Senior Associate, Legal Vendor Strategy & Management

Over the last 20 years, Ares’ success has been driven by our people and our culture. Today, our team is guided by our core values – Collaborative, Responsible, Entrepreneurial, Self-Aware, Trustworthy – and our purpose to be a catalyst for shared prosperity and a better future. Through our recruitment, career development and employee-focused programming, we are committed to fostering a welcoming and inclusive work environment where high-performance talent of diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives can build careers within this exciting and growing industry. Job Description About the Role Ares is seeking a Senior Associate, Legal Vendor Strategy & Management – Performance and Value Management to help build the infrastructure for how the Legal department selects, manages and evaluates outside counsel and other legal service providers. This role is responsible for leading key workstreams relating to vendor strategy, sourcing, pricing analysis, performance management and relationship governance across Ares’ legal vendor portfolio. The successful candidate will help build a more disciplined and data-informed approach to legal vendor selection, evaluation and management. This position is well suited for a candidate with a background in consulting, procurement, legal operations, outside counsel or account management, law firm practice management or business operations who combines strong analytical ability with sound judgment and relationship skills. Reporting Reports to: Head of Legal Vendor Strategy & Management. Key Responsibilities Vendor Strategy and Sourcing Support development of vendor segmentation, sourcing strategy and preferred-provider approaches across the legal vendor landscape. Participate in vendor sourcing and procurement initiatives, including RFx processes, evaluation and feedback frameworks, pricing analysis and selection support. Own the preparation of vendor profiles, comparative assessments and recommendation materials for leadership review. Identify opportunities to improve vendor mix, cost discipline and alignment between business needs and service provider capabilities. Independently develop analyses and recommendations relating to pricing, staffing models, service delivery approaches and vendor selection decisions Governance and Relationship Management Help build and maintain vendor governance processes for preferred firms and service providers. Lead preparation of materials and insights for quarterly business reviews and other governance forums. Support ongoing relationship management by tracking commitments, follow-ups, performance trends and escalation items. Partner with internal stakeholders to ensure vendor strategy reflects business priorities, matter requirements and service expectations. Help incorporate, measure and report on playbook adherence, knowledge-transfer expectations and data-sharing requirements into vendor governance. Pricing, Spend and Performance Management Support pricing analysis, alternative fee arrangement evaluation and broader commercial decision-making and negotiation across vendors. Partner with Legal and Finance stakeholders to improve visibility into spend drivers, forecast trends and value realization. Help build scorecards, evaluation frameworks and performance review materials for vendors. Identify patterns and insights related to cost, efficiency, quality, responsiveness, staffing and service delivery performance. Help evaluate how firms and service providers are using AI and identify implications for pricing, performance, knowledge transfer and data-sharing expectations. Support continuous improvement efforts with vendors by translating data and feedback into actionable recommendations. Use AI-enabled tools where appropriate to support vendor analysis, performance reviews, knowledge capture, governance materials and decision support. Cross-Functional Execution Partner with cross-functional stakeholders to align vendor governance and management with Ares’ evolving legal operating model. Prepare presentations, briefing materials and decision support for leadership discussions. Support rollout of new governance practices, sourcing disciplines and performance management processes. Contribute to the development of a more connected and data-informed model for managing and selecting legal vendors. Qualifications Education Bachelor’s degree required. Required Skills and Experience 5+ years of experience in management consulting, procurement, strategic sourcing, legal operations, outside counsel/account management, law firm practice management or business operations. Strong analytical skills with experience evaluating vendor performance, commercial terms, pricing or sourcing options. Experience working with cross-functional teams and supporting structured decision-making processes. Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to interact effectively with senior stakeholders. Strong Excel or Google Sheets skills and strong PowerPoint or Google Slides skills. Demonstrated ability to independently lead workstreams or projects involving vendor governance, commercial analysis, sourcing, performance management or related transformation efforts. Ability to synthesize financial, operational and qualitative information into clear recommendations. Strong judgment, relationship management skills and a collaborative working style. Preferred Qualifications Experience with legal vendor management, outside counsel/account management, sourcing, procurement or law firm practice management. Familiarity with e-billing, spend analytics, scorecards or vendor governance processes. Comfort using AI-enabled tools to analyze information, improve productivity and support governance and performance management processes. Experience preparing materials for business reviews, governance forums or executive decision-making. Experience in a legal department, law firm, ALSP or professional services environment. Experience participating directly in vendor governance forums, pricing discussions or firm relationship management What Success Looks Like Vendor sourcing and selection processes are more structured, disciplined and data-informed. Preferred vendors are managed through a consistent governance cadence with clear performance expectations and measured KPIs. Leadership has better visibility into vendor pricing, sourcing, performance and opportunities for improvement. Vendor scorecards, business reviews and governance materials support data-driven outside counsel and service-provider decisions. Vendor relationships are managed more strategically and are better aligned with Ares’ expectations around quality, cost, responsiveness and knowledge transfer. Reporting Relationships Compensation The anticipated base salary range for this position is listed below. Total compensation may also include a discretionary performance-based bonus. Note, the range takes into account a broad spectrum of qualifications, including, but not limited to, years of relevant work experience, education, and other relevant qualifications specific to the role. $120,000 - $145,000 / annum The firm also offers robust Benefits offerings. Ares U.S. Core Benefits include 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), and Commuter Benefits plan for parking and transit. Ares offers a number

of additional benefits including 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, and much more. There is no set deadline to apply for this job opportunity. Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until the search is no longer active. Ares Management Corporation (NYSE: ARES) is a leading global alternative investment manager offering clients complementary primary and secondary investment solutions across the credit, real estate, private equity and infrastructure asset classes. We seek to provide flexible capital to support businesses and create value for our stakeholders and within our communities. By collaborating across our investment groups, we aim to generate consistent and attractive investment returns throughout market cycles. As of December 31, 2025, Ares Management's global platform had approximately $623 billion of assets under management(1) with more than 4,200 employees operating across North America, South America, Europe, Asia Pacific and the Middle East. For more information, please visit Ares Management LLC (together with its related operating and administrative subsidiaries, “Ares Management”) is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and considers all applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, ethnicity, creed, sex, age, national origin, alienage or citizenship status, disability, medical condition, pregnancy, marital status, partnership status, sexual orientation, status regarding public assistance, military or veteran status, domestic violence victim status, gender identity and expression, transgender status, genetic information, status as unemployed, political affiliation or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. Ares Management will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance. (1) As of December 31, 2025. AUM amounts include funds managed by Ivy Hill Asset Management, LP., a wholly owned portfolio company of Ares Capital Corporation and registered investment adviser.