Senior Director of Professional Development

With eleven offices across the United States, 450+ professionals and 350+ business professionals, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP (www.manatt.com), is a multidisciplinary, integrated national professional services firm known for quality and an extraordinary commitment to clients. The Firm’s groundbreaking approach—bringing together legal services, advocacy and business strategy—differentiates Manatt from its competitors and positions the Firm to provide a distinct and compelling value proposition.

Opportunity:

We are seeking a Senior Director of Professional Development to strategically manage firmwide professional development initiatives, including but not limited to, training and learning, performance management and core competencies, and advancement, all in alignment with the firm’s strategic goals. 

We are looking for an experienced visionary leader and creative thinker with strong organizational and interpersonal skills, a passion for fostering a culture of continuous learning and development, and a proven ability to excel at aligning professional development initiatives with broader business objectives within a professional services environment.  This role will report to the Chief Human Resources Officer and manage the firm’s Professional Development team.

Responsibilities:

• Develop and implement a data-driven strategic vision for professional development (including but not limited to, training/learning, performance management and advancement), integrating needs assessments, best practices and emerging/innovative trends and leveraging analytics to forecast needs and measure ROI on initiatives, ensuring alignment with the firm's broader goals and business priorities.

• Engage with firm, business professional and practice group leadership to align training and professional development initiatives with business needs and priorities, providing clear communication on program updates and outcomes.

• Facilitate the advancement process for attorney and consulting professionals, lead training initiatives across the firm, and refresh an orientation/onboarding program.

• Lead teams responsible for Attorney Professional Development, Consulting Professional Development, eLearning and Application Training, and Performance Management and Advancement, fostering cross-functional collaboration between team members to ensure the Professional Development team collectively delivers cohesive, impactful professional development programs and utilizes efficient and thoughtful processes.

• Develop, oversee and support the Attorney Professional Development and Consulting Professional Development teams in designing, implementing, and delivering training programs, mentorship and/or coaching opportunities, orientation and onboarding initiatives, individualized learning plans, and leadership development pathways tailored to the needs of firm employees at all levels (including but not limited to specialized programs for the Summer Associate Program, the Summer Analyst Program, New Consultant and Associate Classes, as well as attorney, consulting, business and administrative professionals at all levels within the firm), fostering professional growth, career development, engagement, inclusivity and retention.  On the legal side, this includes overseeing compliance with Continuing Legal Education (CLE) requirements, including tracking, reporting, and obtaining state accreditations critical to the firm’s operations.

• Develop, oversee and support the Application Training and eLearning team in designing, developing, implementing, delivering, and evaluating/assessing training modules/programs tailored to the continuing education needs of attorney, consulting, business and administrative professionals, as well as training for software rollouts, systems updates and technology best practices, ensuring alignment with the firm’s business needs and goals.

• Oversee the Learning Management System and all other digital tools used in the delivery, engagement and tracking of training, performance management and all professional development initiatives.

• Develop, oversee and support the Performance Management and Advancement team in designing, implementing and facilitating the performance evaluation processes, including real-time feedback mechanisms and structured review cycles, in alignment with core competency models, as well as facilitating the advancement process for associates and consultants.

• Provide hands-on leadership for the Professional Development team by developing goals and accountability measures, providing mentorship and fostering career growth, ensuring team members are fully equipped to execute strategic priorities effectively.

• Create and manage the Professional Development budget, including forecasting,