business-aligned application solutions. The Manager serves as the principal IT owner of the firm's business and enterprise applications, subject matter authority for the firm's enterprise applications and is the technical lead for major application implementations, upgrades, integrations, and modernization initiatives.

The Manager is accountable for application performance, reliability, stability, integration health, security posture, lifecycle currency, vendor performance, and the operational maturity of the firm's enterprise application portfolio. The role partners with the Director of Technology Strategy & Innovation on application modernization strategy and leads the enterprise-wide execution of approved application capabilities, including legal-industry platforms (DMS, time and billing, conflicts, eDiscovery, knowledge management), business platforms (HRIS, ERP, finance), productivity and collaboration platforms (Microsoft 365), and AI-enabled application capabilities.

This position operates with significant engineering authority and accountability, translating firm strategy into modern, secure, integrated, and reliable application capabilities that directly support attorney productivity, client service delivery, and operational excellence in a complex Am Law 100 professional services environment.

Essential Functions

• Lead the operational management of the firm's annual IT operating and capital budget across IT.
• Support the CIO and IT Directors with annual budgeting and multi-year IT financial planning, capital prioritization, business case development, and investment governance.
• Develop and maintain the IT financial management framework, including budget development, monthly tracking, accrual management, variance analysis, forecasting, and reforecasting in partnership with the firm's Finance function
• Provide regular financial reporting to the CIO and IT leadership team, including budget vs. actuals, forecast accuracy, run-rate analysis, capital project tracking, and cost optimization opportunities
• Lead the firm's IT vendor and contract management program, including vendor onboarding, performance management, governance forums, quarterly business reviews, escalation handling, and renewal planning across the firm's IT vendor and contract portfolio
• Lead the firm's IT procurement program, including sourcing support, vendor selection coordination, and partnership with the firm's Procurement function on competitive bidding, RFx processes, and sourcing strategy
• Own end-to-end IT contract administration, including contract intake, redline coordination, terms negotiation support, renewal management, expiration tracking, signature workflow, and contract repository management
• Partner with the firm's Legal / Office of General Counsel on contractual terms, including limitation of liability, indemnification, data protection, GDPR, PIPL, and regulatory clauses applicable to the firm's US, EU, and Asia operations
• Own the firm's IT software licensing program, including license inventory, entitlement tracking, true-up management, compliance reporting, audit response, and cost optimization across the IT software estate
• Partner with the Manager, IT Operations and Manager, IT Service Delivery on software currency, license reclamation, and license-driven cost optimization for endpoint and SaaS applications
• Partner with the Manager, Enterprise Applications on application and SaaS license management, vendor roadmap engagement, and contract alignment with platform strategy
• Lead vendor performance management and SLA governance for the firm's strategic IT vendors and managed service providers, including the outsourced Service Desk, external IT Learning provider, cloud platforms, infrastructure vendors, and application partners, in coordination with the Director, Global Technology Services and other IT leaders
• Maintain the firm's IT vendor master list, including vendor risk classification, contact records, contract metadata, PO and invoice history, and renewal calendar
• Partner with the CISO and Risk functions on vendor risk assessments, third-party risk management, security questionnaires, and data protection due diligence
• Own the end-to-end IT purchase order (PO) lifecycle, including PO creation, vendor coordination, goods/services receipt confirmation, PO closeout, and partnership with the firm's Procurement and Finance functions to ensure POs are issued accurately, tracked, and reconciled in alignment with firm policy
• Manage the end-to-end IT vendor invoice lifecycle, including invoice intake, validation against POs and contracts, exception handling, dispute resolution, and approval workflow routing in coordination with the firm's Accounts Payable team
• Verify invoice accuracy against contract terms, agreed-upon rates, usage metrics, SaaS subscription tiers, and statement of work milestones; identify and resolve discrepancies with vendors before approval
• Maintain accurate IT invoice records, accrual entries, prepayment tracking, and month-end financial close support, partnering with Finance on monthly and year-end reconciliation
• Track recurring IT subscription and SaaS invoices, including autorenewals, usage-based billing, and overage charges, ensuring all charges are validated, allocated correctly, and reflected in financial reporting
• Operate the IT invoice escalation process, ensuring overdue invoices, payment disputes, and vendor billing issues are resolved promptly to maintain vendor relationships and avoid service disruption
• Drive operational continuous improvement, including automation of PO and invoice workflows, automation of financial tracking, contract workflows, license management, and vendor performance reporting
• Maintain comprehensive commercial records, contract repositories, PO and invoice records, vendor scorecards, licensing reports, and financial documentation required for governance, audit, and management visibility
• Support internal and external audit, compliance, and client-driven assessments related to IT vendor management, invoicing and PO controls, licensing, and financial controls
• Develop and report on IT commercial performance dashboards, executive scorecards, PO and invoice processing metrics, savings outcomes, and risk-mitigation metrics to the CIO and senior firm leadership
• Lead and develop commercial services staff and contractors as the function scales, including performance management, professional development, and team building
• Foster a culture of financial discipline, commercial rigor, vendor accountability, transparency, and continuous improvement across IT operations

