Director, Practice Delivery and Innovation

Mcmillan-LLP; Toronto; On-site; CAD 180,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Commensurate Compensation and Benefits

Job summary

McMillan LLP is seeking a Director, Practice Delivery & Innovation to set the strategic direction for the national law clerk and paralegal function. You will lead an 80-person team, champion transformation, and drive scalable, technology-enabled service delivery across offices and practice groups.

The role focuses on agility, continuous improvement, and aligning services with client needs. You will oversee budgets, metrics, and vendor relationships while guiding senior leaders through change.

Qualifications

• Experience in legal operations, practice management, or related leadership roles.

Responsibilities

• Set strategic direction for national law clerk and paralegal function.
• Design operating model enhancements and scalable delivery models.
• Lead technology-enabled transformation including AI and automation.
• Establish performance frameworks and metrics to measure impact.
• Partner with practice leaders to align services with firm strategy.

Skills

Legal operations

Paralegal oversight

Strategic leadership

Change management

Technology-enabled transformation

Data-driven decision making

Education

LLB or JD

Tools

PMP

Prosci

Lean/Six Sigma

Job description

Director, Practice Delivery and Innovation

McMillan has an exciting opportunity for a Director, Practice Delivery & Innovation. This newly created role will set the strategic direction for how the Firm’s practice delivery professionals grow, evolve, and deliver value, with an initial focus on the national law clerk and paralegal function. The Director, Practice Delivery & Innovation will provide leadership to a team of 80 professionals, champion their work, and ensure they have the skills, tools, training and support to deliver outstanding service as the practice of law evolves.

The role will lead legal services and operating model transformation, with a focus on agility and continuous improvement. This work includes rethinking how work is organized and delivered, translating complex workflows into practical services, and creating scalable, technology-enabled delivery models. The goal is to improve quality, responsiveness, consistency and client value in how law clerk and paralegal services are delivered across the Firm.

Rapid advancements in artificial intelligence and legal technology are reshaping how legal work is performed and delivered, creating opportunities to reduce routine administrative burden and unlock higher-value contributions. This is an exciting time to join a firm that is approaching change thoughtfully and in partnership with its people. Working closely with the Director, Law Clerks and Paralegals, and professionals across the team, this role will challenge traditional methods and modernize how services are delivered to lawyers, practice groups and clients.

The successful candidate will bring a strategic mindset, operational rigour, legal workflow expertise and collaborative leadership to redesign processes, improve systems, and enhance practice and client service delivery – helping shape the future of law clerk and paralegal operations at McMillan.

The Director reports to the National Director, Innovation & Strategic Operations and has oversight over a senior level Director, Law Clerks and Paralegals.

McMillan LLP is a national business law firm that knows real-time solutions drive corporate success and recognizes that businesses need a partner who is responsive, astute and invested in their success. McMillan is committed to teamwork, collaboration and developing innovative and sophisticated legal solutions for our clients.

What You'll Do

• Set the strategic direction for the national law clerk and paralegal function, including a focused innovation, transformation, technology and AI roadmap that prioritizes the operating model enhancements with the greatest impact on evolving practice and client service needs.
• Design strategies to improve processes, rethink ways of working, and build scalable service delivery models that strengthen quality, consistency, efficiency and client value across offices and practice groups.
• Elevate the strategic role of law clerks and paralegals by identifying how workflow redesign, technology and new delivery models can reduce routine work and expand the team’s contribution to legal practice and client outcomes.
• Identify, pilot and integrate technologies, including AI and automation, that improve workflows, support effective work allocation and enable quality service delivery by law clerks and paralegals.
• Establish data, performance frameworks and operational metrics to measure impact, inform decisions and guide continuous improvement.
• Partner with practice leaders, peer Directors and cross-functional teams to align paralegals and law clerk services with practice needs, operational priorities and the Firm’s broader innovation agenda.
• Enable and champion change management across the law clerk and paralegal function, building alignment, engagement and capability around new processes, technologies and ways of working.
• Provide strategic direction and day-to-day operational oversight to the Director, Law Clerks and Paralegals, setting priorities, removing barriers and supporting delivery of operational and transformation objectives.
• Contribute to the Firm’s strategic planning for innovation and operational excellence, bringing an informed perspective on how the law clerk and paralegal function can be leveraged as a competitive differentiator in client service delivery.
• Accountable for the management of operational budgets, resource allocation, vendor relationships and external service providers specific to law clerk and paralegal operations.
• Accountable for the development and maintenance of operational playbooks, standard operating procedures and capability frameworks that support consistency, quality and scalability of service delivery across the Firm.

