Director, Legal Talent Strategy, Planning and Operations

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett•New York, NY

About The Position

The Director of Legal Talent Strategy, Planning and Operations serves as a strategic partner, operational lead, and trusted advisor to the Chief Legal Talent Officer (CLTO). The role coordinates functional activities, operations, and people-related matters across Legal Talent, including Operations & Administration, Legal Talent technology, Training & Development, Integration, Legal Recruiting, Partner Development & Administration, and Inclusion. In partnership with the CLTO and functional leaders, the Director develops and implements strategic plans and initiatives to standardize, streamline, and enhance support for the Legal Talent function. This transformation role drives cross-functional coordination, manages high-priority initiatives, prepares executive communications and presentations, and translates strategic priorities into actionable plans and measurable outcomes. It identifies and implements technologies, systems, and ways of working to position Legal Talent as a modern, data-driven function. The role requires an understanding of big law or complex, highly matrixed organizations and extensive collaboration with Information Technology, Human Resources, Knowledge & Innovation, Client Development & Engagement, Regional Administration, and Practice Management. The Director reports directly to the CLTO and helps foster continuous improvement, collaboration, and professional development within the department. The Director serves on the CLTO’s Leadership Team and leads strategic planning, cross-functional coordination, process improvement, change management, project and vendor oversight, budget and headcount planning, data analysis and reporting, executive support and communications, and stakeholder management. The role also leads the Legal Talent team’s technology and AI transformation agenda and partners with Information Technology and Knowledge & Innovation. In talent management, the Director supports professional staff recruiting, onboarding, training and development, job architecture, workflow management, and team culture.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree.
Minimum of 15 years of comparable experience in professional services, consulting, legal operations, or a related field is strongly preferred.
Well-developed business acumen, financial and analytical skills, and ability to develop short- and long-term strategic and operational plans from broadly stated objectives.
Strong ability to prioritize and manage multiple operational initiatives simultaneously, including business transformation or service-model shifts and significant real estate or construction projects.
Outstanding interpersonal skills and ability to lead through influence, champion new ideas and approaches, and build consensus-based support for business strategies and decisions.
Excellent presentation, writing, and verbal communication skills, including the ability to interact credibly and diplomatically with all organizational levels and external communities and tailor communications to different audiences.
Demonstrated success managing, mentoring, and developing a team of top-tier professionals.
Self-starter and team player; effective collaborator.
Proven track record of driving continuous improvement, innovation, and optimization.
Excellent project management skills and ability to engage technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Nice To Haves

JD, MBA, or equivalent advanced degree.

Responsibilities

Serve on the Chief Legal Talent Officer’s Leadership Team, which is collectively responsible for Legal Operations & Administration, Training & Development, Integration, Legal Recruiting, Partner Development & Administration, and Inclusion.
Partner with the CLTO and functional leaders to develop and implement strategic plans and initiatives that standardize, streamline, and enhance operational support for the attorney population.
Turn department priorities into project plans with clear owners, timelines, and deliverables; track progress, ensure accountability, and escalate issues to the CLTO.
Coordinate across Legal Talent functions to reduce duplication and inefficiencies, and support alignment with firm-wide initiatives and priorities.
Evaluate workflows and reporting, identify opportunities to standardize and streamline, and coordinate implementation of processes and systems, including communications and training for impacted teams.
Develop and maintain a centralized repository of process documents, playbooks, templates, and standard operating procedures.
Co-lead project teams with functional leaders and the Senior Manager of Legal Talent Technology and Analytics; evaluate prospective vendors and commercial terms; coordinate contract reviews and renewals; and oversee vendor relationships and performance.
Partner with functional leadership on departmental financial and headcount budgets, forecasting, and annual planning; review monthly expenses and address variances with the CLTO.
Analyze talent data and metrics, improve data accuracy and consistency with relevant teams, and benchmark Legal Talent structure, staffing, and practices against peer firms and the market.
Prepare briefing materials, presentations, talking points, reports, firm leadership updates, and other written communications for senior internal audiences.
Support leadership meeting agenda development, planning, and follow-up; draft internal communications about legal talent initiatives, policy changes, and strategic priorities.
Build relationships with internal stakeholders and facilitate alignment among stakeholders with differing priorities; use sound judgment, diplomacy, and discretion with sensitive and confidential information.
Lead the Legal Talent team’s technology and AI transformation agenda by identifying, evaluating, piloting, and scaling technologies that improve Legal Talent operations and value delivery.
With the Senior Manager of Legal Talent Technology & Analytics, act as Legal Talent’s liaison to Information Technology and Knowledge & Innovation, ensuring its technology needs are represented, prioritized, and delivered in partnership with firm-wide infrastructure.
Partner with functional leadership on recruiting and hiring processes for Legal Talent professional staff roles, aligned with firm growth objectives and talent needs.
Design and implement onboarding programs across Legal Talent departments.
Develop and oversee training and professional development initiatives for Legal Talent professional staff.
Support career progression, competency models, mentoring, performance management, and succession planning across the team.
Review Legal Talent Team operations and use technology-enabled workflows to support efficiency, clear roles and responsibilities, and cross-functional collaboration.
Model and reinforce a culture of professional excellence, collaboration, intellectual curiosity, and continuous improvement; lead through influence, build consensus, champion new ideas, and drive behavioral change.