AVP Product Lead, Legal Systems

Over the last 20 years, Ares’ success has been driven by our people and our culture. Today, our team is guided by our core values – Collaborative, Responsible, Entrepreneurial, Self-Aware, Trustworthy – and our purpose to be a catalyst for shared prosperity and a better future. Through our recruitment, career development and employee-focused programming, we are committed to fostering a welcoming and inclusive work environment where high-performance talent of diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives can build careers within this exciting and growing industry.

Job Description

Product Lead, Legal Systems

Department: Technology – Corporate Technology (Legal, Risk & Compliance Technology)
Reports to: Head of Legal Risk and Compliance Product
Location: New York, NY

Over the last 20 years, Ares’ success has been driven by our people and our culture. Today, our team is guided by our core values – Collaborative, Responsible, Entrepreneurial, Self-Aware, Trustworthy – and our purpose to be a catalyst for shared prosperity and a better future. Through our recruitment, career development and employee-focused programming, we are committed to fostering a welcoming and inclusive work environment where high-performance talent of diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives can build careers within this exciting and growing industry.

Job Description

Ares is seeking a Product Lead, Legal Systems to join Corporate Technology. This role will shape and execute the product strategy and roadmap for technology capabilities supporting Ares’ Legal and related GRC workflows—driving scalable, secure, and audit-ready solutions that improve operational efficiency, transparency, and stakeholder experience.

The ideal candidate is a Legal Systems subject matter expert with experience in a complex environment—ideally from a large alternative asset manager, large law firm, and/or consulting background supporting sophisticated legal operations. This leader will partner closely with Legal leadership, cross-functional stakeholders, and technology delivery teams to define priorities, translate business needs into actionable roadmaps, and deliver measurable outcomes. Familiarity with the legal and private funds ecosystem is important, including Legal Entity Management, GRC platforms (e.g., Archer), matter management, eDiscovery, and tools/workflows supporting side letters, the private funds lifecycle, and related governance processes. Experience with low-code platforms and strong process/solution documentation skills (e.g., Lucidchart) are strongly preferred.

PRIMARY FUNCTIONS AND ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES

• Own the product strategy and roadmap for the Legal Systems portfolio, aligning priorities with Legal leadership, enterprise objectives, and Corporate Technology direction.
• Serve as the primary technology partner to Legal stakeholders—building trusted relationships, shaping demand, and translating business goals into clear product capabilities and measurable outcomes.
• Provide subject matter leadership across core Legal and GRC workflows, including intake/triage, matter management, entity governance, eDiscovery enablement, and controls/issue management.
• Drive discovery and definition activities: process mapping, end-user journey mapping, requirements elicitation, user stories, acceptance criteria, and prioritization—leveraging Lucidchart and clear documentation standards.
• Lead and coordinate delivery across the full product lifecycle: design, build oversight, testing/UAT, release management, change management, training, adoption tracking, and post-launch support.
• Coordinate cross-platform dependencies and roadmap sequencing with other product owners and platform teams to ensure end-to-end outcomes across Legal, Risk, Compliance, Finance, and Data.
• Partner with Enterprise Architecture, Security, and Data teams to ensure solutions align with enterprise standards for resiliency, identity/access controls, privacy, data governance, records retention, and auditability.
• Define and maintain platform governance: prioritization processes, backlog management, release discipline, documentation, and operational readiness standards.
• Manage vendor relationships and delivery partners as needed, including selection support, roadmap alignment, implementation oversight, and service performance management.
• Provide executive-ready communications and reporting: roadmap progress, risks/issues, dependencies, KPIs, and clear decision points with recommendations.

QUALIFICATIONS

• 10+ years of experience in technology product management, business analysis, or delivery leadership supporting Legal systems and/or GRC platforms in financial services or similarly complex environments.
• Bachelor’s degree required; technology background preferred.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; ability to influence across senior stakeholders and technical teams.
• Adaptable and able to work effectively in a fast-paced, evolving environment.

Experience Required

• Demonstrated SME-level familiarity with Legal and GRC technology ecosystems and workflows, including one or more of:
  • Legal Entity Management systems (e.g., GEMS or comparable)
  • GRC platforms (e.g., Archer or similar) and related controls/issue workflows
  • Matter management platforms and legal intake processes
  • eDiscovery tools and supporting document workflows
  • Tools and workflows supporting side letters, private funds, and the fund lifecycle
• Proven track record implementing and enhancing legal/GRC systems with end-to-end ownership (requirements through adoption and operationalization).
• Strong process mapping and solution documentation skills, including proficiency with Lucidchart (preferred).
• Working knowledge of integrations and data concepts (APIs, batch, data feeds, reporting), and the ability to partner effectively with engineering and integration teams.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional working groups, manage timelines, and drive results in a matrixed environment.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills; ability to use data and stakeholder feedback to drive prioritization and continuous improvement.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience at a large alternative asset manager, large law firm, and/or consulting firm supporting legal operations technology (strongly preferred).
• Experience modernizing legal platforms and rationalizing toolsets; strong perspective on scalable operating models and governance.
• Familiarity with workflow/case management and low-code platforms (Pega, Appian, Power Platform) and how they can be applied to legal operations.
• Comfort coordinating with vendors and external delivery partners in a high-expectation environment.

General Requirements

• Ability to manage challenging workloads in a fast-paced, dynamic organization while balancing multiple assignments and deadlines.
• Strong sense of ownership and accountability; proactive and dependable with a bias toward action.
• Inquisitive and committed to continuous improvement and learning.
• Strong organizational skills with demonstrated ability to manage competing priorities and drive deliverables to completion.
• Excellent interpersonal skills; able to interact effectively with stakeholders at all levels and influence decision-making.
• Flexibility in working hours when needed to coordinate with team members across time zones.
• Comfort with ambiguity; strong judgment and ability to resolve issues with minimal supervision.
• Strong strategic thinker and pragmatic problem solver with exceptional attention to detail.

Reporting Relationships

Compensation

$150k - $180k

There is no set deadline to apply for this job opportunity. Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until the search is no longer active.