Associate Director of Technology Collaboration & AI Services

Associate Director of Technology Collaboration & AI Services
Cooley is seeking an Associate Director of Technology Collaboration & Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) Services to join the Technology Platforms and Applications team.

About Cooley: Cooley is a global law firm with an expansive practice and more than 3,000 employees and partners worldwide. We value and celebrate diverse perspectives and strive to create a workplace where every individual can thrive. At the core of Cooley’s success is the exceptional talent and unwavering spirit of our people. We embrace individuality while fostering a ‘one-firm’ culture where collaboration and creativity thrive. Our people are the foundation of our success and the driving force behind everything we do.

Hybrid Schedule: As part of the Cooley culture, we recognize and appreciate the value of being together, in person, to build comradery with others in the office and to be a contributing member of the Cooley office. However, we also appreciate the benefits and flexibility that come from remote working. As such, the default assumption for employees and partners is a hybrid schedule: some in-office presence and some work from home days absent certain essential in-office roles that require five (5) days/week in-office.

Position summary:

Cooley Technology embraces a culture of customer-service excellence, and all members of the department are expected to advance this commitment.  The Associate Director of Technology Collaboration & AI Services will provide strategic and operational leadership for two enterprise service areas: Digital Workplace Collaboration and Enterprise AI.

Through two direct reports, one leading each area, the Associate Director sets strategy, establishes priorities, develops talent, and ensures coordinated delivery across the portfolio.  The role is accountable for the implementation, adoption, governance, optimization, and lifecycle management of the firm’s general-purpose enterprise AI platforms and digital workplace collaboration ecosystem. This includes, but is not limited to, Microsoft 365, Outlook and Exchange Online, Teams, SharePoint Online, OneDrive, Power Platform, the firm’s intranet, enterprise search, workflow solutions, and core productivity applications.  Working across Technology and the Firm, the Associate Director ensures these platforms deliver secure, reliable, and intuitive experiences; improve how work is performed; and maximize the value of the firm’s technology investments.  Specific duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

Position responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership & Management:

- Own the enterprise AI portfolio from strategy and platform selection through configuration, governance, launch, adoption, support, and continuous improvement
- Lead M365 strategy, adoption, and optimization across Exchange Online, Teams, Power Platform, SharePoint Online, OneDrive, core productivity applications, and the firm's intranet to reduce friction and improve digital work experience
- Drive workflow automation and low-code/no-code initiatives to automate and improve
- Build and lead high-performing teams focused on user experience, change enablement, and continuous improvement
- Establish and maintain operating models, playbooks, and decision frameworks for enterprise AI, Power Platform, Teams/SharePoint provisioning, intranet content and workflow solutions
- Evaluate and guide the controlled introduction of emerging enterprise AI capabilities, e.g., agents, connectors and plugins, early-access models, and AI-enabled workflows
- Collaborate with Practice Innovation, Legal Education and Technology Learning & Adoption to ensure cohesive organizational change management planning and execution to drive adoption and build our users’ digital dexterity leveraging AI through compelling learning experiences

Product Management & Operations:

- Oversee product roadmaps, service strategy, lifecycle management, and ongoing support for enterprise AI, M365, Exchange Online, Power Platform, SharePoint, intranet, and related collaboration applications
- Maintain portfolio-level priorities, roadmaps, status reporting, playbooks, and decision records across concurrent initiatives
- Use analytics and insights (site analytics, heatmaps, engagement metrics) to measure adoption, platform health, intranet engagement, and business outcomes
- Oversee licensing, budgeting, vendor relationships, procurement coordination, contracts, and renewals for M365, enterprise AI, workflow, survey, and related collaboration tools and services .
- Ensure compliant use of platforms and AI capabilities in partnership with Information Governance, Security, Legal, and Procurement stakeholders, including review of data handling, retention, monitoring, and client-use requirements
- Set expectations for reliable, accountable service delivery, including clear ownership, effective documentation, testing and validation, transparent communication, and collaborative resolution of issues affecting attorneys, paralegals, and business professionals

Team Leadership & Development:

