Director, Product Management & Design

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP; New York (NY); On-site; USD 300,000 - 350,000; Full time

Job summary

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP is seeking a Director, Product Management & Design to shape vision, roadmap, design direction, and lifecycle management of custom-built and SaaS practice solutions across the Firm. You will partner with clients, attorneys, and business teams to translate unmet needs into intuitive product experiences that elevate legal service delivery and client experience.

This leadership role oversees a global Product Management & Design team, drives strategy with

Qualifications

• Minimum of seven years leading product management, UX/design, or technology; minimum of ten years in the legal field.
• Proven experience leading multidisciplinary teams of product managers, designers, researchers, technologists, analysts, and legal practitioners.
• Proactive problem-solver able to address product, design, technical, and collaborative situations with attorneys and staff.
• Strategic thinker with track record of cross-functional launches of intelligent solutions.
• Strong understanding of product management, UX/user research, SaaS, and AI-enabled service delivery.
• Excellent communication and influencing skills; ability to convey complex information clearly.
• Robust roadmap, prioritization, project management, and stakeholder management.
• Consultative, user-centered approach with strong customer service orientation.

Responsibilities

• Partner with practice group leaders and stakeholders to understand objectives and opportunities for custom-built and SaaS solutions.
• Define and communicate product vision, strategy, and roadmaps for practice-facing and client-facing solutions.
• Prioritize investments and ensure decisions align with Firm objectives across IT, Engineering, Data Science, and other teams.
• Oversee lifecycle management, enhancement planning, and support for portfolio solutions.
• Lead discovery sessions to identify, document, validate, and prioritize user needs.
• Translate objectives into product requirements, features, and acceptance criteria.
• Guide UX strategy, journey mapping, information architecture, prototyping, and usability testing.
• Develop and apply user research plans; synthesize findings to inform prioritization.
• Coordinate pilots, PoCs, evaluations, testing, and release planning with internal teams and vendors.
• Cultivate and manage SaaS vendor relationships and roadmaps to support technology objectives.
• Lead delivery of client product solutions in AI and technology; identify opportunities to enhance legal service delivery.
• Coordinate adoption plans, feedback loops, and success metrics for client-facing solutions.

Skills

Leadership

Product management

UX design

Team leadership

Stakeholder management

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/IS/Design/PM

JD/MBA or design/HCI graduate degree

Job description

The Director, Product Management & Design is a strategic leadership role responsible for shaping the vision, roadmap, design direction, and lifecycle management of custom-built and SaaS practice solutions across the Firm. The role partners with clients, attorneys, and business teams to identify unmet needs, translate those needs into intuitive product experiences, and deliver solutions that improve legal service delivery and client experience.

Essential Job Duties & Responsibilities

Strategy and Leadership

• Partner with practice group leaders, KM Lawyers, Practice Management Directors, clients, and other key stakeholders to understand business objectives, user needs, and opportunities for custom-built and SaaS product solutions
• Define and communicate product vision, strategy, and roadmaps for practice-facing and client-facing solutions, balancing business value, user value, technical feasibility, and portfolio priorities
• Collaborate with firm and practice leadership, KM, IT, Engineering, Data Science, and other stakeholders to prioritize product investments and ensure product decisions align with Firm and practice objectives
• Maintain strong market intelligence and external perspective through education, research, networking, and participation in professional and industry organizations to stay current on product management, legal technology, UX, user research, and AI-enabled service delivery trends

Product Management, Design, and Practice Technology Solutions

• Oversee the Firm's portfolio of custom-built and SaaS practice solutions for transactional and litigation matters, including product definition, lifecycle management, enhancement planning, and ongoing support
• Lead/support flagship product opportunities for the Firm e.g., a new platform approach to AI-enabled Practice model, etc.
• Lead discovery, business analysis, and requirements-gathering sessions with attorneys, clients, and business support stakeholders to identify, document, validate, and prioritize user needs
• Translate complex business objectives and user insights into product requirements, features, user stories, acceptance criteria, and measurable outcomes
• Guide UX strategy and design activities, including journey mapping, workflow analysis, information architecture, prototyping, usability testing, and iterative design of attorney- and client-facing experiences
• Build user research capabilities by developing research plans, conducting interviews and usability studies, synthesizing findings, and using evidence to inform product prioritization and design decisions
• Collaborate with attorneys, KM, IT, Data Analytics, and other internal teams to orchestrate pilot programs, proof-of-concept initiatives, comparative software evaluations, product testing, and release planning
• Cultivate and manage SaaS vendor relationships, stay informed about product capabilities and roadmaps, and work with vendors to drive improvements that support the Firm's practice technology objectives

Client Product Solutions

• Help lead the delivery of client product solutions in AI and technology, working with attorneys, clients, and internal teams to translate client needs into scalable, high-impact offerings
• Partner with client teams and practice leaders to identify opportunities where productized technology, automation, AI-enabled workflows, or data-driven tools can enhance legal service delivery and client experience
• Coordinate pilots, adoption plans, feedback loops, and success measures for client-facing solutions to support effective implementation and continuous improvement

Team Management

• Lead the Product Management & Design team globally, ensuring uniformity in recruitment, career development, training, and the services provided by the group
• Provide coaching and mentorship to team members in product management, UX design, user research, business analysis, and administration of the assigned technology portfolio, and conduct semi-annual and annual performance evaluations
• Oversee the operational budget for the Product Management & Design function, ensuring initiatives are delivered on time and within budget

Education Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, information systems, design, product management, or a related field is required
• JD, MBA, or graduate degree in design, human-computer interaction, or a related field is preferred

Skills And Experience Requirements

• Minimum of seven years leading product management, UX/design, or technology; minimum of ten years in the legal field
• Proven experience leading multidisciplinary teams comprising product managers, designers, user researchers, technologists, business analysts, and legal practitioners
• A proactive problem-solver with the ability to address product, design, technical, and collaborative situations in collaboration with attorneys and professional staff
• A strategic thinker with a proven track record of working with cross-functional teams to define, build, launch, and continuously improve intelligent custom and SaaS solutions
• A thorough understanding of product management practices, UX and user research methods, SaaS platforms, emerging technologies, and their impact on legal service delivery
• Exceptional communication and influencing skills, with the ability to distill and convey complex information in a clear, concise manner
• Strong product roadmap, prioritization, project management, and organizational skills, adept at managing multiple stakeholders, deadlines, and priorities
• A consultative, user-centered approach and a strong customer service orientation, able to engage with Firm and practice group leadership, attorneys, clients, and other internal and external stakeholders effectively

Salary Information

NY Only: The estimated base salary range for this position is $300,000 to $350,000 at the time of posting.

The actual salary offered will depend on a variety of factors, including without limitation, the qualifications of the individual applicant for the position, years of relevant experience, level of education attained, certifications or other professional licenses held, and if applicable, the location in which the applicant lives and/or from which they will be performing the job. This role is exempt meaning it is not overtime pay eligible.

Visa Sponsorship

Simpson Thacher will not sponsor applicants for work visas for this position.

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