Manager Outside Counsel and Legal Vendors leads the Company’s global outside counsel and vendor management program, overseeing legal billing operations, budgeting and forecasting, and negotiations to drive cost savings while maintaining high-quality legal services. This role manages the full law firm and vendor lifecycle, including selection, onboarding, engagement terms, billing compliance, and the e-billing system to ensure accurate, timely invoicing and budget adherence. The director uses data-driven analysis to negotiate global rate agreements and AFAs, conduct annual rate reviews, establish benchmarking and guidelines, and monitor legal spending and matter performance to identify and deliver cost-containment opportunities.
Why This Role Matters
- Owns global spend governance and risk control by leading the end‑to‑end outside counsel and vendor management program, ensuring consistent engagement practices, billing compliance, and financial discipline across all regions.
- Drives materiales cost savings and budget predictability through data‑driven rate negotiations, alternative fee arrangements, benchmarking, and proactive forecasting of legal spend.
- Improves operational efficiency and transparency by overseeing e‑billing, matter management, and reporting to give leadership clear visibility into spend, performance, and law firm value.
- Elevates quality and strategic alignment of legal services by setting outside counsel guidelines, standardizing firm selection and staffing practices, and ensuring the right resources are used for the right work.
What You Will Do
- Lead the Company’s global outside counsel and legal vendor management program, ensuring high‑quality legal services while driving cost efficiency.
- Oversee the full law firm and vendor lifecycle, including selection, onboarding, fee negotiations, engagement letters, and compliance with billing and guidelines.
- Manage legal billing operations and the e‑billing system, ensuring accurate invoice processing, budget adherence, and transparency in legal spend.
- Negotiate global law firm rate agreements, including hourly rates, alternative fee arrangements (AFAs), and service level terms, supported by benchmarking and rate intelligence.
- Direct annual law firm rate reviews and ongoing spend analysis using data‑driven insights to inform decisions and identify cost‑saving opportunities.
- Develop, update, and enforce outside counsel guidelines and internal engagement frameworks to align with best practices and support consistent, efficient legal operations.
What We’re Looking For
- Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, business, or a related field; JD or MBA.
- 5+ years of experience in a large corporate legal department or law firm–adjacent environment, with a focus on e‑billing operations, pricing, analytics, or legal project management.
- Experience leading and managing legal billing and vendor management teams, with demonstrated business judgment and stakeholder partnership skills.
- Proven experience designing, negotiating, and evaluating law firm rates and fee arrangements, including alternative fee agreements.
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Goodyear is one of the world's largest tire companies. It employs about 68,000 people and manufactures its products in 51 facilities in 19 countries around the world. Its two Innovation Centers in Akron, Ohio, and Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg, strive to develop state-of-the-art products and services that set the technology and performance standard for the industry. For more information about Goodyear and its products, go to Goodyear.com.
If you need reasonable accommodation to complete the online application, or any other part of the employment process, please contact the Goodyear Candidate Care Line at 330.796.4500.
Goodyear is an equal employment opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any characteristic protected by law.