Wilson Sonsini is the premier legal advisor to technology, life sciences, and other growth enterprises worldwide. We represent companies at every stage of development, from entrepreneurial start-ups to multibillion-dollar global corporations, as well as the venture firms, private equity firms, and investment banks that finance and advise them. The firm has approximately 1,200 attorneys in 19 offices: 14 in the U.S., three in China, and two in Europe. Our broad spectrum of practices and entrepreneurial spirit allow our staff exceptional opportunities for professional achievement and career growth.
The Pricing and Legal Project Management team supports lawyers with the full spectrum of pricing and legal project management needs, including rate management and negotiation, the creation and management of alternative fee arrangements (AFAs), development of product pricing strategies, and implementation of innovative approaches to important business issues that impact client acquisition, retention, and profitability.
The Senior Pricing Manager will help lead and manage the annual rate increase and rate negotiation processes, while continually working to create and refine pricing infrastructure. Additionally, they will develop, iterate, and utilize sophisticated pricing and profitability models to support lawyer pricing requests and other pricing projects and initiatives.
Position may be tied to any of Wilson Sonsini's offices or may be fully remote.
Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
- Develop, define, and implement advanced pricing strategies based on the firm's financial objectives.
- Lead and manage the annual client rate review and negotiation processes, ensuring competitive positioning while maintaining firm profitability, including analyzing and recommending rates across seniority tiers, geographies, and practice areas.
- Leverage LPM principles and resources to enhance pricing models and profitability analyses.
- Utilize financial modeling to evaluate pricing structures and their impact on the firm's bottom line, incorporating best practices in financial reporting and internal controls.
- Conduct market analyses to identify pricing opportunities and threats, presenting findings and strategic recommendations to senior management.
- Collaborate with stakeholders across functions, including lawyers, Finance, IT, and Business Development, to create tailored pricing solutions for our clients, prepare RFP responses, and integrate pricing strategies within the firm's broader operational and technological frameworks.
- Continue to improve upon pricing infrastructure by collaborating with lawyers and Knowledge Management to define key product segments for each area of practice.
- Leverage the firm’s BI platform to facilitate development and visualization of complex analyses.
- Collaborate closely with LPM, Finance, and IT to leverage data analytics and technology solutions, such as Power BI and SQL, to refine pricing models and decision-making processes.
- Foster a culture of continuous process improvement and innovation within the Pricing team, encouraging the adoption of new technologies and methodologies to enhance efficiency and effectiveness.
- Draft and edit highly professional, accurate, and actionable email correspondence.
- Contribute to innovation and digital transformation initiatives, exploring the use of AI and machine learning to optimize pricing strategies and client value.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in finance, economics, accounting, or related field; an MBA or equivalent is a plus.
- A minimum of 7 years of experience in financial analysis, with a strong preference for candidates with previous pricing experience in a legal or professional services environment.
- Demonstrated experience in developing complex pricing strategies and managing large data sets to drive decision-making, including the ability to analyze data effectively and present findings to senior management and lawyer leadership.
- Excellent communication and negotiation skills, capable of effectively articulating pricing strategies and influencing key stakeholders.
- Considerable familiarity with LPM practices and how they intersect with pricing strategy to drive efficiency and client value.
- Effective leadership capabilities with a proven history of managing and developing teams (whether direct reports or cross-functional).
- A strong commitment to excellence, ownership, and accountability.
- Self-motivated with a strong sense of urgency and the ability to work under pressure in a fast-paced environment.
- Exceptional attention to detail.
- Extensive financial modelling experience (maintaining complex spreadsheets, creative use of formulas, pivot tables, etc.).
- Proficiency in financial software and tools, including SQL, VBA, Power BI, and Aderant a plus.
- Flexibility to adjust work schedule according to workload demands.
The primary location for this job posting is in Palo Alto, but other locations may be listed. The actual base pay offered will depend upon a variety of factors, including but not limited to the selected candidate’s qualifications, years of relevant experience, level of education, professional certifications and licenses, and work location. The anticipated pay range for this position is as follows:
San Francisco and Silicon Valley: $163,200 - $220,800 per year
Austin, Boston, Boulder, District of Columbia, Los Angeles, New York, San Diego, Seattle, and Wilmington: $147,050 - $198,950 per year
Salt Lake City and all other locations: $130,900 - $177,100 per year
The compensation for this position may include a discretionary year-end merit bonus based on performance. We offer a highly competitive salary and benefits package.
Benefits information can be found here. Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE).
