Innovation Project Manager

We are seeking an experienced Innovation Project Manager to join our team in either Manchester or Bratislava. As an Innovation Project Manager, you will be responsible for taking innovative concepts, emerging technologies, and strategic opportunities and transforming them into structured, well-governed initiatives that deliver measurable business value.

Innovation Project Delivery

• Lead the delivery of innovation initiatives aligned to strategic business objectives.
• Manage projects through the complete lifecycle, from idea generation and proof of concept through pilot, production delivery, and operational handover.
• Apply the most appropriate delivery approach, whether Agile, hybrid, or waterfall, according to project needs.
• Coordinate multiple workstreams to ensure successful outcomes and delivery against agreed objectives.

Governance & Risk Management

• Establish robust project governance, milestones, dependencies, and controls.
• Produce and maintain project plans, RAID logs, business cases, delivery artefacts, and status reports.
• Work closely with Legal, Security, and Procurement teams to ensure initiatives align with firm standards and risk requirements.
• Support governance forums and Go/No-Go decision-making for pilots and scaling activities.
• Monitor project performance, risks, and benefits realisation throughout the delivery lifecycle.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Act as the central point of coordination across Business Teams, Innovation, Technology, Legal, Procurement, Transformation, and external partners.
• Translate business requirements into clearly defined project scope and measurable success criteria.
• Facilitate workshops, demonstrations, steering groups, and decision-making sessions.
• Build strong relationships with senior stakeholders and ensure initiatives remain aligned to strategic objectives.

Innovation & Change Enablement

• Support experimentation and innovation while maintaining delivery discipline and governance.
• Coordinate pilots, testing activities, and user feedback loops.
• Partner with Adoption and Communications teams to ensure successful implementation and user engagement.
• Help create the conditions for successful adoption and long-term value realisation.

Vendor & Partner Management

• Manage relationships with third-party suppliers, technology vendors, and emerging technology partners.
• Oversee delivery commitments, timelines, commercial arrangements, and performance throughout project delivery.
• Support planning for operational ownership and ongoing support arrangements following implementation.

About You

• Proven experience delivering projects within innovation, technology, digital transformation, or related environments.
• Strong project management expertise with the ability to manage multiple initiatives simultaneously.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Experience producing business cases, project plans, governance documentation, and executive reporting.
• The ability to operate effectively in fast-changing and uncertain environments.

Desirable Experience

• Experience working within professional services, legal, financial services, or other regulated environments.
• Exposure to emerging technologies such as AI, agentic AI, automation, cloud technologies, or data platforms.
• Familiarity with Agile, Lean, or product-led delivery approaches.
• Experience managing proofs of concept, pilots, innovation programmes, or innovation labs.

Personal Attributes

• Pragmatic and outcomes-focused.
• Comfortable balancing experimentation with governance and control.
• Highly organised with strong prioritisation skills.
• A confident communicator who can engage effectively with senior stakeholders.
• Curious, proactive, and enthusiastic about innovation and emerging technologies.
• Able to navigate ambiguity while maintaining delivery momentum.

Why Join Us? This is an opportunity to help shape the future of innovation at one of the world's leading law firms. You'll work with senior stakeholders, emerging technologies, and global teams to bring innovative ideas to life and deliver meaningful business outcomes.