Legal Staff Marketing in New York City, NY

Law Firm

New York City, NY

Legal Staff Marketing in New York City, NY

Legal Staff

5-10 yrs required

No

The Director of Product Development will be responsible for driving technical excellence and ensuring that software products meet the highest industry standards. This includes overseeing end-to-end software development processes, establishing best practices for coding and testing, actively managing and mitigating technical debt, and promoting the integration of AI and machine learning into software development. The Director will also collaborate with other departments and stakeholders to translate firm strategies into actionable development roadmaps, support the prioritization process for projects, and maintain alignment between business needs and engineering priorities. They will also lead and mentor a team of developers, foster strong working relationships between different departments, and participate in hiring, performance appraisals, and other employee lifecycle events.

The ideal candidate will have a Bachelor’s degree and at least 10 years of experience in integrated software development roles, with a minimum of 5 years in a management position. They should have a strong understanding of the legal industry, particularly around legal software and technology, data science and AI, and legal operations. They should also have experience in managing cross-functional projects and a knowledge of distributed systems and organizations. Strong leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills are essential, along with the ability to influence and collaborate with multiple stakeholders.

Cooley offers a competitive compensation and benefits package, including medical, dental, and vision coverage, flexible spending accounts, life insurance, parental leave and fertility benefits, and a generous PTO and holiday package. The expected annual pay range for this position is $245,000 - $300,000, with the final offer amount dependent on location, experience, and skillset. Cooley is committed to fair and equitable employment practices and is an equal opportunity employer.

H1: Director of Product Development at Cooley - Drive Technical Excellence and Innovation
H2: Join a Leading Technology Law Firm in a High-Impact Role

Director of Product Development - Cooley

Position Summary:
As the Director of Product Development at Cooley, you will play a crucial role in driving the firm's digital practice strategy and ensuring technical excellence. You will lead a team of developers, oversee end-to-end software development processes, and collaborate with other departments to translate firm strategies into actionable development roadmaps.

Responsibilities:

Software Leadership and Strategy:
- Define the vision and roadmap for the firm's custom developed software in conjunction with the innovation leadership team
- Oversee and manage a portfolio of custom solutions to develop a coherent roadmap and drive strategic decisions in conjunction with other firm stakeholders
- Establish and lead a high-performing team that develops custom software solutions to support business goals and attract top engineering talent

Software Development:
- Oversee end-to-end software development processes, ensuring the highest levels of quality and scalability
- Establish best practices for coding, testing, DevOps, and QA, working closely with the Director of Practice Engineering to ensure consistency across teams and projects
- Actively manage and mitigate technical debt, balancing new feature development and maintenance of existing products
- Contribute to the creation of a long-term engineering roadmap aligned with the firm's broader product strategy and practice goals
- Collaborate with HR to recruit, onboard, and retain top-tier teams, fostering a diverse and inclusive environment

Product Leadership:
- Collaborate with the Director of Practice Engineering and the innovation team to translate firm strategies into actionable development roadmaps focused on software solutions
- Support the prioritization process for individual projects based on business value, user feedback, technical feasibility, and practice requirements
- Ensure technical development forecasts are done reasonably and following best practices

Collaboration and Stakeholder Engagement:
- Collaborate with other departments to drive success for the firm's practice software development projects
- Liaise between lawyers, product managers, and the software development team to maintain alignment between business needs, product roadmaps, and engineering priorities
- Translate complex technical concepts into clear, actionable insights for both technical and non-technical stakeholders

Team Building and Mentorship:
- Lead a team of developers, fostering a high-performance, collaborative, and results-driven culture
- Establish and maintain a well-structured team with clear roles, responsibilities, and workflows
- Provide clear technical direction, mentorship, and career development opportunities for team members
- Foster strong working relationships between the software team and other teams, including practice, technology, and operations
- Provide day-to-day supervision of direct reports and manage staffing coverage and time off requests
- Support professional development and educational opportunities for team members
- Participate in hiring, performance appraisals, and other employee lifecycle events

Qualifications:

Required:
- Bachelor's degree
- 10+ years of experience in integrated software development roles, with a minimum of 5 years in a management position
- Strong understanding of the legal industry, particularly around legal software and technology, data science and AI, and legal operations
- Experience in managing cross-functional projects and knowledge of distributed systems and organizations
- Strong leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills
- Ability to influence and collaborate with multiple stakeholders across various departments

Preferred:
- Experience in leading significant teams in development of customer-facing software systems
- Supervisory experience

Cooley offers a competitive compensation and benefits package and is committed to fair and equitable employment practices. The expected annual pay range for this position is $245,000 - $300,000, with the final offer amount dependent on location, experience, and skillset. Join Cooley and be a part of a leading technology law firm driving innovation in the digital practice of law.