Finance Applications Manager (Aderant)

Nixon Peabody offers a dynamic, energizing environment that promotes success for clients and team members. This role blends portfolio leadership, application lifecycle governance, delivery oversight, and stakeholder engagement to ensure systems remain reliable, secure, scalable, and aligned with the firm's business objectives. A remote work arrangement is available.

About the role

The Finance Applications Manager oversees the implementation, support, and strategic optimization of business applications within the organization, with a core focus on enhancing and continually optimizing the user experience. This role supports enterprise financial applications, including Aderant (time and billing), accounts payable, general ledger, financial reporting, and related systems, along with their integrations, workflows, and AI directions.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the key technical and business liaison to the Finance organization, building strong relationships with the CFO, Controller, billing leadership, and finance operations teams.
• Translate business needs into technical solutions, advocate for finance stakeholders within IT, and align financial systems strategy, roadmap, and day-to-day support with Finance department priorities.
• Coordinate, oversee, and delegate the firm’s technology department resources, vendors, contractors, and consultants, acting as a project manager while collaborating with dedicated project managers on larger initiatives.
• Work closely with related teams to ensure optimal system configuration, performance, upgrades, and cloud migration, aligning feature adoption with business requirements.
• Establish ownership over a portfolio of key enterprise financial applications and partner with teams outside IT to ensure proper operation, maintenance, and lifecycle management.
• Lead the selection, deployment, management, and continuous optimization of applications, focusing on improving end-user experience and aligning with organizational goals.
• Monitor, troubleshoot, support, document, and maintain all required systems, performing systems administration for in-house, cloud-based, or custom solutions, including addressing runtime issues, upgrades, patching, and testing.
• Ensure 24x7 high availability, performance, and sufficient capacity for efficient day-to-day operations.
• Develop and maintain a roadmap for systems, including upgrades, new feature adoption, server replacement, and cloud migration.
• Meet regularly with vendors and internal system owners to stay updated on new features, plan upgrades, and evaluate licensing changes.
• Communicate effectively with non-technical stakeholders, collaborate with business units to gather requirements, recommend solutions, and deliver enhancements or new applications.
• Evaluate and recommend steps for upgrading, replacing, or migrating enterprise systems, coordinating complex project plans as needed.
• Assist in implementing disaster recovery and business continuity plans for enterprise applications.
• Stay current with industry trends and emerging technologies to recommend innovative solutions that elevate the user experience.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• 5+ years of progressive experience working with enterprise software services.
• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, computer engineering, information technology, or equivalent experience.
• Demonstrated leadership experience supporting legal industry applications or working in a law-firm environment.
• Exceptional communication, relationship-building, and stakeholder management abilities.
• Strategic thinker with analytical problem-solving skills and attention to detail.
• Proven ability to manage multiple priorities while maintaining delivery focus and quality.

Skills

• Legal Time & Billing Platforms: Deep expertise in Aderant Expert (configuration, customization, workflows, and administration), familiarity with competing platforms (Elite 3E, ProLaw), and understanding of legal billing concepts (WIP, eBilling, LEDES formats, matter management, and trust accounting).
• Financial & Accounting Systems: General ledger and accounts payable systems (Chrome River, Concur, or similar), financial reporting tools (Iridium BI, Aderant Spotlight, Power BI for Finance), and budget/forecasting applications (Big Hand, etc.).
• Database & Integration Technologies: SQL Server administration, SSIS/SSRS for ETL and reporting, integration platforms (e.g., Boomi), APIs, web services, data warehousing, and dimensional modeling.
• Reporting & Analytics: Power BI (for finance dashboards), SSRS, Aderant's reporting ecosystem.
• Application Lifecycle & Delivery: ITIL framework, service management practices, change and release management, testing methodologies (UAT coordination, regression testing).
• Project & Portfolio Management: Agile, Waterfall, or hybrid methodologies; vendor management and SOW experience.
• Security & Compliance: Understanding of SOC 2, data privacy frameworks, financial controls, audit support (segregation of duties, access reviews), and disaster recovery/business continuity planning for financial systems.

Locations

Boston, MA; Chicago, IL; Los Angeles, CA; New York City, NY; Rochester, NY; San Francisco, CA; Washington, DC.

Pay

• Rochester, NY: $124,000 to $190,850
• Boston, MA: $136,500 to $210,100
• Chicago, IL: $136,500 to $210,100
• Los Angeles, CA: $136,500 to $210,100
• Washington, DC: $136,500 to $210,100
• New York, NY: $150,000 to $231,000
• San Francisco, CA: $150,000 to $231,000

In addition to a standard benefits package, this role may be eligible for additional contingent compensation based on factors such as work performance, geographic location, experience, education, and qualifications.