Program Manager, Strategic Partnerships – LegalTech

About Smokeball

With offices in Australia, the US, and the UK, Smokeball is the leading provider of legal practice management software helping small and mid-sized legal practices run their best firm and live their best life. We’re passionate about what we do, and our clients know it!

Culture plays a big part in our success, and our clear purpose and vision motivate us daily.

The Role

We’re looking for a Program Manager, Strategic Partnerships, to lead the development and expansion of new partner programs, including managing the execution and strategy of 30+ state and local bar association relationships. This role requires an individual with an entrepreneurial and creative mindset that has previous experience both building and managing partner programs in the LegalTech or Legal AI partnerships space. From nurturing ongoing partner relationships to driving new and unique opportunities, you’ll be the architect for a first-of-its-kind innovative program.

You will combine strategic partnerships, sales, and market expansion: sourcing and landing new partners, representing Smokeball in partner education and industry events, and opening new channels. This is a player-coach role for someone who is opportunity driven, thrives in ambiguity and constant reprioritization, and moves fast from strategy to measurable results.

Open to remote candidates or candidates within the Chicagoland area. Our headquarters is located in Chicago, IL and for candidates in the Chicagoland area, the role will be hybrid with 2 days a week in office.

Responsibilities:

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Program Strategy: Develop and evolve our partner program strategy, and areas of focus.

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Lead Business Development: Drive the creation of new partner programs with bar associations and other key organizations.

- - Identify strategic opportunities to build new programs.

- - Write and pitch proposals to potential new partners.

- - Drive negotiations with partners and contract review.

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Build Program Operations to Scale: Create new program operations and processes, developing a scalable playbook for long-term growth of partner programs and teams.

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Partner Relationship Management: Create and maintain strong relationships with key partners to drive success and create innovative opportunities.

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Contract Review & Negotiation: Lead negotiations and creation of terms with key partners, reviewing and approving contracts, redlines, and setting commercial terms.

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Partner Revenue Targets: Establish partner targets for referral quality, program participation, and revenue contribution; monitor and report against those metrics.

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Drive Partner Marketing & Education: Liaison with marketing, education, and training teams to design campaigns for partner adoption and promotion that lead to measurable revenue and brand awareness.

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ROI analysis & Reporting: Track and update partner ROI reports and analyze results regularly to determine trends and growth opportunities.

What You Bring

- 5+ years of demonstrated experience building and/or managing partner programs in the LegalTech, Legal AI, or the bar association space, bar association partner programs experience is preferred.

- A deep understanding of the legal technology and Legal AI space

- Experience building partner programs from scratch in tech is a plus, including managing a team.

- Strong familiarity with commercial contracts and contract negotiation. JD or legal experience is a plus.

- Experience with CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce) and project management tools is a plus.

- Strong communication and presentation skills.

- Occasional travel is expected, estimated 25% of the time.

Compensation Band

The salary for this role is between $130,000-170,000 based on experience.

What's in it for you?

💵 Competitive Salary

💹 Work-Life Balance: 20 vacation days, 3 reboot days, birthday off, volunteer time, and more!

🧘 Benefits: Excellent medical, dental, vision coverage. 401(k) matc