Non-Essential Functions

• Complete other duties as assigned

  Minimum Qualification

• Bachelor's degree in business administration, finance, accounting, supply chain management, information systems, or related field, or equivalent professional experience; advanced degree (MBA) or relevant certifications strongly preferred
• Ten or more years of progressive experience across IT financial management, IT vendor management, IT procurement, IT PO and invoice management, IT contract administration, and/or IT licensing, with increasing scope and complexity
• Five or more years of leadership experience managing IT commercial, financial, or vendor management functions in a complex enterprise environment
• Demonstrated experience managing multi-million-dollar IT operating and capital budgets in a complex, multi-office or global environment
• Demonstrated experience supporting professional services, legal, financial services, or other regulated environments preferred, with strong understanding of partner-led financial governance and Am Law 100 commercial dynamics
• Strong expertise in IT financial management, including budgeting, forecasting, accrual accounting, variance analysis, capital planning, and cost optimization
• Strong expertise in IT purchase order and invoice management, including PO lifecycle, vendor invoice validation, accrual entries, dispute resolution, and partnership with Accounts Payable and Finance
• Strong expertise in IT vendor management, including vendor performance frameworks, SLA governance, escalation management, renewal planning, and quarterly business reviews
• Strong expertise in IT procurement and sourcing, including PO management, competitive sourcing (RFx), vendor selection, and partnership with internal Procurement functions
• Strong expertise in IT contract administration, including redline coordination, contract repository management, renewal discipline, and partnership with Legal / Office of General Counsel on contractual terms
• Strong expertise in software licensing management, including license inventory, entitlement tracking, true-up management, audit response, and SaaS license optimization
• Strong understanding of third-party risk management, data protection, and regulatory considerations (US, EU GDPR, Asia PIPL) applicable to IT vendor engagements
• Strong understanding of IT cost categories, including cloud (Azure, AWS), SaaS subscriptions, infrastructure, managed services, professional services, telecom, and licensing
• Experience working with financial systems (e.g., ERP, financial planning tools, AP automation platforms), vendor management systems, PO/invoice workflow tools, and contract repositories
• Working knowledge of ITIL service management frameworks as they relate to commercial governance
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to communicate effectively with the CIO, senior firm leadership, partners, IT leaders, vendors, and business stakeholders
• Strong organizational, prioritization, and program management skills, with the ability to manage multiple concurrent commercial initiatives across geographies and time zones
• Demonstrated ability to influence stakeholders, drive financial discipline, and build trusted relationships with vendors and internal partners
• Desired certifications (one or more preferred): Certified IT Asset Manager (CITAM); IAITAM CSAM / CHAMP; ITIL v4 Foundation; Certified Professional Contracts Manager (CPCM); Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP); PMP; relevant financial certifications (CMA, CPA, or equivalent)

Success Factors

• Financial Discipline: Maintains rigorous financial tracking, forecasting, and reporting; ensures IT spend is transparent, accurate, and aligned with firm financial discipline
• Commercial Rigor: Manages vendor, contract, PO, and invoice activity with discipline, ensuring favorable terms, clear SLAs, accurate billing, audit-grade documentation, and value realization
• Executive Communication: Conveys financial, commercial, and vendor performance clearly and credibly to the CIO, IT leadership, and senior firm leadership
• Cross-Functional Partnership: Builds strong working relationships with IT leaders, Finance, Accounts Payable, Procurement, Legal/OGC, Risk, and Cybersecurity functions
• Negotiation & Influence: Achieves commercial outcomes through professional negotiation, influence, and disciplined preparation
• Critical Thinking & Problem Solving: Addresses complex commercial, financial, and vendor challenges with structured, scalable, business-aligned solutions
• Decision-Making: Makes informed, timely decisions; assesses commercial and financial risk; acts decisively in support of firm priorities
• Customer & Service Orientation: Treats IT leaders, business stakeholders, and vendor partners as customers; delivers responsive, high-quality commercial support
• Continuous Improvement: Drives automation of PO and invoice workflows, automation of financial tracking, contract workflows, license management, and vendor performance reporting
• Professionalism & Judgment: Exercises sound judgment, integrity, discretion, and confidentiality expected of a senior commercial leader in an Am Law 100 environment

Work Environment

• Available to work in the office during core business hours (9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.), with hybrid flexibility consistent with firm policy
• Available to work beyond regular hours and on weekends/holidays as required to support fiscal close cycles, month-end and year-end invoice processing, audit response, vendor escalations, and critical business initiatives
• Non-smoking environment
• Must be able to work under tight deadlines, particularly around budget cycles, renewals, invoice processing deadlines, and audit periods
• Travel to other Steptoe offices, vendor sites, and industry conferences as needed

The anticipated base salary range for this position is Washington DC $150,200 - $160,200 and Houston $137,250 - $147,250. The actual base salary offered will be dependent upon the applicant's experience and qualifications, as well as other job-related factors, including but not limited to, relevant skills, education, certifications or other professional licenses held, and if applicable, geographic location.

Steptoe offers a full range of benefits for you and your eligible dependents. Benefits currently include: medical, dental, vision, life, disability, dependent care, health care flexible spending accounts, 401K Plan, Profit-Sharing, Paid Time-Off and a robust Wellness Program.

Steptoe LLP is an equal opportunity employer EOE/Disability/Veteran. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, marital status, mental or physical disability, genetic information, or any basis proscribed by applicable statutes.