Head of Legal Operations & Chief of Staff

Role Overview

The Head of Legal Operations & Chief of Staff is a strategic and operational leadership role serving as the operational proxy to the Chief Legal Officer (CLO) while directly leading and managing the Legal Operations function.

Reporting to the CLO, you will bridge legal practice and corporate functional areas, drive vendor and budget efficiency, lead legal technology and AI use cases, and streamline cross-functional workflows to scale Okta's global legal operations in a high-velocity environment.

The role will also serve as a key driver of company and department initiatives and culture, including through department programs, events and day to day practices.  You will seek to create an environment where our employees and business partners can get more successfully completed, understand our business strategy and operations, and feel a greater sense of impact and company ownership.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Proxy & Executive Partnership

CLO Advisory & Representation: Serve as trusted proxy and advisor to the CLO in executive forums and key decision-making bodies.

Department Alignment: Connect leadership across Legal Department specialties (Commercial, IP, Privacy, Corporate, Compliance and other teams) to ensure legal programs align directly with business goals.

Organizational Alignment: Connect with chiefs of staff and leadership across all company departments to ensure legal strategy and budgets align directly with business goals.

Special Initiatives: Lead high-impact, cross-functional legal and corporate programs from design through execution.

Legal Operations & Technology Leadership

Operational Strategy: Direct and scale enterprise-wide Legal Operations infrastructure, intake models, and workflow automation.

Legal Tech & AI Roadmap: Oversee evaluation and rollout of legal technology stacks (CLM, e-Billing, entity management) and incorporate practical AI tools into daily workflows.

Metrics & Analytics: Establish legal KPIs and operational dashboards to track team performance, turnaround times, and department ROI.

Vendor & Outside Counsel Management: Direct outside counsel guidelines, fee negotiations, billing compliance, and alternative fee arrangements.

Business Operations & Financial Stewardship

Budget Oversight: Manage global Legal Department operating budgets and external legal spend in partnership with Finance and the legal leadership team.

Process Modernization: Frictionless workflow redesign between Legal and key cross-functional partners (Sales, Finance, Security, Product).

Planning & Execution: Lead QBRs, annual planning, and resource allocation across the global Legal organization.

Core Qualifications

Experience: 10+ years in legal operations, chief of staff, or strategic legal/business operations within a high-growth tech environment.

Legal Operations Mastery: Proven success scaling legal operations, implementing CLM/e-Billing and AI enabled tech, creating and improving legal department processes and managing outside counsel spend.

Financial & Business Acumen: Strong background managing departmental budgets, vendor negotiations, and data-driven reporting.

Executive Presence and Management: Ability to partner effectively with C-suite leadership and influence cross-functional teams, as well as manage cross functional teams.

Education: Bachelor’s degree required; JD or MBA strongly preferred.

Key Competencies & Leadership Attributes

Executive Influence & Collaboration: Trusted advisor with exceptional judgment, discreet handling of sensitive matters, and a track record of partnering across C-suite levels to drive alignment.

Strategic & Operational Execution: Highly organized and outcome-driven problem solver who balances strategic vision with hands-on execution under tight deadlines.

Cross-Functional Leadership: Skilled team manager and relationship builder who leads cross-functional initiatives and influences without authority across diverse, matrixed teams.

Modern Tech Proficiency: Fluent in Google Workspace, MS Office, and enterprise project management platforms to drive workflow efficiency.

PID: P9516_3530823

#LI-Hybrid

Below is the annual base salary range for candidates located in San Francisco Bay Area. Your actual base salary will depend on factors such as your skills, qualifications, experience, and work location. In addition, Okta offers equity (where applicable), bonus, and benefits, including health, dental and vision insurance, 401(k), flexible spending account, and paid leave (including PTO and parental leave) in accordance with our applicable plans and policies. To learn more about our Total Rewards program please visit: https://rewards.okta.com/us.

The annual base salary range for this position for candidates located in the San Francisco Bay area is between:

$238,000—$327,000 USD