Associate Director of Discovery Program Management

Job ID: 8267

Updated: Feb 4, 2025

Location: Washington, DC, United States

Category: Information Technology

About Kirkland & Ellis

At Kirkland & Ellis, we are united in our ambition and drive to move forward. We share core values that help us achieve excellence: collaboration, talent empowerment, service, inclusion, respect and gratitude. Our people are our greatest asset, and we invest in the brightest talent and encourage a diversity of perspectives and strengths to create dynamic teams that operate at the pinnacle of their field. Our talented professionals show up every day knowing they will engage in meaningful work, continuous learning and professional development.

As one of the world's leading law firms, we serve a broad range of clients with market-leading practices. We handle the most complicated and sophisticated legal matters because we don't just meet industry standards, we create them. We bring innovation and entrepreneurialism to every engagement and, as a result, have long-standing client relationships with leading global corporations and financial sponsors. With over 6,500 employees (including approximately 4,000 lawyers) operating from 21 offices across the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Asia, we are one of the largest law firms in the world and a top financial performer.

Essential Job Functions

The Associate Director of Discovery Program Management will join a team of directors, advisors and technologists all focused on delivering unparalleled discovery, data science, trial technology and presentation design services to firm case teams and clients.

This key role will support team training and development, service provider relationship programs, and other strategic initiatives. Equally critical is a drive to ensure a human-centered, customer experience is maintained and--ideally, elevated through application of design-thinking and similar principles.

As a member of the leadership team, the Associate Director of Discovery Program Management will also support initiatives aimed at capturing and assessing data trends and complete other operational, process-focused, and strategic goals as assigned.

The Associate Director of Discovery Program Management (AD) reports to the Head of Litigation & Practice Technology (LPT).

Team Training and Development

The AD will work closely with other AD's and subject matter experts to create and modernize training critical to the success of the team. This includes maintaining the repositories of templates, SOPs, training curriculum, and playbook items across various data repositories to ensure the team always has access to best practices.

The AD will also assist in the management of training needs for the team, including identifying core development areas to create customized training modules aimed at developing and improving team skills.

The AD will be responsible for selecting and disseminating key training materials, maintaining training rooms, and developing custom sandbox environments in document workspaces for team members to execute best-in-class workflows.

The AD will also be responsible for developing training presentations for both internal and external stakeholders and will assist in delivering development sessions with other leaders on the team.

Service Provider Relationship Programs

The AD, along with other members of LPT leadership, may support case teams and other key stakeholders in interactions with eDiscovery and other service providers. For matters that require service provider support, the AD may assist with engagement activities and participate in performance monitoring, acting as an additional point of escalation for both LPT and case team members.

The AD may also assist with service provider touchpoints to promote best practices and a consistent experience for case teams. This may include designing curated presentations, workflow SOPs, and/or participating in live demonstrations of LPT best practices and workflows with service providers to better align expectations and processes.

Strategic Initiative Support

The AD may support team and firm-wide initiatives and special projects focused on litigation technology roll-out and change management, emerging technology assessment (e.g., GenAI) and other process improvements.

The role will support the creation and delivery of presentations to firm clients, attorneys, paralegals, and staff regarding team services and general eDiscovery topics.

LPT leadership may adjust or assign responsibilities within the context of this role to support the Firm and our clients as required.

Qualifications & Requirements

Required

Candidates will have spent 10+ years of their career delivering ediscovery solutions in one or more of a variety of roles (e.g., at a law firm, advisory firm, service provider, inhouse legal team, or technology company).

This experience should include strong familiarity with core ediscovery workflows and platforms (Relativity, Reveal), analytics and TAR use cases (BrainSpace, RevealAI) and common ediscovery rules that impact project planning (ESI Orders, Federal Rules of Civil Procedures, data privacy/cross-border requirements).

This position requires a high level of collaboration with internal stakeholders and firm leadership; therefore, the ideal candidate must possess strong communication skills and interact with people at all levels with a high degree of accuracy, professionalism, and accountability.

Candidates must possess exceptional organizational skills, coupled with good judgement and the ability to independently define and make progress on action items. Concurrently, they must demonstrate a commitment to consensus building and demonstrate an ability to stay aligned with and meet goals set forth by leadership.

Bachelor's Degree

Preferred

Experience with PMO design and management, multi-phased strategic planning, and leveraging common project management tools and frameworks.

Data analytics skills, including proficiency in Excel, Tableau, and other data reporting tools.

Strong PowerPoint and presentation design skills combined with comfort in delivering in-person presentations, trainings and updates.

Possess a familiarity with traditional and modern training and validation methods. (mentoring, coaching, on-the-job or in classroom training, e-learning, workshops, simulations etc)

JD/LLM and/or MBA is a plus, but not necessary.

Compensation

The base salary range below represents the low and high end of the salary range for this position in each of the below locations. This range may differ based on your geographic location and cost of living considerations. At Kirkland & Ellis, we consider compensation more than just a base salary. We offer an exceptional range of flexible benefits including comprehensive healthcare, paid time off, and retirement. We also offer personal support and tailored learning and development opportunities all designed to help you realize your full potential both in life and at work.

Compensation Range:

• Chicago: $200,000 - $240,000

• Washington D.C.: $200,000 - $235,000

• New York: $200,000 - $252,000

• Bay Area: $200,000 - $255,000

How to Apply

Thank you for your interest in Kirkland & Ellis LLP. To complete an application and submit your resume, please click "Apply Now."

Equal Employment Opportunity

The Firm will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records and criminal histories consistent with local laws.

All employment decisions, including the recruiting, hiring, placement, training availability, promotion, compensation, evaluation, disciplinary actions, and termination of employment (if necessary) are made without regard to the employee's race, color, creed, religion, sex, pregnancy or childbirth, personal appearance, family responsibilities, sexual orientation or preference, gender identity, political affiliation, source of income, place of residence, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, age, marital status, military veteran status, unfavorable discharge from military service, physical or mental disability, or on any other basis prohibited by applicable law.

Closing Statement

The www.kirkland.com job postings and recruiting mailbox are for candidates only. If you are a recruiter, search firm or employment agency, and do not have a signed contract with Kirkland & Ellis LLP ("K&E") and have not been asked specifically to submit candidates, you will not be compensated in any way for your referral of a candidate even if K&E hires the candidate. Direct contact with K&E employees in an attempt to present candidates is inappropriate and will be a factor in determining any future professional relationship with the Firm. #LI-Hybrid#LI-LC1