Project Management (PM) Associate / PMO Associate

Title: Project Management (PM) Associate / PMO Associate

Company: Talley LLP

Location: Orange, CA (FT-Onsite)

About the Firm

Talley, LLP, and its affiliated entities—Talley Law Group, LLP (“TLG”), Talley Capital Group, LLC (“TCG”), and Talley Wealth Management, LLC (“TWM”) (collectively “Talley”)—is a full-service financial, tax, legal, and consulting organization serving entrepreneurially driven businesses and their owners. Talley partners with clients as business advisors, not just service providers, constantly seeking innovative ways to strengthen their bottom line.

Talley, LLP, was founded in 1989, with the mission of helping entrepreneurial driven businesses, their owners, and high net worth individuals, to manage their financial affairs and to achieve their business objectives profitably and efficiently. Our professionals strive to become each client’s Most Trusted Advisor (MTA) by delivering global solutions to our client’s complex challenges and opportunities.

Our services include:

• Audit & Assurance services, including financial reporting
• Tax compliance,
• Tax planning, and proactive advice
• Business consulting
• Estate planning, business planning, M&A, and tax law services delivered through TLG
• Outsourced accounting, controller and CFO services
• M&A, growth-through-acquisition, and operational consulting delivered through TCG

Talley is a boutique firm with 70+ U.S.-based professionals and 20–30 offshore/outsourced team members. Headquartered in Orange, CA, the firm has grown rapidly, becoming a leading Orange County professional services provider. We embrace a hybrid work culture built on accountability, results, and exceptional client service delivered by professional, motivated individuals.

Role Purpose

The PM Associate will strengthen Talley LLP’s operational and PMO capabilities by providing clear visibility into performance, utilization, and execution across professional services teams. This role supports firm leadership through data-driven insights, dashboard reporting, and project coordination, while helping scale Talley’s operational infrastructure within a time-and-billing professional services environment.

What Success Looks Like (12–18 Months)

A successful PMO Associate will:

• Deliver accurate, actionable dashboards tracking employee performance and utilization
• Improve leadership visibility into month-to-date, year-to-date, and budget vs. actual performance
• Support the smooth execution of cross-functional initiatives without creating operational bottlenecks
• Establish greater structure and discipline in operational reporting
• Reduce friction between leadership, operations, and service teams through clear communication and follow-through

Core Responsibilities

• Build and maintain employee performance dashboards (utilization, productivity, trends)
• Support PMO initiatives by tracking projects, timelines, milestones, and deliverables
• Assist leadership with resource planning, utilization tracking, and capacity analysis
• Coordinate cross-functional operational initiatives across audit, tax, legal, and administrative teams
• Prepare executive-ready reporting and analytics to support operational decision-making
• Identify opportunities for process improvement and operational efficiency
• Support time-and-billing environments (hourly, time & materials), including related documentation and reporting

Required Experience

Candidates must demonstrate:

• Experience within a CPA firm, legal firm, or professional services organization
• Background in operations, PMO, or administrative leadership
• Hands-on experience supporting professionals who bill time
• Proven ability to build or maintain performance dashboards and operational reporting
• Comfort working directly with senior leadership and handling sensitive data
• Exposure to or direct experience applying AI tools beyond simple drafting and/or proof-reading emails or word documents

Technical & Analytical Requirements

• Advanced proficiency in Excel (required)
• Strong experience in data analysis, reporting, and dashboard development
• Power BI experience (highly preferred)
• Ability to synthesize data into clear, executive-level insights

Preferred Qualifications (Nice to Have)

• PMP (Project Management Professional) certification
• Lean Six Sigma / Six Sigma training or certification
• Formal project management training
• Background in professional service (or legal) firm operations

Behavioral Competencies

• Highly analytical and detail-oriented
• Organized, process-driven, and execution-focused
• Comfortable operating in an evolving and exploratory role
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Able to balance tactical execution with strategic thinking

Working Style & Expectations

• Operates with a professional services mindset
• Prioritizes clarity, accuracy, and accountability
• Supports leadership without creating unnecessary administrative overhead
• Adapts role scope as the PMO function matures and scales