Senior Director, Learning & Development

Position summary

The Senior Director of Learning & Development is responsible for setting and executing the Firm's global learning and development strategy in support of the Firm's business, talent, and people priorities. Reporting to the Chief People Officer, the Senior Director leads the global Learning & Development function and partners with Firm leadership, practice and business leaders, and Human Resources to build the capabilities required for individual, team, and organizational success. The Senior Director provides strategic leadership across leadership and management development, professional and career development, learning programs and curriculum, and other talent development initiatives. The role is responsible for ensuring the Firm's learning strategy is innovative, scalable, data-informed, and responsive to evolving business and talent needs across regions and populations. The scope includes learning and development for both lawyers and professional staff, with responsibility for creating a cohesive Firmwide approach while recognizing the distinct development needs of each population.

Job duties and responsibilities

• Lead and develop the global Learning & Development team, establishing strategic priorities, operating models, service standards, resource allocation, and measures of success.
• Lead the development and execution of the Firm's global learning and development strategy, aligned with business, talent, and people priorities, and serve as a strategic advisor to the CHRO, Firm leadership, and senior business and practice leaders on learning, leadership development, and organizational capability. The strategy encompasses both lawyer and professional staff populations and promotes consistent development opportunities across the Firm.
• Monitor external trends, benchmarks, and best practices and build external partnerships to ensure the Firm's learning strategy remains competitive, forward-looking, and responsive to evolving workforce and business needs.
• Develop an integrated, global learning strategy spanning leadership and management development, career and professional development, onboarding, and other priority capability-building initiatives, with scalable and engaging learning experiences across populations and geographies. This includes differentiated curricula and development pathways for lawyers and professional staff, from onboarding through leadership and career progression.
• Establish meaningful metrics and analytics to evaluate learning effectiveness, adoption, business impact, and return on investment, and use insights to continuously improve programs and investments.
• Provide strategic leadership and partnership in the design and continuous improvement of attorney performance management and development processes, in coordination with other Human Resources and Firm stakeholders. Partner with Human Resources leadership on professional staff performance and development priorities, including manager capability, career development, and competency-based learning.
• Partner with Human Resources, Culture & Engagement and other Firm stakeholders to ensure learning and development programs support an inclusive culture and provide equitable access to development opportunities.
• Partner with HR leadership and business stakeholders to identify current and future capability needs and translate them into scalable development solutions that strengthen the attorney and professional staff experience.
• Own the professional staff learning and development strategy, partnering with HR Business Partners and business leaders to identify capability gaps and deliver development solutions across career stages, including onboarding, core professional skills, manager development, leadership development, and career growth.
• Partner with Human Resources and business leaders to establish scalable development frameworks for professional staff, including role- and level-based learning, management competencies, career pathways, and targeted development for key talent populations.
• Define and advance the Firm's learning technology strategy, leveraging learning platforms, data, analytics, and emerging technologies, including AI-enabled capabilities where appropriate, to expand access, personalize development, and improve learning effectiveness.
• Partner with Human Resources leaders and other functions to align learning, talent, performance, leadership, and organizational priorities across the Firm; develops and manages the global L&D budget, external partnerships, and vendor relationships to ensure resources are aligned with strategic priorities.
• Establish and maintain credibility as a trusted advisor to Firm leadership, partners, attorneys, professional staff, and other key stakeholders, and represents the Firm effectively with external partners and industry groups.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Job duties and responsibilities included are not exhaustive and may be supplemented as necessary.  Reed Smith reserves the right to revise or modify job duties and responsibilities at any time. 

Requirements

Education: Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree in business, human resources, organizational development, education, or a related field preferred. JD preferred.

Experience: 

• Minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible experience in learning and development, talent development, organizational development, or a related discipline, including significant experience leading teams and enterprise-wide learning strategies within a complex, global organization.
• Experience within a global law firm or other complex professional services organization strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience advising senior executives and business leaders, leading organizational change, developing leadership and management capabilities, and designing scalable learning strategies across multiple populations and geographies.
• Experience developing and leading learning strategies for both professional staff and professional/fee-earning populations is strongly preferred.

