Director of Professional Development

Director of Professional Development for global law firm in Washington, DC. This role is responsible for developing initiatives, projects and systems to advance the development, retention and promotion of associate lawyers in the Washington DC office and firmwide. Duties: Build trust with partners and counsel; develop professional relationships with associates, including an in-depth understanding of career goals, experiences, strengths, and development needs to provide coaching and counseling to associates. Oversee the firmwide implementation of the interim and associate evaluation processes for associate. Collaborating with others, contribute to the Senior Associate Evaluation Process, taking the lead role with associates in assigned practice groups. Meet regularly with senior lawyers in assigned practice groups to discuss associate and counsel pipeline. Work with practice groups on performance management and associate development. Identify individual associate development gaps and propose solutions. Leverage knowledge of assigned practice groups and associate needs to recommend developmental trainings/resources. Develop strategies to create a pipeline of external opportunities for associates by collaborating on secondment opportunities and potential inhouse roles for associates looking to transition out of the firm. Support stakeholders by providing data and recommendations for utilizing associates. Address the career and general professional needs of associates. Provide guidance to attorneys at varying levels of seniority on career growth and development, including integration into the firm, career planning and management, navigating firm resources, seeking out appropriate breadth and depth of work experiences, time and project management, transitions to/from leaves and potential next steps in their careers. Develop training programs for associate career planning and senior lawyer coaching and mentoring of associates. Implement metrics, reporting systems and tools to assess ongoing attorney needs to evaluate effectiveness of career development programs and initiatives. Manage junior members of the Professional Development team. Lead multi-office professional development projects. Position Requirements: At least ten years of career development experience. Significant experience in legal, consulting, or other professional services organizations, preferred. Demonstrated success establishing, developing, and managing career development functions in a multi-office environment. Understanding of best practices in professional development and career development. Strong interpersonal and written communication skills. Strong analytical and problem-solving skills. Bachelor’s degree required; an advanced degree or a J.D. preferred. Salary range is $225k -$270k.