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Introduction

We are seeking a leader to join IBM Legal & Regulatory Affairs and support the scale and efficiency of a fast-paced, global technology company. Reporting directly to the VP of Legal Operations, the Director will drive strategic transformation initiatives across legal, compliance, and regulatory functions. This role will strengthen our operational excellence, enhance our vendor management capabilities, lead key initiatives to streamline legal service delivery, and mature IBM legal operations capabilities.

This individual will collaborate cross-functionally with legal, compliance, policy, HR, finance, procurement, IT, and business teams to implement best practices, optimize workflows, and lead a team dedicated to legal operational performance.

Your role and responsibilities

Key Responsibilities:

• Operational Leadership: Lead the planning and execution of legal operations initiatives including process improvement, matter management, spend management, and internal workflow optimization.

• Strategic Planning: Partner with the VP of Legal Operations to develop the department’s strategic roadmap, align operational goals, and track performance through KPIs and metrics.

• Vendor Management: Provide strategic oversight of third-party vendor management, driving vendor selection, contract negotiations, performance optimization, and long-term relationship management to ensure alignment with business objectives and cost-efficiency goals.

• Financial Oversight: Manage legal department budget, forecast legal spend, and leverage financial reporting to facilitate management decisions.

• People Management & Development: Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing team of legal operations professionals. Foster a culture of continuous learning, collaboration, and inclusion across legal functions.

• Compliance & Risk Operations: Support operational components of compliance and risk management, including policy implementation, audits, and regulatory support.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Serve as a key liaison between Legal, other support functions, and IBM business functions to support company-wide initiatives and ensure legal operational alignment.

• Legal Transformation: Led the Legal Transformation Office, driving cross-functional change management initiatives and designing a strategic roadmap to enhance operational efficiency, legal technology integration, and service delivery across the global legal function.

Leaders are expected to spend time with their teams and clients and therefore are generally expected to be in the workplace a minimum of three days a week, subject to business needs.

Required technical and professional expertise

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree required; MBA, JD, or relevant advanced degree is a plus

• 8-10+ years of experience in Legal Operations or related fields (e.g., consulting, project management, legal technology)

• Proven experience managing legal technology, vendors, and budgets

• Strong leadership and team-building skills with prior experience managing teams

• Excellent communication, negotiation, and analytical skills

• Experience working in or with technology-driven companies strongly preferred

• Familiarity with legal management technology capabilities, such as matter and spend management, contract lifecycle management, law firm procurement, and document management capabilities.

IBM is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, caste, genetics, pregnancy, disability, neurodivergence, age, veteran status, or other characteristics. IBM is also committed to compliance with all fair employment practices regarding citizenship and immigration status.