Global Director Talent Development

Dechert LLP; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 245,000 - 330,000; Full time

Job summary

Dechert LLP seeks a Global Talent Development Director to lead training, onboarding, coaching, and D&I initiatives across offices. You will partner with senior leaders to advance attorney development, manage evaluations, and drive a data‑driven talent program.

Requires JD-preferred and extensive law firm administration experience. The role emphasizes collaboration with the Chief Talent Officer, adherence to CLE/MCLE, and high‑impact program delivery in a global setting, with on-site duties in

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required in a related field in HR, law, or business.
• 10–15 years of progressive Talent Development leadership experience, ideally global.
• Experience in a large law firm or professional services environment.
• Strong communication, organizational and project management skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead training and development for lawyers and BSPs, incl. onboarding and mentoring.
• Oversee D&I initiatives and data-driven reporting for talent programs.
• Manage performance evaluations and upward feedback processes firmwide.
• Partner with leadership to align talent programs with firm strategy.

Skills

Leadership

Onboarding

Mentoring

Diversity & Inclusion

Coaching

Training programs

Performance management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Law, Business Administration, or related field

Tools

MS Office

Workday HRIS

Learning Management Systems

Job description

The Global Talent Development Director works closely with the Chief Talent Officer to provide leadership for the firm’s training and development functions across global offices, supporting the firm’s strategic goal of maintaining a supportive, diverse, and inclusive culture of excellence for attorneys and business services professionals.

The role partners with firm and practice group leadership to oversee attorney onboarding, development programs, mentoring, diversity and inclusion (D&I) initiatives, CLE and CPD, compliance, special events, and related talent initiatives.

Key Responsibilities:

Learning & Development

• Lead and oversee training and development initiatives for lawyers and business service professionals ("BSP"), including the Dechert’s Critical Skills Institute and programs for first year associates, newly qualified lawyers, newly elevated partners, counsel, and partners.
• Direct the Partner Development program, including New Partner Orientation and training initiatives for Income and Equity partners.
• Ensure adherence to CLE and MCLE requirements across all jurisdictions.

Orientation and Onboarding

• Lead the planning and delivery of lateral associate and BSP orientations and outreach to lateral partners to support the integration of new attorneys.

Diversity & Inclusion

• Lead and support diversity and inclusion (D&I) initiatives related to employee development, engagement, retention, and advancement, partnering with firm leaders and key stakeholders to integrate D&I considerations into talent programs and practices.
• Play a leadership role in supporting the Practice Group Engagement Liaison Partners ("ELP") Program through data analysis, reporting, consultation, and follow-up, including preparing productivity and performance reports and coordinating monthly meeting agendas for the Talent Team, Engagement Liaison Partners, and Practice Group Directors.

Performance Management

• Play a leadership role in reviewing associate evaluations and identifying related issues.
• Manage the firmwide anonymous and confidential upward feedback program.
• Support the firm’s counsel promotion process by collaborating with firm leadership, preparing reports and materials, and ensuring a seamless and consistent review process.

Coaching and Mentoring

• Supervise coaching initiatives, including tracking success metrics in terms of retention rates, in-house and client placements, career progression of participants, and/or other indicators.
• Lead the firmwide mentoring program, ensuring innovation and data-driven analyses of effectiveness. This includes training for mentors and mentees, and strategic and specific launching points for effective mentoring discussions

Other Functions

• Manage Dechert’s Stars program, including Diversity Champion, Legal Innovators , and Exceptional Teachers Awards process.
• Lead on research and preparation for presentations by firm partners and other firm leaders, including the annual State of the Firm Address, presentations to new and summer associates, and orientation presentations.
• Manage the firm’s responses to surveys, including Vault, Am Law Midlevel, Chambers, Great Place to Work and other publications.
• Collaborate with the Global Marketing team to provide talent-related information for requests for proposals.
• Act as liaison between firm leadership and associates by partnering with the Global Associates Committee ("GAC") on initiatives related to associate morale and development; meet regularly with the GAC chairs and help design monthly GAC meeting agendas.
• Serve as a general resource for firm leaders, practice group leaders, and others regarding policies and procedures.
• Perform other duties as necessary and as assigned by the Chief Talent Officer to support the efficient functioning of the department, office, and firm.
• Juris Doctor preferred.
• Law firm experience required.
• Relevant and significant experience in a law firm administration role, including training and developing lawyers.
• Excellent verbal and written communication, organizational, problem-solving, and management skills.
• Outstanding presentation skills, with confidence speaking before large groups.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, including Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Outlook, and other relevant technology tools, online learning platforms, video streaming, and videoconferencing.
• Strong project management and organizational skills, with keen attention to detail.
• Ability to manage multiple concurrent projects, a departmental budget, establish priorities, and coordinate work effectively.

Required Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Law, Business Administration, or related field.
• 10-15 years of progressive Talent Development leadership experience, ideally in a global environment.
• Experience in a large law firm or professional services environment, with specialized knowledge of training, learning and development, onboarding, coaching, mentoring and performance management.
• 10+ years in a management-level role, including supervisory experience.
• Excellent written communication skills, including the ability to write clearly and concisely and adjust tone appropriately – additional language skills are useful.
• Excellent technical skills in MS Office, particularly in Excel; learning management systems and knowledge of Workday HRIS will be an advantage.
• The ability to learn and adapt to new systems as required.

INTERACTIONS AND CHALLENGES:

• Requires effective collaboration with firm leaders, practice group leaders, partners, attorneys, business services professionals, and colleagues across the Global Legal Talent and Marketing teams.
• Requires strong judgment, discretion, and communication skills when handling attorney development, evaluation, onboarding, licensing, and policy matters.
• Must be able to manage competing priorities, coordinate complex programs and events, and deliver consistent support across offices and stakeholder groups.

At the time of this posting, the salary range for this position in Boston, New York and Washington, D.C. is between $245,000.00 - $330,000.00 annually. Actual compensation is commensurate with job related knowledge, skills, experience, and location of the position.

PHYSICAL EFFORT / WORK CONDITIONS

• This position operates in a professional office environment that is generally free of hazards and exposure to adverse environmental conditions.
• This position requires regular on-site attendance at a Dechert location, with some travel to different sites using various modes of 4 days a week transportation. Incumbents may be required to work extended hours, including evenings and weekends.
• This position routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopy machine and filing cabinets, and requires frequent communication with the firm’s employees and partners, as well as third parties. This position is mainly sedentary.
• Primary functions require sufficient physical ability and mobility to work in an office setting; read, sit, and type for sustained periods; walk, stand, reach, and bend; open and close filing cabinets and access and retrieve materials in file rooms; lift, carry, and move files or other items of light to moderate weight; operate equipment requiring repetitive hand movement and fine coordination; and communicate verbally to exchange information.
• This position requires a normal audio range, with or without correction, and a normal visual range, with or without correction. Specific vision abilities required include close vision, distance vision, color vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

About Dechert:

Dechert is the law firm that helps business leaders lead.

For more than 150 years, we have advised clients on critical issues - from high-stakes litigation to first-in-market transaction structures and complex regulatory matters. Our lawyers in commercial centers worldwide are immersed in the key sectors we service - financial services, private capital, real estate life sciences and technology.