Director, Legal Operating Model, AI & Transformation (Westlake)

Your OpportunityAt Schwab, you’re empowered to make an impact on your career. Here, innovative thought meets creative problem solving, helping us “challenge the status quo” and transform the finance industry together.The Director, Legal Operating Model, AI & Transformation is responsible for helping the Legal & Government Affairs leadership team successfully execute its strategic priorities and continuously improve how legal, regulatory, litigation, and public policy services are delivered.This is a highly execution-oriented leadership role. The successful candidate will partner closely with department leadership to translate strategy into action, coordinate complex cross-functional initiatives, drive adoption of new capabilities, and deliver measurable improvements in legal quality, client service, productivity, operational effectiveness, and organizational performance.The role serves as a catalyst for change and continuous improvement across the department. Working through influence rather than direct authority, the Director will help align stakeholders, remove barriers to execution, establish accountability, and ensure strategic initiatives achieve intended outcomes.The role also serves as the department’s leader for the responsible adoption, integration, and scaling of artificial intelligence capabilities, helping legal teams incorporate AI into legal workflows, knowledge systems, service delivery models, and decision-making processes in ways that improve legal quality, efficiency, consistency, and client experience while maintaining appropriate governance and professional standards.Success in this role will be measured not by plans created, presentations delivered, technologies implemented, or pilot programs launched. Success will be measured by improvements successfully adopted, sustained, and translated into measurable business outcomes.In this role, you will serve as LGA’s central source of expertise to:Process map workflows across the LGA department;Ideate solutions to enhance quality, strategic capacity and/or efficiency through redesigned workflows, processes, or use of technology (including AI); Partner with others on the creation, implementation, and adoption of these solutions;Advance the responsible, scalable, and measurable use of lean processes, legal technology, and AI solutions; andSupport appropriate governance, human oversight, and alignment to Schwab’s risk, compliance, and technology standards.You will report directly to the Head of Legal Operations and Strategic Initiatives (LOSI) and will serve as a member of the LOSI leadership team.What you haveExperience10+ years of experience leading complex transformation, operations, technology, AI, legal operations, consulting, service delivery, or organizational effectiveness initiatives.Demonstrated record of coordinating and delivering large-scale cross-functional initiatives from concept through measurable results.Proven ability to drive execution and accountability in environments where success depends on influence rather than formal authority.Significant experience leading organizational adoption and change management efforts.Experience supporting legal departments, law firms, regulated industries, professional services organizations, or similarly complex environments.ExpertiseExceptional program execution and implementation leadership capabilities.Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills.Deep understanding of legal service delivery and legal department operations.Understanding of artificial intelligence applications, governance, risks, and adoption strategies.Strong process improvement, operational excellence, and performance management capabilities.Ability to translate strategic priorities into executable plans and measurable outcomes.Leadership CharacteristicsExceptional executor with a strong bias toward action and results.Skilled at influencing and aligning stakeholders without direct authority.Builder of consensus while maintaining accountability for outcomes.Pragmatic, resourceful, and persistent in overcoming obstacles.Strong systems thinker who understands the interaction of people, process, technology, AI, data, governance, and culture.Outstanding communicator who can mobilize action across diverse stakeholder groups.Relentlessly focused on outcomes and measurable impact.Areas of ResponsibilityStrategic Execution & Results DeliveryPartner with department leadership to translate strategic priorities into executable plans and measurable outcomes.Coordinate execution of strategic initiatives across multiple practice groups and functional areas.Establish implementation plans, milestones, timelines, dependencies, accountability structures, and success measures.Monitor progress, identify risks, and proactively address obstacles that may impede execution.Drive timely decision-making and escalation of issues when needed.Create transparency through executive reporting, dashboards, and progress updates.Promote accountability for commitments and implementation responsibilities across the department.Ensure initiatives achieve intended business outcomes and measurable value.Foster a culture focused on execution, ownership, and results.Legal Quality & Service ExcellencePartner with legal leaders to continuously improve the quality, consistency, effectiveness, and accessibility of legal services.Identify and promote best practices across practice areas.Establish frameworks for measuring and improving legal service quality and client experience.Develop mechanisms to gather stakeholder feedback and incorporate lessons learned.Support efforts to improve consistency in legal guidance, legal risk assessment, and decision-making processes.Promote a culture where legal excellence, operational excellence, and client service reinforce one another.Artificial Intelligence, Technology & InnovationDevelop and execute the department’s strategy for responsible AI adoption and integration.Identify opportunities to embed AI into legal workflows, research, drafting, knowledge management, risk assessment, and service delivery.Partner with legal leaders to redesign work processes to maximize the benefits of AI while preserving legal judgment and professional standards.Establish governance frameworks, standards, controls, and measurement practices for AI-enabled solutions.Drive adoption through workflow integration, training, communications, change management, and performance measurement.Evaluate and prioritize technology and AI initiatives based on legal quality, business impact, risk considerations, scalability, and return on investment.Monitor emerging technologies and translate relevant innovations into practical applications.Service Delivery & Operational ImprovementFacilitate the continuous improvement of legal service delivery models across the department.Analyze how work is assigned, managed, and completed across practice groups.Identify opportunities to simplify, standardize, automate, centralize, delegate, or redesign work.Lead cross-functional process improvement initiatives.Apply Lean, Agile, Design Thinking, and other operational excellence methodologies.Help establish sustainable continuous improvement disciplines throughout the department.Ensure improvements are adopted, measured, and sustained over time.Knowledge Management & Institutional CapabilityImprove how institutional knowledge is captured, maintained, and shared.Develop scalable approaches to organizing legal guidance, precedents, templates, playbooks, and workflows.Leverage AI-enabled capabilities to improve knowledge accessibility and reuse.Reduce duplication of effort and improve consistency across the department.Strengthen organizational resilience by reducing dependence on individual knowledge holders.Support attorney effectiveness through better access to information, expertise, and best practices.Data, Analytics & Performance ManagementDevelop meaningful measures of legal quality, service effectiveness, operational performance, AI impact, and client satisfaction.Create executive dashboards, scorecards, and reporting frameworks.Establish metrics that measure adoption, utilization, effectiveness, and business outcomes.Use data and analytics to support decision-making, prioritization, and resource allocation.Provide leadership with actionable insights regarding departmental performance and transformation progress.Leadership Influence & Change ManagementBuild alignment among senior leaders, attorneys, and professional staff.Influence stakeholders across practice groups without relying on direct reporting relationships.Facilitate collaboration among legal, compliance, risk, government affairs, technology, operations, and business partners.Lead adoption efforts for new technologies, processes, and operating practices.Help leaders navigate organizational change and drive sustained behavioral adoption.Serve as a trusted advisor and thought partner to department leadership.QualificationsExperience10+ years of experience leading complex transformation, operations, technology, AI, legal operations, consulting, service delivery, or organizational effectiveness initiatives.Demonstrated record of coordinating and delivering large-scale cross-functional initiatives from concept through measurable results.Proven ability to drive execution and accountability in environments where success depends on influence rather than formal authority.Significant experience leading organizational adoption and change management efforts.Experience supporting legal departments, law firms, regulated industries, professional services organizations, or similarly complex environments.ExpertiseExceptional program execution and implementation leadership capabilities.Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills.Deep understanding of legal service delivery and legal department operations.Understanding of artificial intelligence applications, governance, risks, and ado