Manager - Business Operations Program, Firm Operations (51178)

Citrin Cooperman offers a dynamic work environment, fostering professional growth and collaboration. We’re continuously seeking talented individuals who bring a problem-solving mindset, fresh perspectives, and sharp technical expertise. We know you have choices, so our team of collaborative, innovative professionals are ready to support your professional development. At Citrin Cooperman, we offer competitive compensation and benefits and most importantly, the flexibility to manage your personal and professional life to focus on what matters most to you!

We are seeking a Business Operations Program Manager, to join our Firm Operations team. They own the end-to-end Engagement Letter (EL) lifecycle for the firm, as well as ensure that engagement documentation is accurate, compliant, consistently executed, timely, and supports excellent client and practitioner experience. They design and govern standard templates and workflows, coordinates stakeholder approvals, oversee the EL center of excellence (CoE) team, and monitor process performance to reduce cycle time and rework/strengthen risk management and commercial outcomes.

Responsibilities are, but not limited to:

• Center of Excellence Team: Oversee team responsible for firmwide EL delivery.
• Process ownership and governance: Define, document, and continuously improve the engagement letter process (intake, drafting, review/approval, execution, storage, amendments, renewals, and closeout).
• Policy and compliance: Ensure engagement letters align with firm policies, professional standards, and applicable regulatory/contracting requirements; coordinate updates as policies change.
• Templates and playbooks: Maintain standard engagement letter templates, clause library, and negotiation guidance; partner with Legal/Risk to define approved fallback language and escalation paths.
• Stakeholder management: Serve as the central point of coordination across Practices, Risk Management, Legal, Finance, Independence/Conflicts, and Operations to resolve issues and accelerate approvals.
• Intake and triage: Establish intake standards (required data, pricing/fee model inputs, client entity details, scope, deliverables, assumptions, limitations); triage non-standard terms for review.
• Technology enablement: Own the configuration and adoption of AI enabled workflow and software for engagement letters (e.g., document automation, e-signature, CRM/ERP integrations); define requirements and user stories; coordinate testing and releases.
• Quality control: Implement checkpoints to ensure accuracy of client/legal entity details, scope, fee terms, billing arrangements, and required risk clauses; reduce versioning errors.
• Training and change management: Develop training materials and deliver sessions for partners, managers, and administrative teams; publish process updates and best practices.
• Metrics and reporting: Track and report key KPIs (cycle time, SLA attainment, rework rates, exception volume, approval bottlenecks, template usage, and audit findings); produce insights and recommendations.
• Records management: Ensure executed engagement letters and amendments are stored in the system of recording with proper indexing, retention, and audit readiness.
• Client and partner experience: Improve clarity, consistency, and responsiveness of engagement documentation while balancing commercial needs and firm risk tolerance.
• Core Competencies:
  • Leadership and influence: Builds alignment without direct authority; escalates effectively and diplomatically.
  • Process excellence: Designs scalable workflows, standardizes inputs, and removes friction.
  • Risk mindset: Balances client service with risk controls and compliance requirements.
  • Commercial acumen: Understands how scope, pricing, and contracting terms affect margin and delivery.
  • Analytical rigor: Uses data to diagnose bottlenecks and measure improvement.
  • Communication: Communicates clearly with partners and senior leaders; translates complex requirements into practical guidance.
  • Client orientation: Improves practitioner and client experience through responsiveness and clarity.
• Success Measures:
  • Reduced engagement letter cycle time and improved on-time execution against SLAs.
  • Lower exception rates and rework volume through stronger standardization and intake quality.
  • Increased use of approved templates and clause library with fewer non-standard terms.
  • Improved audit readiness and completeness of engagement documentation in the system of record.
  • Positive practitioner satisfaction with process clarity, responsiveness, and tools.

The ideal candidate must:

• Have a bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.
• Have 7+ years in professional services operations, legal operations, contracting, engagement management, or a related function.
• Have demonstrated experience leading cross-functional process design and governance in a matrixed environment.
• Possess strong working knowledge of engagement documentation concepts (scope, deliverables, assumptions, fee structures, etc.).
• Have experience with workflow tools, document management systems, and e-signature platforms.
• Possess excellent writing and editing skills with high attention to detail.
• Have professional services industry experience (audit, tax, advisory, consulting, legal, or similar) (preferred).
• Have a project management certification (preferred).
• Have experience partnering with Legal/Risk to manage clause libraries and standard positions (preferred).
• Experience implementing or optimizing document automation solutions and integrations with CRM/ERP systems (preferred).