Manager, Legal Operations and Contracting

This salaried position is eligible to participate in the Management Incentive Plan.

The position is hybrid with the opportunity to work remotely 2-3 days per week. Location is La Jolla.

About Scripps Health

Founded in 1924, Scripps Health is a $5 billion, private nonprofit health system based in San Diego, founded in 1924 by philanthropist Ellen Browning Scripps. Serving over 600,000 patients annually, it operates five acute-care hospitals, 30 outpatient centers, home health services, and a wide physician network of 3,000 affiliated doctors and 17,800 employees. Recognized nationally for excellence, Scripps has earned top rankings from U.S. News & World Report, Fortune, Newsweek, and Becker's Healthcare, and maintains an AA rating with a stable outlook from S&P Global Ratings due to its strong leadership and financial performance.

Position Summary

Scripps Health has an exciting opportunity for a Director, Legal Operations and Contracting to lead the business and operational infrastructure of its Legal Department. Reporting to the Chief Legal Officer, this position is responsible for the department's, legal technology and contract lifecycle systems, budget and financial management, outside counsel and vendor relationships, e-discovery and litigation support coordination, and department metrics and reporting.

The role will be focused primarily on driving efficiency and productivity, implementing a state-of-the-art contract management system and technology infrastructure to streamline and automate processes, promoting professional development, improving knowledge management and sharing capabilities and improving communications and collaboration for the Informatica Legal department. The successful candidate will translate department priorities into scalable programs and processes and build strong relationships with the various functions in the Legal department, as well as other internal stakeholders including finance, HR, clinical operations, information security and other operational groups.

This is a hands-on, individual-contributor-plus-team-lead role suited to an experienced legal operations and contracting professional who can both set strategy and execute independently in a lean department, and who understands the regulatory and operational complexity of a hospital and physician-group environment. The position is hybrid with the opportunity to work remotely 2-3 days per week.

As Manager, Legal Operations and Contracting, your key responsibilities will be as follows:

Legal Technology & Contract Lifecycle Management

• Serve as business owner for the Legal Department's core technology stack, including contract lifecycle management system (CLM), matter management, e-billing, entity management, and knowledge management platforms.

• Lead selection, implementation, and continuous improvement of legal technology, including integration with enterprise systems (ERP, procurement, EHR-adjacent platforms) where relevant.

• Lead contract management strategy, governance, and continuous improvement, including contract lifecycle management systems, processes, and controls.

• Oversee CLM and data, ensuring tools, databases, and reporting meet the needs of hospital and clinic leadership, Legal, Compliance, Supply Chain, and other key stakeholders.

• Provide strategic contract guidance throughout the contract lifecycle, including creation, negotiation, administration, amendments, renewals, and terminations.

• Leverage contract data and analytics to support informed decision-making, reduce risk, and achieve favorable business outcomes.

• Drive adoption of self-service tools and playbooks (e.g., contract templates, approval workflows) to reduce cycle time for routine agreements, including physician, vendor, and facilities contracts.

• Maintain the legal department intranet/portal and knowledge management resources to improve accessibility of templates, policies, and precedent.

• Outside Counsel & Vendor Management. Direct legal operations and financial management related to outside counsel, including invoice review, eBilling,(Legal Tracker), matter management (iManage), legal spend, budget management, and cost-containment strategies.

Team Leadership & Department Operations

• Manage and develop a small team of, paralegal, or administrative staff (2-4 direct reports).

• Oversee Legal department operations, including matter management, workflow optimization, records administration, and initiatives that improve operational effectiveness.

Financial & Strategic Planning

• Partner with Information Services, Compliance, Legal, and operational leaders to evaluate emerging technologies, including AI, and recommend solutions that support business needs while addressing governance, risk, and compliance. Drive technology integration and innovation by developing strategies for the effective adoption, governance, and ongoing optimization of contract and legal operations technologies.

Compliance, Risk & E-Discovery Coordination

• Coordinate litigation holds, e-discovery collection, and records retention processes in partnership with in-house litigation counsel, IT, and outside e-discovery vendors.

• Partner with the Compliance, Privacy, and Risk Management departments on cross-functional initiatives involving HIPAA, regulatory reporting, and enterprise risk programs, ensuring the Legal Department's tools and processes support (without duplicating) those functions.

Required Education/Experience/Specialized Skills:

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Legal Studies, Healthcare Administration, or a related field.
• 5+ years of experience in legal operations, eBilling, legal technology, contract analysis, or law firm billing.
• Strong understanding of:
  • Legal billing processes and coding
  • Invoice review and compliance guidelines
  • Financial reporting and budget tracking
• Experience working with or supporting technology implementations or system administration.
• Advanced proficiency in Excel and data analysis tools.

Preferred Education/Experience/Specialized Skills/Certification:

• Experience with Legal Tracker and iManage.
• Experience in a healthcare system, hospital network, or regulated industry.
• Exposure to or experience with AI tools in a legal or business setting.
• Experience collaborating with IT/Information Services teams.