Associate Director of Application Engineering, Practice Innovation Delivery

Kirkland & Ellis; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 203,000 - 253,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare benefits

Paid time off

Retirement plan

Learning & development opportunities

Job summary

Kirkland & Ellis, a leading global law firm, seeks an Associate Director of Application Engineering, Practice Innovation Delivery, in Chicago. You will guide platforms, APIs, integrations, and AI-enabled solutions powering practice delivery across the firm.

You’ll partner with Innovation Product & Engineering, Legal Practice Technology, and Security teams to drive scalable, governance-first engineering. This leadership role emphasizes modern platforms, automation, and AI-assisted workflows, with

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or Information Technology.
• 8+ years of experience in application integrations, platform onboarding, administration, and operations across SaaS, on-premises, and hybrid environments.
• Proven track record of operational excellence and technology leadership.
• Strong knowledge of Azure and enterprise technology platforms.
• Deep understanding of APIs, API gateways, SSO, workflow automation, platform integrations, and enterprise connectivity patterns.
• Experience with AWS, Kubernetes, Docker, CI/CD, and DevSecOps methodologies.

Responsibilities

• Oversee day-to-day operation, performance, and support of innovation applications and platforms, ensuring reliability and scalability.
• Lead, coach, and prioritise a team of engineers responsible for platform delivery, production support, integrations, and automation.
• Establish engineering best practices for API-led integration, platform governance, security, observability, and service reusability.
• Shape the roadmap for AI-assisted engineering, agentic workflows, and MCP enablement with strong governance and security.
• Establish and manage cloud integration environments and supporting infrastructure for development and production workloads.
• Collaborate with multiple teams to align engineering priorities with business objectives.
• Define approved services and security boundaries for API and AI agent consumption.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Communication

Strategic thinking

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or Information Technology

Tools

Azure

AWS

Kubernetes

Docker

CI/CD

DevSecOps

Job description

Location: Chicago, IL, United States

Category: Technology

About Kirkland & Ellis

At Kirkland & Ellis, we don't just meet the standard for legal excellence - we set it. Our culture is built on teamwork, ingenuity and an unwavering commitment to continuous growth. We tackle the most sophisticated legal challenges with bold ideas and innovative solutions, powered by the exceptional experience and ambition of our 7,000+ people, including 4,000+ attorneys, across 24 offices worldwide. Our dedicated professionals share our lawyers' commitment to excellence and show up each day to do meaningful work that helps drive global business, investment and innovation forward.

What You’ll Do

Are you a technology leader who thrives at the intersection of engineering, automation, and Artificial Intelligence, and is excited by the opportunity to transform how legal services are delivered?

As theAssociate Director of Application Engineering, Practice Innovation Delivery, you will help lead the team responsible for designing, building, and governing the platforms, APIs, integrations, and AI-enabled solutions that power practice delivery across the firm. Working closely with Innovation Product & Engineering, Legal Practice Technology, Information Security, Risk, and Enterprise Architecture teams, you will drive operational excellence while helping shape the future of legal technology through modern platforms, automation, and AI-assisted workflows.

This is a highly visible leadership opportunity for a collaborative, forward-thinking technology professional who is passionate about innovation, governance, and building scalable solutions that enhance the way legal professionals work.

• Lead Innovation Delivery: Oversee the day-to-day operation, performance, and support of innovation applications and platforms, ensuring reliability, scalability, and user satisfaction.
• Manage and Develop Engineering Teams: Lead, coach, and prioritize a team of engineers responsible for platform delivery, production support, integrations, and automation initiatives.
• Define Technical Standards: Establish engineering best practices for API-led integration, platform governance, security, observability, modernization, and service reusability.
• Advance AI Capabilities: Shape the roadmap for AI-assisted engineering, agentic workflows, and Model Context Protocol (MCP) enablement while embedding strong governance, security, and operational controls.
• Build Cloud-Based Integration Services: Establish and manage cloud integration environments, access controls, network configurations, and supporting infrastructure for development and production workloads.
• Modernize Enterprise Platforms: Experience with Azure, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Amazon Web Services (AWS), Kubernetes, Docker, Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery (CI/CD), and DevSecOps methodologies.
• Partner Across the Business: Collaborate with Legal Practice Technology, Innovation, Client Services, AI Automation, DevSecOps, Data, Information Security, Risk, and Enterprise Architecture teams to align engineering priorities with strategic business objectives.
• Enable Secure Innovation: Partner with security and architecture stakeholders to define approved services, integration standards, and security boundaries for API and AI agent consumption.
• Drive Operational Excellence: Streamline processes, introduce automation, and improve innovation delivery through efficient and scalable operational practices.
• Integrate Business-Critical Technologies: Connect Software as a Service (SaaS), custom-developed, and co-developed solutions with legal and business applications across the firm.
• Provide Technical Leadership: Serve as a trusted advisor to practice innovation leaders, providing technical expertise and operational insight for strategic initiatives and emerging technologies.
• Ensure Compliance and Governance: Promote adherence to legal, regulatory, security, risk, and enterprise architecture standards across innovation platforms and services.
• Support Technology Investments: Assist with budgeting, vendor evaluations, software procurement, and ongoing license and subscription management.

What You’ll Bring

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field.
• Experience: A minimum of 8 years of experience in application integrations, platform onboarding, administration, and operations across SaaS, on-premises, and hybrid environments, with a proven track record of operational excellence and technology leadership.
• Leadership & Stakeholder Management: Demonstrated success leading technical teams and partnering with business and technology stakeholders to translate complex requirements into actionable roadmaps.
• Platform & Cloud Expertise: Strong knowledge of Microsoft Azure and enterprise technology platforms, including cloud infrastructure management and platform governance.
• Integration & Automation Skills: Deep understanding of APIs, API gateways, Single Sign-On (SSO), workflow automation, platform integrations, and enterprise connectivity patterns.
• Security & Risk Knowledge: Experience with Security Information and Event Management (SIEM), encryption and key management practices, security controls, and risk-focused technology governance.
• AI & Emerging Technology Acumen: Working knowledge of generative AI, agentic architectures, AI-assisted engineering, Model Context Protocol (MCP), and governance-first implementation approaches.
• Modern Engineering Practices: Experience with Amazon Web Services (AWS), Kubernetes, Docker, Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery (CI/CD), and DevSecOps methodologies.
• Communication & Collaboration: Exceptional communication skills with the ability to engage technical and non-technical audiences and build strong cross-functional partnerships.
• Innovative Mindset: A passion for exploring emerging technologies, improving delivery processes, and driving meaningful business outcomes through innovation.

Compensation

The base salary range below represents the low and high end of the salary range for this position in Chicago. This range may differ based on your geographic location and cost of living considerations. At Kirkland & Ellis, we consider compensation more than just a base salary. We offer an exceptional range of flexible benefits including comprehensive healthcare, paid time off, and retirement. We also offer personal support and tailored learning and development opportunities all designed to help you realize your full potential both in life and at work.

Compensation Range:

• Chicago: $203,000 - $253,000

Equal Employment Opportunity

All employment decisions, including the recruiting, hiring, placement, training availability, promotion, compensation, evaluation, disciplinary actions, and termination of employment (if necessary) are made without regard to the employee’s race, color, creed, religion, sex, pregnancy or childbirth, personal appearance, family responsibilities, sexual orientation or preference, gender identity, political affiliation, source of income, place of residence, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, age, marital status, military veteran status, unfavorable discharge from military service, physical or mental disability, or on any other basis prohibited by applicable law.