Manager, Business Applications

Job Summary

Gibson Dunn is a leading global law firm, advising clients on significant transactions and disputes. Our exceptional teams craft and deploy creative legal strategies that are meticulously tailored to every matter, however complex or high-stakes. The firm’s work is distinguished by a unique combination of precision and vision.

Based in California, New York or Washington D.C., the Manager, Business Applications will be responsible for the strategic direction, performance, and evolution of the firm’s Finance, HR, Marketing, and E-Discovery application ecosystem. This role blends portfolio leadership, application lifecycle governance, delivery oversight, and stakeholder engagement to ensure that systems remain reliable, secure, scalable, and aligned to the firm’s business objectives.

The ideal candidate brings strong leadership experience across enterprise applications, deep understanding of business processes and system integrations, and the ability to guide teams and vendors in delivering high-value technology solutions. This is a portfolio and people leadership role, as well as a hands-on development position.

Portfolio applications and technologies include:

• Finance: Aderant, Chrome River, Time Entry
• Human Resources: Workday, PeopleSoft, ADP, Aderant, Qualtrics
• Marketing: InterAction, Foundation, Vuture
• E-Discovery: Relativity Server, RelativityOne, Page Vault

This role reports to the Director of Enterprise Application Solutions.

Responsibilities include:

Portfolio Strategy & Roadmap Leadership

• Define and maintain strategic roadmaps for Finance, HR, Marketing, and E-Discovery applications.
• Partner with business leaders to understand needs, pain points, and future requirements.
• Prioritize initiatives based on business value, risk, capacity, and alignment to firm strategy.
• Lead application rationalization initiatives to reduce redundancy and strengthen portfolio health.

Application Lifecycle Management

• Oversee system stability, performance, upgrades, maintenance schedules, and enhancements.
• Ensure secure, compliant operation of applications aligned with firm and regulatory standards.
• Guide the transition from legacy systems to modern platforms, including data migrations and integrations.
• Establish KPIs for application performance, usage, and operational efficiency.

Delivery Oversight & Execution Leadership

• Partner with Agile Delivery Leads, engineers, and business teams to drive predictable delivery.

• Ensure application enhancements, integrations, and upgrades meet quality, security, and change management requirements.
• Provide executive visibility into program milestones, risks, dependencies, and outcomes.
• Support major transformation programs (e.g., Workday, Aderant roadmap) with leadership and coordination.

Business Engagement & Stakeholder Leadership

• Serve as the primary technology partner for Finance, HR, Marketing, and E-Discovery leadership.

• Facilitate intake, prioritization, and roadmap discussions with stakeholders.
• Translate business objectives into actionable plans and ensure clear communication across teams.
• Promote adoption of new features, capabilities, and process improvements.

Team Leadership & Cross Functional Collaboration

• Lead a team of application owners, analysts, and technical SMEs and provide guidance, coaching, and performance management.
• Collaborate with engineering, QA/UAT, security, infrastructure, data, and integration teams.
• Foster a high-performing, service-oriented culture that emphasizes transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Vendor & Contract Management

• Manage strategic vendor relationships, including Aderant, Workday, Foundation and Relativity.
• Oversee SLAs, escalations, contract renewals, licensing, and service reviews.
• Evaluate new solutions, coordinate POCs, and support vendor-driven initiatives and upgrades.

Governance, Compliance & Risk Management

• Ensure all systems and delivery processes adhere to security, compliance, data governance, and audit requirements.
• Maintain documentation for application standards, operational procedures, and lifecycle processes.
• Identify risks and mitigation plans across the portfolio, escalating as appropriate to leadership.

Qualifications

• Strong knowledge of enterprise Finance, HR, Marketing, and E-Discovery systems.
• Understanding of integration patterns, data flows, and application lifecycle management.
• Experience with cloud-based platforms (Workday, SaaS ecosystems, Azure).
• Proficiency with delivery and work management tools such as Azure DevOps.
• Strong grasp of change management, release planning, and IT governance.
• Exceptional communication, relationship building, and stakeholder management abilities.
• Strong influencing skills with the ability to navigate complex business and technical environments.
• Strategic thinker with analytical problem-solving abilities and attention to detail.
• Proven ability to manage multiple priorities while maintaining delivery focus and quality.

Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Business, or related field.
• 12+ years of managing enterprise applications, business systems, or technology portfolios.
• Demonstrated leadership in professional services, legal, financial, or similarly regulated environments.
• Proven success overseeing complex, multi-system environments and cross-functional delivery teams.
• Certifications in portfolio management, Agile such as CSM, CSPO, SAFe Agilist, PMI-ACP, or equivalent.
• Experience supporting legal industry applications or working in a law-firm environment.
• Familiarity with ITIL or service management frameworks.
• Experience with application rationalization and data-driven prioritization techniques.

 

Gibson Dunn will consider for employment qualified Applicants with Criminal Histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of local law.

Compensation & Benefits:

The annual compensation range for this position is $175-240k. The salary offered within this range will depend upon qualifications and other operational considerations.

Benefits offered for this position include health care; retirement benefits; paid days off, including sick time, and vacation time; parental leave; basic life insurance; Flexible Spending Accounts; as well as discretionary, performance-based bonuses.

Locations:

Los Angeles, San Francisco, Palo Alto, Orange County, Washington, D.C., New York

EEO Statement

Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP is committed to the principles of equal employment opportunity for all partners, employees and applicants and, in accordance with the applicable federal and state laws, does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, creed, color, religion, matriculation or political affiliation, national origin, alienage or citizenship status, ancestry, age, marital status or partnership status, family responsibilities, disability, medical condition, personal appearance, genetic information, predisposing genetic characteristics, sexual orientation, military status, status as a victim of domestic violence, stalking and sex offenses, arrest or conviction record, or on any other basis prohibited by law.