Senior Coordinator, Professional Development & Corporate Staff Attorneys
About The Position
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP is an international law firm with approximately 2,000 lawyers and offices worldwide. Its Legal Talent Department supports attorneys’ professional development and talent engagement in partnership with firm leadership, staffing partners and practice group heads. The Senior Coordinator, Professional Development & Corporate Staff Attorneys has two primary areas of responsibility. The role manages associate development activities for a practice group, including staffing, mentoring, integration and talent engagement. It also supports Legal Talent operations for Corporate Staff Attorneys by managing the employment cycle, including recruitment, onboarding, performance evaluation and retention. The Senior Coordinator works closely with the Associate Director, Professional Development, staffing partners, practice group leaders and the broader Professional Development team. The role requires working from the New York office at least three days per week.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree.
- At least 3–4 years of comparable experience.
- Strong oral and written communication skills, with the ability to build professional relationships, interact with people at all seniority levels and maintain confidentiality.
- Collaborative approach to working with others.
- Strong interest and experience in professional development.
- Ability to self-direct, manage multiple priorities, analyze needs and implement solutions.
- Strong organizational skills and attention to detail across long- and short-term projects and responsibilities.
- Team-oriented approach and willingness to contribute to unexpected projects or requests.
- Proficiency in Word, Excel and PowerPoint, and comfort using web-based databases and software such as viDesktop.
- Flexibility to adjust working hours to meet departmental needs.
- Excellent judgment and problem-solving skills, including the ability to assess competing priorities and make timely, sound decisions.
- Tact, discretion and strong judgment in handling confidential employee information.
Nice To Haves
- Prior experience in a law firm setting.
- Demonstrated experience managing staffing, resource allocation, utilization and workflow coordination.
- Knowledge of legal principles and practices.
Responsibilities
- Manage annual and interim evaluation processes for staff attorneys, ensuring they receive thorough evaluations and developmental objectives.
- Assist with verbal feedback intake and update the VI feedback tracking system.
- Support staff attorney hiring by scheduling interviews, preparing hiring approval requests and offer letters, and updating group lists.
- Coordinate orientation and welcome lunches for new staff attorneys.
- Develop and facilitate the staff attorney mentor program, pair attorneys with mentors, track meetings and encourage discussion of professional development goals.
- Assist with departing staff attorney processes, including exit interviews and work transitions.
- Serve as a resource for staff attorneys, connect them with Firm resources, and help resolve problems and concerns.
- Organize and facilitate training programs, group lunch presentations, team events and other initiatives that foster cohesion and meaningful connections.
- Manage communications within staff attorney cohorts and regularly monitor morale and concerns.
- Assist with annual budget preparation, operational costs and related reporting.
- Partner with staffing partners to allocate associate assignments and structure teams based on availability, experience, skills and utilization.
- Track and analyze associate metrics, including hours and availability, and conduct check-ins about workload, morale and engagement.
- Coordinate cross-departmental staffing and secondments with staffing partners and the Legal Talent team.
- Track associate vacation schedules, leaves of absence and related coverage.
- Support timely, robust associate feedback, including intake of verbal evaluations as needed.
- Support practice group leaders and staffing partners in fostering mentoring connections and team interactions; help pair associates with mentors and partner advisors and encourage ongoing discussion of development goals.
- Plan team-building and mentoring events and serve as a point of contact and feedback loop among associates, Firm leadership and practice partners.
- Support Training Partners in arranging departmental lunches and breakfasts and coordinate practice-specific training programs with Training Partners, Legal Training and Knowledge Management.
- Coordinate presenters, scheduling, registration, facilities, food service and technology for training programs; prepare and distribute materials and communications, maintain email lists, and provide on-site program support, including for practice-specific STBReady and STBAdvance sessions.
- Liaise with Recruiting to support the integration of summer and lateral associates.
- Coordinate with professional service teams, including Knowledge Management, Inclusion and Training, to advance practice initiatives.
- Work on ad hoc projects and perform other duties as assigned.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Mid Level
