Manager, Work Allocation & Development - NYC Staffing : Job Details

Manager, Work Allocation & Development

White & Case is an elite global law firm serving leading companies, financial institutions, and governments worldwide. Our long history as an international firm means we are perfectly placed to help our clients resolve their most complex legal challenges wherever they may be. With lawyers and staff operating from more than 47 locations, working in virtually every country of the world, we have invested heavily in building a high-quality full-service practice competing at the top of the market. We are distinguished by our on-the-ground presence in the world's key financial markets and our strengths in handling complex cross-border work. It's not just about our global network of offices and shared services centers; it's the global interconnectedness of the Firm that our people, and our clients, value most. We work well together across geographic and practice boundaries. It's one of the reasons we attract and retain cross-border work. Our lawyers are globally minded, enterprising, collaborative, and committed to excellence. Our people represent 90 nationalities and speak 80 languages.

Position Summary

We are looking for a Work Allocation & Development Manager to join our Washington DC or New York office. This new position presents an exciting opportunity to play a key role in supporting the development of legal talent for our practices. The Work Allocation & Development Manager will engage directly with associates to understand their interests and objectives in order to provide access to the experiences and relationships they need to build their careers. This role is heavily people focused, built on establishing strong working relationships with several key stakeholders across the Firm. The Work Allocation & Development Manager will seek to ensure that the Associates are appropriately staffed and utilized, while balancing the pursuit of a rich and well-rounded associate experience with the immediate needs of the business. The successful candidate will be a team-player who is ambitious, focused on client service, and passionate about their work. They will be eager to take on the challenges of excelling in a global law firm and high-performance culture. This individual will have exemplary academic credentials, as well as a genuine interest in associate development and matter/resource management. Prior experience in a professional services setting, preferably a law firm, is required. We offer high-quality work, a competitive salary package and an opportunity to be part of a truly global organization.

Duties and Accountabilities

Resource Management:

• Support associates through equitable, transparent and consistent work allocation and targeted professional development
• Manage staffing requests and collaborate with Staffing Partners
• Monitor and report on equitable work allocation KPIs to practice leadership
• Conduct regular check-ins with associates to discuss career interests, professional development needs, and collect feedback
• Ensure matters are appropriately staffed in an efficient and timely manner by monitoring current and anticipated lawyer utilization and assessing individual capacity
• Maintain clear, effective lines of communication, keeping all stakeholders informed on initiatives, developments, business issues, and other critical topics
• Escalate sensitive or high-risk staffing situations to the Americas Senior Manager, Allocation & Development

Practice Management:

• Liaise with the Regional Section Head and Staffing Partners to monitor associate performance (and feedback), development and career aspirations
• Gain exposure to the broader functions of the People Advisory team and work closely with the respective People Advisory Manager to collectively support associates and partners
• Help drive Firm engagement initiatives
• Work closely with the Senior Manager, Junior Associate Experience regarding junior associate development
• Work closely with Learning & Development and the Professional Support Lawyer(s) to ensure associates are receiving appropriate training opportunities

Qualifications

Bachelors degree required. Prior experience in associate development, work allocation, and/or resource management, ideally within a large professional services environment. Strong commercial and business awareness. Outstanding skills in diplomacy and negotiation. Strong project management skills. Client service focus. Strong judgment. Proactive and resourceful; takes initiative. Excellent written and oral communication skills. Persistent and resilient. Persuasive; ability to drive change through influence. Strong technology skills. Experience working with resource management software is a plus. Excel proficiency is required. Flexibility with working outside of standard business hours to address staffing requests, as needed.

Location and Reporting

This role can be based in our Washington DC or New York office. This role reports to the Senior Manager, Allocation & Development.

Equal Opportunities

Note to recruitment agencies: Our internal Recruitment team are responsible for all end-to-end lateral recruitment processes. All agencies must sign White & Case terms of business, which are office specific. Candidates submitted by an agency without terms of business agreed with the appropriate office, and/or outside of our online application tracking system, will not be considered a formal introduction. If you have any questions, please contact the Americas Lateral Recruitment team.

Benefits at White & Case

White & Case LLP offers a comprehensive suite of benefit programs to all eligible employees, including medical, dental, and vision insurance, life and disability coverage, 401(k) retirement savings, vacation time, and leave programs (including parental leave). Exempt roles are also performance bonus eligible. The Firm may modify and amend this job description at any time at its sole discretion. Nothing herein creates a contract of employment or otherwise modifies the at-will nature of employment.