Leader - Process Improvement and Legal Operations

From a small family business to a multi-billion-dollar global company, Sonoco has been changing the face of products and packaging since 1899 — all while keeping the heart of “People Build Businesses” alive.

Our talented people are at the core of our growth, constantly reinventing the Sonoco wheel with brilliant solutions every year. Today we are a world leader in global packaging solutions with diversified operations in over 34 countries. We're extremely proud of our portfolio of brands, our achievements in sustainability and industrialization and the groundbreaking work accomplished by our people. 

While reporting to the Manager of Legal Operations, the Leader - Process Improvement and Legal Operations will provide dedicated operational support to the Office of Legal and Compliance by leading and supporting legal operations initiatives, systems optimization, departmental reporting, process improvement, change management, and project execution. This role is intended to strengthen the Legal Operations function by creating capacity for proactive engagement, scalable processes, improved governance support, and more effective use of legal technology across the department.

What you'll be doing:

• Support end-to-end administration, optimization, and adoption of legal department software platforms, including proactive engagement with users and stakeholders.
• Lead and support Contract Lifecycle Management implementation activities, including process design, rollout support, user adoption, training coordination, issue tracking, and continuous improvement as additional departments are onboarded.
• Identify and implement improvements to CLM workflows, intake processes, playbooks, reporting, and related contract management practices.
• Develop and maintain knowledge management processes, resources, templates, trackers, and documentation to improve consistency, accessibility, and institutional knowledge across the department.
• Provide project management support for legal operations, technology, process improvement, and other department initiatives, including tracking deliverables, timelines, owners, risks, and dependencies, as assigned.
• Drive departmental reporting, including recurring operational metrics, dashboards, workload reporting, budget-related reporting, and other leadership reporting needs.
• Drive proactive continuous improvement initiatives to improve efficiency, standardization, governance support, and scalability within Legal Operations.
• Serve as a lead operational resource for artificial intelligence-related legal operations initiatives, including coordination, process assessment, responsible use considerations, and adoption support.
• Monitor governance-related reporting and deadlines within applicable systems, including GEMS, to support proactive positioning and timely follow-up.
• Support budget compliance activities, including tracking, reporting, process discipline, and communication of key budget-related information.
• Lead change management efforts related to new processes, technology adoption, workflow transitions, and department-wide operational improvements.
• Assist with ad hoc projects as assigned, based on capacity, expertise, business need, and department priorities.

This position is located at our Corporate Headquarters in beautiful Hartsville, SC and close to exciting destinations (Myrtle Beach, SC Charleston, SC, Columbia, SC and Charlotte, NC).

We’d love to hear from you if:

• Experience in legal operations, contract management, corporate legal department support, compliance operations, project management, business operations, or a related function.
• Experience with contract lifecycle management systems, matter management systems, entity management systems, reporting tools, knowledge management resources, or other legal technology platforms.
• Experience supporting process documentation, training materials, user adoption, change management, or cross-functional implementation projects.
• Familiarity with corporate legal department budgeting, vendor management, operational reporting, or legal service delivery models.
• Strong project management, organization, and execution skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Ability to understand legal department workflows and translate operational needs into practical processes, tools, and reporting structures.
• Experience supporting technology-enabled business processes, system adoption, workflow improvement, or implementation initiatives.
• Strong analytical skills, including the ability to develop reports, identify trends, evaluate process gaps, and recommend improvements.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to work effectively with attorneys, legal staff, business partners, vendors, and cross-functional stakeholders.
• Comfort operating in a fast-paced environment with evolving priorities and a need for both responsive support and proactive improvement.
• High attention to detail, sound judgment, discretion, and ability to handle confidential and sensitive information appropriately.
• Continuous improvement mindset with the ability to identify inefficiencies, propose solutions, and help implement sustainable changes.

Compensation: 

The annual base salary range for this role is from $88,000 to $99,000. 

We are an equal opportunity employer, and we strictly prohibit and do not tolerate discrimination against employees, applicants or any other covered persons because of race, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, marital status, gender identity or expression, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any legally protected characteristic.