At a Glance
- Tasks: Manage innovation pipelines and coordinate projects across a dynamic legal environment.
- Company: Join Freeths, a forward-thinking firm driving innovation in legal services.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, flexible working options, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Exciting role with excellent career progression in a supportive team environment.
- Why this job: Be at the forefront of legal innovation and make a real impact on the future of the industry.
- Qualifications: 3+ years in portfolio coordination or operations, with strong organisational and communication skills.
The predicted salary is between 45000 - 55000 £ per year.
This role provides an exciting opportunity to support the effective operation of Freeths’ central innovation function, working across the Service Innovation Studio and Legal AI Lab. The successful candidate will combine strong organisational capability with a detail-and process-oriented mindset, and a disciplined approach to governance and portfolio coordination.
This is a new role and an important enabler in the next phase of Freeths’ innovation and AI strategy. It will ensure that innovation activity is effectively captured, prioritised, tracked, and reported across the firm, supporting transparency, consistency, and delivery discipline. The role will also help ensure that innovation activity tessellates with the firm’s broader portfolio and governance arrangements, including appropriate alignment with the central PMO where initiatives move beyond exploration, design, or early-stage delivery.
The Innovation Portfolio & Operations Lead will report into the Head of Service Innovation Studio and work closely with the Head of Legal AI, the Divisional Innovation Managers, and wider Knowledge and Innovation stakeholders to maintain a clear and coordinated view of the firm’s innovation pipeline and portfolio. The role is deliberately situated within the innovation function, with a focus on managing the innovation pipeline and enabling disciplined progression through the innovation lifecycle, while also acting as an effective interface with the central PMO to ensure innovation activity is aligned with broader portfolio rhythms and can be handed over cleanly into wider delivery structures at the appropriate point.
Key Responsibilities- Innovation Pipeline Management: Own and manage a coordinated intake process for innovation opportunities across the firm, supporting consistent triage and ensuring a clear and controlled pipeline of activity spanning Divisional, Studio, and AI initiatives.
- Portfolio Oversight: Maintain a consolidated, accurate, and up-to-date view of innovation activity across the function, ensuring consistency of documentation, visibility of status, and clarity on risks, dependencies, ownership, and progression through the innovation lifecycle.
- Governance & Operating Cadence: Support the design and operation of governance processes and regular cadences, including intake processes, triage forums, and reporting cycles, ensuring that actions and decisions are appropriately tracked and that innovation governance aligns effectively with broader firm portfolio and PMO rhythms.
- Reporting & Insight: Prepare regular reporting on portfolio status, progress, and outcomes, supporting senior stakeholders with clear and structured insight into innovation activity across the firm.
- Project & Delivery Coordination: Provide structured coordination support across innovation initiatives, helping to track milestones, risks, and interdependencies, enabling consistent delivery discipline across projects, and supporting timely transition into wider delivery, operational ownership, or PMO-led structures where appropriate.
- Stakeholder Coordination: Work closely with the Head of Legal AI, Divisional Innovation Managers, the central PMO, and wider stakeholders to maintain alignment between demand, prioritisation, design, delivery, and portfolio management, and to support effective handovers between stages of the innovation lifecycle.
- Typically at least 3 years’ experience in portfolio coordination, PMO, operations, or similar roles within complex organisations.
- Demonstrable experience supporting governance frameworks and operating cadences, including preparing structured reporting for senior stakeholders and aligning project or portfolio information across related governance forums.
- Strong organisational skills with high attention to detail and disciplined documentation, process consistency and maintaining accurate, up-to-date portfolio information across multiple workstreams.
- Analytical mindset with the ability to interpret information and support prioritisation and tracking of activity.
- Excellent communication skills and the ability to work effectively across teams and functions.
- Comfortable working in evolving environments, with the ability to bring structure and clarity to developing processes and ways of working.
- Experience working within legal or professional services environments may be beneficial.
- Project or Programme Management certifications (e.g. PRINCE2, PMP, Agile) or equivalent practical experience.
Innovation Portfolio & Operations Lead (Any office location) employer: Freeths LLP
Freeths LLP is an exceptional employer that values its employees by fostering a collaborative and supportive work culture. With a focus on professional development, the company offers numerous growth opportunities while providing a hybrid working environment that promotes work-life balance. Join us in the UK to be part of a dynamic team where your contributions directly enhance operational excellence and client satisfaction.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Innovation Portfolio & Operations Lead (Any office location)
✨Leverage Innovation Hubs
Tap into local innovation hubs and research centres. These places often host events and workshops where you can meet like-minded people and industry leaders. Plus, they might have job openings that aren't widely advertised, so keep your ears open!
✨Showcase Your Projects
Turn your past innovation projects into compelling stories. Create a portfolio showcasing your creativity and problem-solving skills. This can give hiring managers a real flavour of what you can bring to the table at companies like Freeths LLP.
✨Connect at Industry Conferences
Make it a point to attend industry conferences and seminars focused on R&D and innovation management. These events are fantastic for networking and often have job boards or career fairs where you can connect directly with firms looking for talent.
✨Use Your University’s Resources
If you're fresh out of university, don't forget to tap into your institution's career services. They often have exclusive partnerships with companies seeking new talent in R&D, especially for full-time roles. It's a good shortcut to landing a gig at places like Freeths LLP.
We think you need these skills to ace Innovation Portfolio & Operations Lead (Any office location)
Some tips for your application 🫡
Showcase Your Creative Thinking:In innovation and R&D management, it's all about thinking outside the box. Make sure your CV highlights any projects or experiences that showcase your creative problem-solving skills. Use specific examples to illustrate how you've developed and implemented innovative ideas in previous roles.
Tailor Your Experience to R&D:When you're crafting your CV, focus on your experience in research and development. Highlight any relevant projects you've worked on, including methodologies used and results achieved. This will show us at Freeths LLP that you understand the R&D process and can contribute meaningfully to our projects.
Let Your Passion Shine in the Cover Letter:For a full-time role like this, your cover letter should reflect your genuine passion for innovation and development. Share your excitement about the opportunity to work at Freeths LLP and touch on how your goals align with our mission. This helps us see your motivation for wanting to join our team!
Quantify Your Achievements:Numbers speak volumes in R&D! Whenever possible, quantify your achievements in your CV. Whether it’s a percentage improvement in project outcomes, the budget size you’ve managed, or the number of successful products you've launched, these figures will help paint a clearer picture of your impact and capabilities.
How to prepare for a job interview at Freeths LLP
✨Show Off Your Innovative Thinking
In an Innovation R&D Management role at Freeths LLP, they're going to want to see how you approach problem-solving. Be ready to discuss previous projects where you introduced a new idea or process. Highlight your ability to think outside the box and provide examples where your innovations drove significant results.
✨Familiarity with Tools and Technologies
Make sure you're clued up on the latest tools and technologies related to innovation management, such as project management software and data analysis platforms. Being able to discuss specific tools you’ve used or have experience with will show Freeths LLP that you’re ready to hit the ground running.
✨Demonstrate Collaboration Skills
Since this is a full-time gig, emphasising your teamwork skills will be essential. In innovation, collaboration often sparks the best ideas, so be ready to talk about how you've worked effectively within cross-functional teams in your past roles. Have concrete examples at the ready!
✨Prepare for Scenario-Based Questions
Expect some scenario-based questions in your interview that reflect real challenges you might face in the role. £At Freeths LLP, they might want to see how you handle tight deadlines or manage conflicting ideas within a team. Prepare some responses that demonstrate your critical thinking and decisiveness in high-pressure situations.
