Manager, Legal Recruiting & Associate Life

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 160,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP seeks a Manager of Legal Recruiting & Associate Life to lead the Chicago office's lateral and campus recruitment, and to support onboarding and integration of new associates. The role partners with the global HR team on talent initiatives and is hybrid with in-office requirements.

You will oversee summer programs, mentoring, and staff assignments while coordinating resources and events to maintain morale and a collegial culture in the office.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 6 years of recruiting experience in a professional services firm or comparable environment.
• Strong business and financial acumen.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong collaborative leadership and management skills.
• Professional presence and credibility to liaise with partners and senior professionals.
• Ability to exercise tact, discretion, and confidentiality regarding personnel information.
• Highly organized with strong attention to detail.
• Self-starter who can work autonomously and take projects from concept through to implementation.
• Creative problem-solving and strategic thinking skills.
• Proven interpersonal skills and the ability to advance the needs of the office while maintaining a positive work environment.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the attorney recruitment process, including lateral attorney and campus recruitment for the Chicago office.
• Create and implement campus recruiting strategy across the full life cycle from events to interview and offers.
• Travel to law school events as needed.
• Ensure the Firm’s marketing materials align with recruiting strategy.
• Manage the summer associate program including assignments, evaluations and reviews.
• Support orientation and mentoring for new associates and laterals.
• Develop events to foster morale, collaboration and inclusion.
• Manage associate work assignments and absences to maintain staffing levels.
• Assist training and CLE efforts in the Chicago office.
• Serve as advisor and liaison between associates and partners and coordinate resources.

Skills

Recruiting experience

Leadership & management

Communication skills

Confidentiality

Organizational skills

Legal recruiting knowledge

Budget awareness

Collaboration

Strategic thinking

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources or related field

Job description

The Manager, Legal Recruiting & Associate Life oversees lateral and campus recruitment processes for the Chicago office and supports the orientation and integration processes for new associates. This role also partners closely with the global HR team on Firmwide HR initiatives, including talent assessment, learning and development, wellness. The Manager reports to the Director, Administration in Chicago with a dotted-line reporting relationship to the Director of Legal Talent – Regional Strategy. This is a hybrid role with a minimum of 4 days in the office based on business needs.

JOB DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Oversee the attorney recruitment process, including lateral attorney and campus recruitment, for the Chicago office
• Create and implement campus recruiting strategy for the full life cycle of the law student recruitment process from coordinating and attending recruiting events through the interview and offer stages of the season.
• Travel to law school events as needed
• Ensure the Firm’s marketing materials align with overall recruiting strategy, including promotional and educational pieces, industry surveys, website, etc.
• Manage summer associate program including coordinating and attending events, and overseeing work assignment, evaluation and review processes. This includes: providing direction to associate assignors directing summer associates on usage of the tracking database, and compiling performance review materials for partners
• Support the orientation and integration processes for new associates and coordinate formal mentoring assignments for all incoming associates and laterals
• Develop and coordinate events for associates to foster morale, collegiality and teamwork, including events organized in conjunction with the Firm’s Inclusion team and the Chicago office inclusion network
• Manage associate work assignments and absence requests to ensure adequate staffing is always available
• Assist the Corporate Training Manager and CLE Compliance Specialist with attorney training and CLE efforts in the Chicago office
• Serve as an advisor and liaison between associates and partners; direct attorneys to Firm resources to help resolve concerns or problems and coordinate available resources to support solutions
• Oversee and maintain the mentoring programs for the Chicago office
• Conduct exit interviews for departing associates
• Manage the budget to ensure appropriate resource allocations in line with the Firm’s financial goals
• Support additional projects and initiatives, and perform other duties as assigned

EDUCATION

• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Organizational Development or related field, or equivalent professional experience

SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

• Minimum of 6 years of recruiting experience in a professional services firm or comparable environment
• Strong business and financial acumen
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Strong collaborative leadership and management skills, with a demonstrated ability to work effectively in a team environment
• Professional presence and credibility to liaise with partners and senior professionals
• Ability to exercise tact, discretion, and strong judgment to maintain the highest level of confidentiality regarding personnel information
• Highly organized, with strong attention to detail
• Self-starter who can work autonomously and take projects from concept through to implementation
• Creative problem-solving and strategic thinking skills
• Proven interpersonal skills and the ability to advance the needs and objectives of the office while maintaining a positive work environment and culture
• Positive, proactive approach to work
• Ability to anticipate the needs of management and the office
• Lateral and Campus Recruiting experience in the legal field

Salary Information

Salary Information IL Only: The estimated base salary range for this position is $160,000 to $190,000 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. Simpson Thacher will not sponsor applicants for work visas for this position.

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Simpson Thacher & Bartlett is committed to a collegial work environment in which all individuals are treated with respect and dignity. The Firm prohibits discrimination or harassment based upon race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, citizenship status, disability, marital or partnership status, sexual orientation, veteran’s status or any other legally protected status. This Policy pertains to every aspect of an individual’s relationship with the Firm, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, compensation, benefits, training and development, promotion, transfer, discipline, termination, and all other privileges, terms and conditions of employment.

#LI-Hybrid

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP is one of the world’s leading international law firms. The Firm was established in 1884 and has approximately 2,000 lawyers. Headquartered in New York with offices in Beijing, Boston, Brussels, Dallas, Hong Kong, Houston, London, Los Angeles, Luxembourg, Palo Alto, San Francisco, São Paulo, Tokyo and Washington, D.C., the Firm provides coordinated legal advice and transactional capability to clients around the globe.