Senior Director, Learning and Development | Global Law Firm | Canada | $200k - $250k + extensive benefits

The Company:

This leading international business law and litigation firm was recently voted one of Canada’s Best Employers for 2023. Their firm’s 800 lawyers are located across offices in Vancouver, Surrey, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa, Montréal, Québec City, London and Johannesburg. Providing strategic and thoughtful advice in all areas of business law. their broad range of clients includes many of the Fortune 100 companies, as well as corporate clients, government agencies, regulatory authorities, non-profit bodies and individuals. They are a place where bright, talented, and collegial people want to work together, reaching common goals and supporting the community in a collaborative and efficient way.

The Role:

They are seeking a talented and experienced Senior Director, Learning and Development to join their firm-wide team. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in designing and implementing lawyer and legal professional training and professional development programs, with a passion for innovation and leveraging technology platforms to enhance learning outcomes. This is a management role with a team of 7. It can be based at any one of their Canadian-based offices (Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary or Montreal.

Responsibilities

·      Designing and delivering regional and firm-wide professional development training programs for legal professionals in their BC, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec Regions, and their London and Johannesburg offices.

·      Work closely with senior leadership in setting learning goals that support the achievement of the company’s strategic business objectives.

·      Design and implement strategic programs and initiatives to effect organizational change within the company with the goal of improving performance, culture and learning.

·      Lead a national team of in-house Learning & Development professionals.

·      Build out learning journeys and design and deliver professional skills programs customized for the company’s legal professionals, summer articling students, articling students, paralegals, and associates to partners.

·      Build out learning journeys for all Firm members, including, legal assistants, marketing and business development, finance and IT professionals.

·      Design and deliver training programs on professional wellness and stress management.

·      Design and deliver training programs on equity, diversity and inclusion.

·      Coach legal professionals on professional administration, leadership and communication skills.

·      Speak at and participate in relevant industry conferences, discussion panels, and professional development community events.

·      Collaborate with lawyers and legal teams to identify opportunities for implementing technology solutions to enhance efficiency and effectiveness of learning.

·      Work closely with Knowledge and Practice Innovation lawyers to leverage their knowledge and platforms for legal professional learning.

·      Participate in analysis, requirements of their learning systems and outcoming and implement training to meet new and existing learning goals of the Firm.

·      Assess learning strategies and tools to ensure they are meeting the intended objectives and make necessary adjustments or recommendations for improvement as needed.

·      Manage vendor relationships, including negotiating contracts with trainers, oversee service level agreements, and ensure vendors deliver high-quality training and services that meet the firm's needs and standards.

·      Lead change management efforts to ensure successful adoption of legal learning strategies, including developing training programs, communicating benefits to stakeholders, and addressing any resistance or barriers to adoption.

·      Stay current on emerging legal learning trends, and assess their potential use and impact on the Firm.

·      Work collaboratively with key stakeholders on all aspects of legal skills training.

Required Experience

• Fifteen (15) or more years of experience in a corporate legal setting at a leading law firm.
• Ten (10) or more years of experience leading legal learning and development programs at a large law firm, with strong understanding and experience applying technical solutions to standardize learning.
• Highly skilled in planning and executing learning and development programs. Strong experience with Instructional Design.
• Experience facilitating small and large group meetings, training and working sessions.

Qualifications

• LL.B, B.CL or J.D. is required.
• Change management designation is an asset.
• Must be a member in good standing with the Law Society of Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario or the Barreau du Quebec.
• Excellent analytical skills and the ability to use logic to solve complex problems.
• Exceptional PowerPoint, storytelling, and communication skills (including facilitation in remote / virtual models)
• Thirst for knowledge and inspiring continuous learning.
• Strong communication skills combined with excellent organizational skills, and rigorous attention to detail.
• Fluency in both English and French would be an asset.
• Ability to balance competing demands, demonstrated good business judgment, and experience working effectively both independently and as part of a team.
• Curiosity and a growth mindset, with a strong interest in evolving best practices in legal and knowledge industries and staying current on emerging legal technologies and trends.
• Strong strategic thinking and analysis skills, including ability to bring strategy to execution.
• People and project management skills and experience.

If you have a background in Learning and development within legal, don’t hesitate to apply below. This is a great opportunity for a collaborative, enthusiastic professional, who’s looking to progress their career with the support of one of Canada’s best law firms!

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