Director, Law Program

TITLE: Director, Law Program

Location: New York, NY

THE WORK CULTURE

You know we do not have a simply captioned culture because you know culture is not that simple. What we have is an ensemble of 300+ scholarly, entrepreneurial, creative, analytical, collaborative, independent, results-driven, mission-driven people. We’re academic and career advisors, program designers and managers, business development and operations professionals, industry specialists, curriculum designers, and DEIB thinkers and leaders. It’s fast, changing, and never boring.

THE TEAM   

The new Law team is taking shape, and we’ll need your help to build it. We’re building a pipeline of future lawyers and leaders in society from underrepresented backgrounds, scaling the program across the country, and continuing to guide and ground a focus in training, learning, inclusion, and collaboration across the organization. Our Fellowship Program serves 150+ incoming law students each year by providing them with intensive academic and professional development training, an internship at a corporate law firm in one of 14 cities, and academic support during their first year of law school. Our Catalyst Program supports 40+ aspiring law students nationwide in their LSAT journeys and applications to law school.

THE ROLE

• STRATEGIC PLANNING. You have experience developing long-term roadmaps and leading a team to accomplish ambitious but measurable goals. You are innovative and a creative-thinker, not afraid to step out of the box. You love developing new ideas and will propose, design, develop, implement extensions and expansions of existing programming, while at the same time communicating our mission and values to our partner firms and student participants alike.
   
• PARTNERSHIP DEVELOPMENT. You will be responsible for nurturing and expanding our current partnership of 45+ corporate law firms nationwide and discovering new growth opportunities. You are an excellent and empathetic communicator who enjoys building deep and meaningful relationships with the clients you serve, understanding their key drivers, and collaborating with them to achieve their goals. You use a data-centric approach to drive and inform your decision-making process and report key insights to existing and prospective partners. You are adept at balancing and triaging competing stakeholder interests.
   
• ASSESSMENT OF CANDIDATES. You will oversee the recruitment, application, and interview process for the Fellowship and Catalyst Programs, including developing assessment and interview criteria, managing the review of applications, interviewing candidates, and placing candidates at law firms.
   
• ACADEMIC & CAREER ADVISING. You find joy in working with students and advising them on academic and career matters. You keep up-to-date on trends in legal education and legal recruiting and will be able to help Fellows navigate their first year of law school, including providing guidance on note-taking, outlining, and taking exams, and can provide support in recruiting for legal internships across a variety of areas, including corporate law, nonprofit organizations, public service, and in-house corporate legal departments.
   
• PEOPLE & BUDGET MANAGEMENT. This position will coach, train, and manage members of the Law team, including effectively delegating tasks and providing compassionate feedback. You’ve successfully led staff and prioritize team-building and staff development. You will work with the Associate Director of Programs & Curriculum, Assistant Director of Outreach & Recruitment, and Operations Manager regarding strategic planning in their respective areas, provide guidance, and help them achieve their goals. You will be responsible for managing the team operational & personnel budget.

Is that all? No. We have much to do. You’ll work across changing workstreams. You know that’s the nature of small and growing teams, and you’re an able and pro pinch-hitter.

COMPETENCIES YOU HAVE

• Empathetic Leadership
• Listening (You study, hone, and see the magic listening creates)
• Stakeholder Management
• Cross-functional Teamwork
• Employee Relations + Communications
• Character Assessment, Academic Advising, & Career Counseling
• People Development
• Budget Management
• You enjoy solving complex problems and are customer-driven.
• You have a curious mindset, enjoy working in fast-paced environments, can quickly adapt to change, and are a quick learner.

EXPERIENCE YOU BRING                                                             

• JD required.
• +/- 6 years in comparable roles, developing the competencies described. However, we aren’t tied to the number of years: we know that Rockstar candidates come with different years of experiences!
• Experienced in strategic thinking, program & partnership development, and academic and career advising.
• Experienced people manager.
• Experienced people manager.

We encourage candidates from diverse backgrounds to apply!

SEO is proud to be an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. We’re committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or any other legally protected status. Visually and hearing impaired candidates can contact us for assistance at: jobinfo@seo-usa.org.