Skills:

• Executive presence and demonstrated ability to influence and advise senior leaders; strong emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills.
• Strong strategic thinking and ability to translate business priorities into talent and capability strategies. Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively across multiple stakeholders, lead complex initiatives, exercise independent judgment, and operate successfully within a matrixed organization.
• Exceptional communication, facilitation, and presentation skills, with the ability to represent the Firm effectively internally and externally.
• Exceptional leadership and people-management skills, with demonstrated success building, motivating, and developing high-performing teams and determining appropriate courses of action in complex situations.
• Strong analytical orientation and ability to use data and insights to evaluate effectiveness, inform decisions, and demonstrate impact.
• Demonstrated commitment to innovation, continuous improvement, and the effective use of technology to modernize learning delivery and talent experiences.
• Demonstrated ability to operate effectively across cultures, geographies, and organizational levels in a global environment.

Management & Leadership Skills:

• Ability to lead enterprise and cross-functional initiatives while building strong partnerships across departments and regions.
• Strong organizational, change-management, stakeholder-management, and project-management capabilities.
• Excellent critical thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making skills; strategic, creative, and willing to challenge the status quo constructively.
• Demonstrated ability to lead innovation and organizational change while strengthening leadership capability, employee development, engagement, and the overall talent experience.

Additional information

Supervisory responsibilities: Leads and develops a global team of learning and development professionals.

Equipment used: Personal computer and other office equipment such as telephone, calculator, copier, scanner, etc.

Essential job functions

• Ability to sit or stand for extended periods and perform tasks requiring prolonged and/or extensive computer use.
• Ability to use computers, telecommunications, and digital collaboration tools to perform core job responsibilities.
• Ability to engage in effective and professional communication.
• Ability to analyze complex information while maintaining attention to detail, managing multiple priorities, and exercising sound judgment in decision-making.
• Ability to access, use, and safeguard confidential and sensitive information while performing job responsibilities in work environments that support confidentiality, privacy, and information security requirements.
• Ability to work extended or adjusted hours as needed, including evenings, weekends, holidays, and early start times to support collaboration with international stakeholders in EMEA and to meet business, operational, or project needs.
• Ability to travel for meetings, training and conferences as required.
• Ability to work in-office as required to meet business or project needs.

Working conditions

You will be required to work in the office at minimum 4 days per week. Occasionally called upon to work hours in excess of your normal daily schedule. The details of your weekly schedule will be discussed further with your direct supervisor.

Pay ranges
This represents the presently anticipated low and high end of Reed Smith's pay range for this position. Actual pay may vary based on various factors, including but not limited to location and experience.

• Houston, Pittsburgh: $220,000–$280,000
• Chicago, Philadelphia: $235,000–$300,000
• Washington, DC: $250,000–$315,000
• New York: $260,000–$330,000

Employee benefits overview

Our comprehensive benefits package includes:

• 401(k) Retirement Plan
• Medical Insurance
• Health Savings Account (HSA)
• Virtual Health Services
• Dental Insurance
• Vision Insurance
• Accident Insurance
• Hospital Indemnity Insurance
• Critical Illness Insurance
• Life Insurance
• Short-Term Disability Coverage
• Long-Term Disability Coverage
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
• Lyra Health Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Paid Family Leave (for eligible Exempt and Non-Exempt staff)
• Transportation Benefit
• Back-up Child Care Services
• College Coach Program
• Pet Insurance
• Paid Sick Time (for Exempt staff)
• Paid Time Off (available to all full-time, non-temporary employees)

Reed Smith offers a challenging work environment, business casual dress code and a total compensation package that includes a competitive salary, flexible benefits program, tuition assistance, and generous 401(k) plan.

Reed Smith is an Equal Opportunity Employer with Core Values of Integrity, Excellence, Teamwork & Respect, Innovation, and Impact. Reed Smith also provides reasonable accommodations in accordance with law, including in the application and interview process.

Qualified candidates only. No search firms.