Legal Data/eDiscovery Program Manager

Introduction At IBM Legal, Regulatory Affairs & General Counsel, we provide the guidance and oversight that enable IBM to innovate responsibly and operate with integrity. Our teams manage complex legal, regulatory, and compliance matters across the globe. Ensuring trust with clients, partners, and communities. Working in Legal and Regulatory Affairs means tackling diverse challenges, from intellectual property and data privacy to corporate governance and ethical business practices. You'll collaborate with colleagues worldwide to protect IBM's interests while supporting growth and innovation. With continuous learning, global exposure, and opportunities to shape the future of technology through law and policy, IBM offers a unique environment to build your career while making a meaningful impact. Your role and responsibilities IBM is seeking an experienced eDiscovery Program Manager to serve as a subject‑matter and operational expert within IBM’s global eDiscovery function. Reporting to the Global eDiscovery Senior Manager, this role is responsible for the day‑to‑day execution of the full eDiscovery lifecycle across IBM’s litigation, investigations, and other matters, ensuring work is delivered consistently and in accordance with IBM policies. The ideal candidate brings deep hands‑on eDiscovery expertise, strong project management discipline, and the ability to work effectively with in‑house counsel, outside counsel, business units, IT/CIO teams, and external service providers. This role requires sound judgment, attention to detail, and the ability to translate complex technical concepts into practical guidance for a range of stakeholders. The role is ideal for someone who thrives in a high‑visibility environment that requires sound judgment, attention to detail, and a collaborative approach to problem‑solving. It offers the opportunity to help shape and strengthen IBM’s global eDiscovery operations. The successful candidate will play a key role in driving consistency, quality, and innovation across complex matters. Serve as the primary point of contact for assigned matters, providing guidance on collections, processing, review workflows, analytics, and productions. Manage the full eDiscovery lifecycle, including legal hold, preservation, collection, processing, hosting, review, production, and matter closeout, in alignment with IBM policies and standards. Advise outside counsel and internal teams on eDiscovery best practices, corporate data architecture, cross‑border data privacy requirements, and internal policy standards. Partner with internal and external counsel on meet‑and‑confer preparations, ESI protocol negotiations, search/review strategy development, and production specifications. Identify, elevate, and communicate risks and issues across the eDiscovery lifecycle, including collection gaps, processing anomalies, review quality concerns, and production errors. Maintain rigorous matter documentation, timelines, and status updates to ensure transparency, defensibility, and effective stakeholder communication. Remain informed of regulatory changes, eDiscovery case law, and industry trends, and incorporate relevant legal and technical developments into program operations. Assess matters for the appropriate use of analytics, TAR/CAL, and other advanced review workflows. Maintain working knowledge of vendor platforms and support legal teams in their effective use. Evaluate and pilot emerging AI‑enabled workflows and technologies to improve program effectiveness. Drive continuous improvement by updating internal eDiscovery processes, playbooks, and best‑practice documentation. Optimize vendor performance and cost‑efficiencies by monitoring service level agreements (SLAs), managing eDiscovery budgets, and implementing cost‑control strategies across external spend. Help design and deliver training on eDiscovery obligations, technical processes, and platform use for legal and business stakeholders. Required technical and professional expertise Experience 6+ years of eDiscovery program management experience, gained in‑house, at a law firm, consultancy, or eDiscovery service provider. Deep, hands‑on knowledge of the full eDiscovery lifecycle and workflows, including legal hold, preservation, collection, processing, review, production, and data disposition. Experience with global eDiscovery matters spanning multiple jurisdictions, data privacy regimes (e.g., GDPR), and cross‑border production challenges. Demonstrated experience managing multiple concurrent, complex matters with competing deadlines and shifting priorities. Significant experience interacting with and advising senior stakeholders, outside counsel, and cross‑functional partners. Technical Skills Hands‑on proficiency with one or more leading eDiscovery platforms such as Relativity, Nuix, Hanzo, Reveal, or Everlaw. Experience with TAR/CAL workflows, predictive analytics, and AI‑driven document review methodologies. Experience explaining and guiding legal teams on search algorithms, Boolean search logic, and analytics tools. Familiarity with modern enterprise productivity platforms and cloud‑based data sources (e.g., Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Slack, Teams). Deep understanding of the Electronic Discovery Reference Model (EDRM) and eDiscovery industry best practices. Familiarity with AI‑assisted review tools and a demonstrated desire to continue learning emerging AI methodologies. Professional Skills Strong project and time management skills with the ability to prioritize, solve problems, and meet deadlines under pressure. Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with a demonstrated ability to communicate technical specifics to non‑technical audiences. Highly organized, with strong judgment and the ability to work independently in a fast‑paced environment. Ability to quickly learn new processes and systems and apply that knowledge effectively across matters. Strong ethical standards and a commitment to compliance. Ability to support global teams, including occasional flexibility outside standard business hours when needed. Preferred technical and professional experience Project management or eDiscovery accreditations such as PMP, ACEDS, or RCA. IBM is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal‑opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, caste, genetics, pregnancy, disability, neurodivergence, age, veteran status, or other characteristics. IBM is also committed to compliance with all fair employment practices regarding citizenship and immigration status. #J-18808-Ljbffr