Legal Operations Manager

Legal Operations ManagerThe Legal Operations Manager leads the operational functions of the legal department and manages paralegals and legal support staff. The Legal Ops Manager is responsible for litigation operations (including legal holds, case management, outside counsel oversight, and litigation budgets), due diligence coordination, real estate transaction support, legal department budgeting, technology solutions, and project management across the legal and compliance functions.Your Passion. Our Culture. At Sargento, you work for a company you believe in, with a family of people who believe in you. Our culture stems from a simple premise: Hire good people and treat them like family. At Sargento, you can make decisions based on how they affect people as well as the long-term health of our company. You will be encouraged to make a meaningful difference in the community, in the company and in your career. With diverse experiences and tools to learn and develop, you can transform your aspirations into reality. If you're ready for the right place to belong and grow your career, you can find it here. Benefits that set us apart.Comprehensive medical including Fertility, Adoption benefits, Dental, and Vision InsuranceRemote ½ day FridaysOnsite Health & Wellness CenterEmployer 401K contribution in the top 1% of the nationRelocation AssistanceTuition AssistanceAccess to Employee StoreWhat You Do.Manage all aspects of litigation operations, including legal holds, document preservation, discovery, outside counsel coordination, communication with insurance companies, and litigation matter budgets.Support key litigation activities such as deposition preparation, witness coordination, and compliance with litigation deadlines.Oversee outside counsel engagement for litigation matters, including establishing billing guidelines, monitoring performance and spend against matter budgets, and conducting regular case assessments with external counsel.Coordinate due diligence for corporate transactions, including organizing materials and ensuring internal compliance with diligence requirements.Conduct legal research in support of the legal team, company directives and industry developments.Provide legal support for real estate transactions.Support the General Counsel and Deputy General Counsel in managing the legal department budget, including forecasting, accruals, outside counsel spend analysis and regular reporting to identify cost-saving opportunities.Evaluate, implement, and manage technology solutions to improve efficiency while maintaining and enhancing existing technology platforms, including support the adoption of AI-powered legal tools to enhance department workflows.Manage legal department projects from intake to completion, developing workflows, tracking tools, and cross-functional reporting.Foster a collaborative and high-performing legal team environment.Remain current on all policies, procedures, and strategic plans of Sargento as they relate to the area(s) supported by the corporate legal and compliance departments.Perform other duties and special projects as assigned.Supervisory ResponsibilitiesDirectly supervise paralegals and other legal support staff. Carry out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the organization's policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities include interviewing, hiring, training employees, and employee development; planning, assigning, and directing work; appraising performance; rewarding and disciplining employees; addressing complaints and resolving problems.Your Education and Experience.Bachelor's degree in business administration, legal studies, or a related field required; advanced degree (JD or MBA), CLOC, PMP, CLM, paralegal certificate from an ABA- or NLA-approved program, or other professional certification preferred but not required.5-10 years of legal experience, preferably in an in-house legal department or law firm setting.Supervisory experience with legal support staff preferred.Experience overseeing litigation operations, including managing legal holds, discovery, and outside counsel communication preferred.Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to collaborate across departments and convey legal and compliance information clearly to all levels of staff and management.Strong problem-solving, facilitation, and consensus-building skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.Demonstrated experience implementing or managing legal technology platforms (e.g., e-billing, matter management, document management systems).Experience leading change management initiatives and driving adoption of new tools, systems and processes across teams.Familiarity with data analytics and reporting, including the ability to develop KPIs, dashboards and data-driven insights for legal department performance.Our Story.With over 2,400+ employees and net sales of $1.8 billion, Sargento Foods is a family-owned company that has been a leader in cheese for more than 70 years. We created the world's first, successful pre-packaged sliced and shredded natural cheeses. Sargento is based in Plymouth, Wisconsin, where we manufacture and market shredded, sliced and snack natural cheese products, as well as ingredients and sauces. Sargento is known for the exceptional quality of our products and for product design, packaging and merchandising innovations that have transformed our industry.