Project Intake Manager

 ABOUT THE FIRM 

Secretariat professionals are trusted in the highest-stakes legal, risk, and regulatory matters around the world. 

When you join Secretariat, you become part of a rapidly growing elite team of bright minds and passionate problem-solvers. Your skills and expertise will be utilized on day one – working with the world’s most renowned law firms, leading corporations, and influential institutions to answer complex questions that shape critical financial, economic, and strategic business decisions. 

Our globally integrated teams are united by the ambition, energy, and commitment they bring to every challenge. We inspire and empower an open, collaborative culture that embraces ongoing professional development, recognition, diversity, and – most importantly – you.

Make your impact at Secretariat. 

POSITION OVERVIEW 

 We are seeking a highly organized and detail-oriented Project Intake Manager to join our Finance team. This role is critical in ensuring the accurate setup and ongoing maintenance of client engagements within our systems. The Project Intake Manager will act as a key liaison between Finance, Legal Operations (including Conflict Management), Billing, Project Management teams, Managing Directors, and senior leadership to translate engagement terms into executable billing structures.  
 

This individual will play a central role in supporting the full project lifecycle—from initial intake and setup through ongoing maintenance—while ensuring alignment with firm policies, client agreements, and revenue recognition requirements. The role regularly partners with Managing Directors and senior leadership to support engagement set up, billing structures, operational requirements, and compliance with firm policies.  

RESPONSIBILITIES   

Project Intake & Setup  

• Analyze engagement letters, statements of work, and contracts to identify appropriate billing structures and requirements  
• Translate engagement terms into accurate project setups within Workday across various billing types (e.g., time & expense, fixed fee, milestone, retainers)  
• Develop and maintain project structures and basic budgeting tools for fixed fee, milestone and alternative fee engagements to support project monitoring and financial management.
• Work within our contract management tool, Evisort, to ensure engagement letter terms are being abstracted properly.  

Systems & Access Management  

• Create and manage project folders and user access across systems in alignment with firm policies  
• Partner with Legal Operations and Conflict Management to support the implementation and maintenance of ethical walls and other engagement-specific access restrictions in accordance with firm policies and requirements  
• Assign and manage user access across systems in accordance with project needs and firm policies  

Project Maintenance  

• Oversee project records throughout the lifecycle, including updating client data, staffing, billing rates, structures, budgets, and other project financial attributes as required  
• Support and implement firm-wide updates such as annual rate changes and billing adjustment.  

Cross-Functional Collaboration  

• Serve as a primary point of contact for project setup and billing-related inquiries from Finance, Project Managers, Managing Directors, and senior leadership  
• Act as a liaison between Finance, Legal Operations, Billing, Project Management, and Managing Directors to ensure engagement terms, billing structures and project configurations are accurately implemented  
• Communicate complex billing scenarios clearly to non-finance stakeholders  
• Provide recommendations regarding project setup, billing structures, and operational considerations to support accurate project execution and compliance with engagement terms  

Process Improvement & Quality Control  

• Identify opportunities to improve intake, setup, and maintenance processes  
• Ensure data integrity and consistency across systems while identifying and implementing process improvements  
• Develop and maintain standard operating procedures in partnership with practice leaders  

QUALIFICATIONS 

Required:  

• 5+ years of experience in a finance, billing, or operations role within a professional services environment  
• Strong understanding of project-based billing concepts and structures  
• Exceptional attention to detail and organizational skills  
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities  
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills  

Preferred:  

• Experience with Workday (Financials/Projects) strongly preferred  
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel  
• Experience with SharePoint administration and permissions  
• Familiarity with Intapp or similar intake/conflicts systems  
• Experience supporting legal, consulting, or other professional services firms  

Key Competencies  

• Ability to interpret and operationalize complex contractual terms  
• Ability to build effective working relationships with Managing Directors, Project Managers, and senior business stakeholders  
• Strong stakeholder management and cross-functional collaboration
• High level of ownership and accountability  
• Understanding of ethical wall requirements, project access controls, and related risk management considerations within a professional services environment  
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment  
• Process-oriented mindset with a focus on continuous improvement