Senior Outside Counsel Program Manager

Job description

We are on the lookout for a Senior Outside Counsel Program Manager to join the Legal Operations Team on our journey to always deliver amazing experiences. Join the team that protects and enables Delivery Hero's growth. In the Legal Team, you'll support key initiatives by providing proactive legal guidance that aligns business goals with regulatory standards. Your work will help mitigate risks and ensure we're positioned for sustainable, long-term success—making you a key contributor to our mission of delivering amazing experiences worldwide.

You will build and run the way Delivery Hero instructs, steers and pays external law firms across 65 countries and a legal department with in-house lawyers. This is a greenfield programme. The Outside Counsel Guidelines, the firm panel and the management platform are being created now, and you will own them. You will report into Global Legal Operations and partner with our Procurement department on the purchasing-relevant steps.

Your tasks include: Design and run matter intake and scoping, so that every engagement has a defined boundary, an owner and a budget before a firm is instructed. Own the outside counsel budget end to end, from forecasting and accruals through variance analysis to reporting for legal leadership and Finance. Build and govern the firm panel, draft and enforce the Outside Counsel and Billing Guidelines, and work with Procurement on the annual rate review.

Design alternative fee arrangements, and make matters specifiable and comparable enough to be priced on a fixed-fee basis. Act as business owner of the outside counsel management program, leading rollout, adoption, and integration with our ERP and source-to-pay landscape. Run performance scorecards and business reviews with panel firms, resolve billing disputes, and partner with Procurement and Finance on major negotiations, supplier onboarding, third-party risk and enterprise savings reporting.

Qualifications

5+ years in outside counsel management, legal operations, or law firm finance or business development, ideally including time in a corporate legal department or a legal operations consultancy. Demonstrated expertise across panel governance, rate negotiation, RFP and RFI management, alternative fee structuring and billing guideline enforcement.

Deep knowledge of the legal market

law firm delivery models and economics, and the effect of AI on how legal services are delivered and priced. Hands-on experience with outside counsel management or e-billing platforms, and strong analytical skills in budgeting, benchmarking and modelling. A track record of building programmes from scratch in complex, multi-jurisdictional organisations, and of leading change with stakeholders who cannot be managed by instruction.

Credibility with General Counsel, law firm partners, procurement and finance teams. Fluency in English is required, German is an advantage.