What You Bring

• LLB or JD required (active legal practice is not a requirement for this role).
• Minimum seven (7) years of progressive experience in legal operations, practice management, or a related operational leadership role within a law firm or professional services environment.
• Experience working with or overseeing paralegal, law clerk, or legal support teams, with a deep understanding of their evolving role in modern law firm service delivery, is a strong asset.
• Proven track record leading process improvement and technology-enabled transformation at scale, including evaluating, pilating and implementing legal technologies such as AI, workflow automation and legal project management platforms.
• A genuine problem-solver: curious, creative, practical and energized by making everyday work better.
• Strategic and systems thinker with the ability to architect scalable operating models and balance long-range transformation planning with day-to-day hands‑on problem-solving.
• Executive presence and credibility to engage effectively with Firm Management and senior stakeholders as a trusted advisor on the future of legal support services.
• Proven leadership skills with change management experience driving adoption of new processes, technologies, and ways of working across large, geographically distributed teams.
• Excellent communication skills, including the ability to prepare and deliver compelling presentations and messaging for senior leaders, practice groups, and operational teams.
• Strong analytical and data-driven mindset, with the ability to define meaningful operational metrics and use evidence to inform decisions and demonstrate value.
• Collaborative leader who builds productive partnerships across functional boundaries and influences outcomes through persuasion and relationship‑building.
• Project management (PMP), change management (Prosci), legal operations (CLOC), or process improvement (Lean/Six Sigma) certifications are considered assets.
• A commitment to leading with empathy and to celebrating diverse lived experiences and contributions.
• Consistently demonstrates McMillan's Firm Values: Respect, Teamwork, Client Service, Professional Excellence and Commitment.

Growth

Mentorship and Support

Training as Software Evolves

Commensurate Compensation and Benefits Package

At the heart of our commitment to being a first-mover on important issues, McMillan believes that equity, diversity and inclusion are catalysts for success. By embracing our differences, we create an inclusive culture that enriches our collective knowledge, broadens our perspectives, and propels us forward. We are dedicated to fostering an environment where everyone feels empowered to bring their whole selves to work, knowing it is through our individual experiences that we can all come together to truly make a positive impact in our firm, for our clients, within our communities, and beyond.

At McMillan, we know we will achieve the most success by attracting and retaining the best talent, and by representing and supporting communities from which we draw our members, the communities in which we live and work and the communities to which we provide legal services.

We are a law firm that prides itself in sustained quality and excellence in service while fostering a positive and collegial work environment which nurtures mentoring inspires enthusiasm and professional excellence. We commit to putting our best efforts forward in achieving our goals, and the goals of our clients. You can help us in that journey!

Need another reason to consider McMillan? Let’s work together to help you achieve your professional goals and career development.

McMillan is committed to providing accommodation for applicants with disabilities in its recruitment processes. If you require accommodation at any time during the recruitment process, please email us or contact us at 1.888.622.4624 to submit your accommodation request.

McMillan LLP is committed to fostering a culture of inclusion and diversity. We respect and embrace the unique backgrounds, perspectives and experiences of individuals at all levels of the firm. This enables us to provide innovative client service, contribute fully to our communities and advance our firm’s values.

At McMillan, we embrace innovation and make strategic and thoughtful use of technology, including artificial intelligence (AI). However, our recruitment process remains deeply human-centric. We do not use AI to screen resumes or select candidates. Every application is carefully reviewed by a member of our recruitment team, and hiring decisions are made through collaborative evaluation and interviews.