- Serve as direct supervisor and mentor to direct reports
- Provide day-to-day supervision of direct reports, ensure compliance with assigned work hours and monitor for compliance with all firm and department policies. Manage staffing coverage, review and process time logs/time off requests
- Support business professional development and continued educational opportunities
- In collaboration with immediate supervisor and central HR, participate in hiring, performance appraisals, counseling, termination, and other employee lifecycle events

User Engagement & Change Enablement:

- Champion a human-centered, persona-based approach to the design, configuration, delivery, and support of technology products and services
- Establish an integrated adoption and change-enablement strategy for enterprise AI and collaboration technologies

- Partner with Practice Innovation, Client Services, Learning and Development, Legal Education, and other stakeholders to coordinate organizational-change efforts

- Oversee firmwide onboarding, learning, communication, adoption, and ongoing-enablement programs, including resource centers, champions networks, communities of practice, office hours, and department-specific campaigns

- Build the firm’s digital dexterity by helping users understand how to apply AI, collaboration tools, and workflow capabilities securely and effectively

- Maintain feedback mechanisms that identify user needs, adoption barriers, service gaps, and opportunities for improvement

- Communicate strategies, decisions, progress, risks, and outcomes clearly to audiences ranging from technical teams to firm leadership

- Develop and oversee firm-wide onboarding, training, adoption, and ongoing enablement programs for AI and collaboration technologies, including resource centers, champions, communities of practice, and department-specific campaigns in partnership with Learning & Development and Legal Education

- Advocate for the user with a human-centric and persona-focused approach to tool and service configuration and delivery
- All other duties as assigned or required

Skills & experience:

Required:

- After orientation at Cooley LLP, proficiency in the use of the AI, the Microsoft Office suite, iManage and other firm applications
- Ability to work extended and/or weekend hours, as required
- Ability to travel, as required
- Bachelor’s Degree
- 8+ years of applicable experience (e.g., technology leadership, enterprise platforms, workflow automation, or legal technology product management) with 4+ years management experience (some at a senior level preferred)
- Deep knowledge of enterprise AI platforms (ChatGPT, Claude, etc.) and Microsoft 365, productivity and collaboration tools
- Experience managing external development teams and vendors

Preferred:

- Supervisory Experience
- Experience working in a law firm or other professional services organization
- Experience leading the secure, responsible deployment and adoption of enterprise AI solutions to improve business processes
- undefined

Competencies:

- Entrepreneurial by nature
- Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills with ability to facilitate and solve problems
- Ability to organize, prioritize and coordinate multiple activities often under tight timelines
- Ability to drive projects to completion and achieve goals
- Strong judgment
- Team-player with collaborative spiritUnwavering ability to handle and maintain confidentiality regarding firm information, projects,and client data
- Ability to lead through influence and develop talent
- Proactive, analytical mindset
- Effective presentation skills
- Highly collaborative, transparent, and agile; able to reprioritize quickly in a fast-paced environment
- Exceptional verbal and written communication, including technical and user documentation; skilled at presenting complex concepts clearly to all organizational levels
- Strong analytical, consultative, and strategic mindset with proven ability to drive enterprise AI and workflow initiatives
- Success in managing projects and people for technical programs; effective under pressure and committed to meeting deadlines
- Professional demeanor with strong customer service orientation; listens actively and responds appropriately to complex challenges
- Intellectually curious, innovative, proactive and results-driven
- Excellent organizational skills and ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously

Cooley offers a competitive compensation and excellent benefits package and is committed to fair and equitable employment practices.

EOE.

The expected annual pay range for this position with a full-time schedule is $210,000 - $260,000. Please note that final offer amount will be dependent on geographic location, applicable experience and skillset of the candidate.

We offer a full range of elective benefits including medical, health savings account (with applicable medical plan), dental, vision, health and/or dependent care flexible spending accounts, pre-tax commuter benefits, life insurance, AD&D, long-term care coverage, backup care for children and/or adults and other parental support benefits. In addition to elective benefit options, benefited employees receive firm-paid life insurance, AD&D, LTD, short term medical benefits as well as 25 days of Paid Time Off (“PTO”) and 10 paid holidays each year. We provide generous parental leave and fertility benefits. New employees will attend a detailed benefit orientation to learn more about our many benefits and resources.