Associate Recruiting Manager – Lateral Associates

Jobtailor; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Jobtailor is seeking a seasoned Legal Recruiter to lead lateral associate hiring in the United States. You will partner with practice leaders to define strategy, source candidates directly and via referrals, and manage engagements through offers and onboarding.

The role requires strong leadership, data-driven insights, and discretion when handling sensitive information. Ideal candidates bring extensive experience in legal recruitment, ownership of the lateral process, and a track record of

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent.
• Seven or more years of experience in legal recruitment, preferably owning lateral associate recruiting.
• Two or more years of experience leading, supervising, or developing others.
• Excellent leadership and interpersonal skills with strong organizational and problem-solving abilities.
• Ability to translate business needs into practical recruiting strategies for senior stakeholders.
• Proficiency in PC applications including MS Office, database management, and applicant tracking systems.
• Ability to conduct thorough analyses and prepare reports.
• Experience handling confidential and sensitive information with discretion.
• Experience using data and market information to identify trends and support decisions.

Responsibilities

• Partner with practice, department, and office leaders to understand hiring needs and develop tailored lateral associate recruiting strategies.
• Provide market intelligence, candidate insights, and practical guidance throughout the recruiting process.
• Lead lateral associate searches from strategy and candidate identification through interviews, offers, and successful hiring.
• Recruit qualified lateral associate candidates through direct sourcing, attorney referrals, search firms, and other channels.
• Build and manage relationships with external search firms and vendors.
• Evaluate search firm performance, negotiate fees, and improve recruiting processes.
• Prepare and communicate recruiting statistics, market updates, and progress reports.
• Organize, delegate, and coordinate staff work.
• Manage workflow and conduct performance evaluations.
• Protect and maintain highly sensitive, confidential information.

Skills

Legal recruitment

Lateral associate recruiting

Leadership

Data analysis

Applicant tracking systems

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent

Tools

MS Office

Database management

Applicant Tracking Systems

Job description

• Partner with practice, department, and office leaders to understand hiring needs and develop tailored lateral associate recruiting strategies
• Provide market intelligence, candidate insights, and practical guidance throughout the recruiting process
• Lead lateral associate searches from initial strategy and candidate identification through interviews, offers, and successful hiring
• Recruit qualified lateral associate candidates through direct sourcing, attorney referrals, search firms, and other recruiting channels
• Build and manage relationships with external search firms and vendors
• Evaluate search firm performance, negotiate fees, and improve recruiting processes
• Prepare and communicate recruiting statistics, market updates, and progress reports
• Organize, delegate, and coordinate staff work
• Manage workflow and conduct performance evaluations
• Protect and maintain highly sensitive, confidential, privileged, financial, and proprietary information

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent
• Minimum of seven (7) years of experience in legal recruitment, preferably with ownership over lateral associate recruiting
• Minimum of two (2) years of experience leading, supervising, or developing others through direct management or project leadership
• Excellent leadership and interpersonal skills, including organizing, planning, problem-solving, decision-making, and effective interaction with all organizational levels
• Ability to advise senior stakeholders and translate business needs into practical recruiting strategies
• Proficiency in PC applications, including MS Office, database management, and applicant tracking systems
• Ability to conduct thorough analyses and reports
• Experience handling confidential and sensitive information with appropriate discretion
• Experience using data and market information to identify trends, assess progress, and support decisions

Core Competencies

Demonstrates expertise in legal recruitment with a focus on lateral associate hiring, utilizing strong leadership and interpersonal skills to manage teams and develop effective recruiting strategies. Proficient in data analysis and reporting to inform decision-making and improve recruiting processes.

Highest-signal resume keywords

• Legal Recruitment Experience
• Lateral Associate Recruiting
• Leadership and Supervision
• Data Analysis and Reporting
• Applicant Tracking Systems

Hard Skills

• Legal Recruitment
• Data Analysis
• Market Intelligence
• Candidate Sourcing
• Performance Evaluation

Soft Skills

• Leadership
• Interpersonal Skills
• Organizing
• Problem-Solving
• Decision-Making

Industry Keywords

• Lateral Associate
• Recruiting Strategies
• Search Firms
• Confidential Information
• Stakeholder Engagement

Tools & Technologies

• MS Office
• Database Management
• Applicant Tracking Systems