Associate Director Jobs

About The Position

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in business, finance, legal studies, information systems, or a related discipline.
• At least 7 years of relevant professional experience.
• Demonstrated experience in several of the following areas: budgeting and financial management, outside counsel/vendor management, legal technology, data and analytics, project management, process improvement, management reporting, and operational risk or controls.
• Experience working across functions such as Legal, Finance, Technology, Procurement, Privacy, Information Security, and Risk.
• Demonstrated ability to manage complex initiatives and senior stakeholders.

Nice To Haves

• JD, MBA, or another relevant advanced degree.
• Experience in legal operations, a corporate legal department, financial services, a law firm, legal technology, finance, or another complex professional-services environment.
• Experience at a multinational organization.

Responsibilities

• Support development, management, and forecasting of the U.S. Legal Department budget, including monthly accruals and financial reporting.
• Partner with lawyers, outside counsel, and Finance to develop and monitor matter budgets, forecasts, and legal-spend estimates.
• Analyze legal spend to identify opportunities to improve cost efficiency, predictability, and value.
• Develop metrics and senior-management reporting that provide actionable financial and operational insight.
• Manage and continuously improve the U.S. Legal Department’s outside-counsel and legal-vendor programs, including planning and forecasting for RFPs and contract renewals.
• Oversee firm and vendor selection, onboarding, relationship management, and applicable billing guidelines.
• Partner with the Legal team on rates, discounts, and other arrangements designed to maximize value from law firms and legal vendors.
• Coordinate with internal vendor-management, risk, and control functions on onboarding and ongoing oversight of law firms and legal vendors.
• Serve as a key business owner for U.S. Legal technology and operational platforms, including forecasting and financial management.
• Identify opportunities to leverage technology, automation, and AI to simplify workflows and improve how Legal captures, manages, and uses information.
• Lead and/or support the evaluation, implementation, adoption, and continuous improvement of legal technology solutions.
• Develop data and analytics capabilities to help the senior Legal team assess spend, workload, and operational performance and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Identify and implement opportunities to simplify, standardize, and improve U.S. Legal Department processes.
• Lead cross-functional initiatives and develop operating procedures, playbooks, guidelines, and other resources that support consistent execution.
• Manage the U.S. Legal Department’s annual audits and self-assessments.
• Strengthen knowledge management, business continuity, and operational governance across U.S. Legal.
• Foster a customer-focused culture that strengthens client relationships and leverages broader Bank relationships, systems, and knowledge.
• Consider Scotiabank’s risk appetite and risk culture in day-to-day activities and decisions.
• Pursue effective and efficient operations in accordance with Scotiabank’s Values, Code of Conduct, and Global Sales Principles, and ensure the adequacy, adherence to, and effectiveness of day-to-day business controls for operational, compliance, AML/ATF/sanctions, and conduct-risk obligations.
• Champion a high-performance environment and contribute to an inclusive work environment.