Interim Director, Service Transformation

Position Summary

A leading AmLaw-ranked law firm is seeking an experienced transformation leader to support a significant organizational transformation within its Marketing & Business Development function. During a period of organizational realignment, this individual will partner closely with firm leadership to implement the future-state operating model, helping translate strategy into execution while ensuring the organization is equipped to successfully navigate change.

This role combines organizational transformation, implementation design & leadership, program management, and change enablement. The successful candidate will serve as a strategic partner to firm leadership while taking a hands-on role in building and executing implementation plans, redesigning workflows, establishing governance structures, and driving organizational adoption.

The ideal candidate is equally comfortable advising senior leaders, facilitating complex and sensitive discussions, and rolling up their sleeves to create detailed roadmaps, process maps, role definitions, and implementation frameworks that will shape the future of the Marketing & Business Development organization.

Key Responsibilities

Organizational Transformation

• Develop and execute a comprehensive transformation strategy supporting the realignment of the firm's Marketing, Business Development, and Communications functions in collaboration with the project team and key leaders.
• Lead successful implementation of the firm's future-state Marketing & Business Development operating model, translating strategic organizational objectives into actionable, detailed implementation plans.
• Partner with firm leadership to successfully drive engagement and adoption of organizational and service changes during a period of business integration and realignment.

Implementation & Program Leadership

• Develop and maintain detailed implementation of roadmaps, project plans, and execution strategies.
• Establish governance structures, project cadence, visibility, and accountability across multiple workstreams.
• Coordinate implementation of activities across cross-functional teams and stakeholders.
• Identify project (inter)dependencies, risks, resource requirements, and implementation of sequencing.
• Monitor progress and proactively recommend adjustments to ensure successful execution.

Workflow & Operating Model Design

• Conduct detailed workflow assessments and process mapping across the Marketing & Business Development organization.
• Design future-state workflows, service delivery models, and operating frameworks.
• Develop RACI matrices, governance structures, and decision-making frameworks.
• Support organizational design efforts, including role clarity, team structure, and operating model alignment.
• Lead competency assessments and role-mapping exercises to support the future-state organization.

Organizational Effectiveness

• Develop job descriptions, role definitions, performance metrics, and success measures aligned with the future-state operating model.
• Partner with HR and firm leadership to align organizational design with existing talent, development, and performance management programs.
• Help identify capacity requirements, resource allocation needs, and long-term organizational improvements.

Change Leadership & Communications

• Partner with executive leadership to prepare the organization for change.
• Develop practical change communication strategies and leadership messaging.
• Coach leaders through organizational change, stakeholder engagement, and employee adoption.
• Identify organizational risks, resistance points, and mitigation strategies.
• Develop change in adoption of metrics and progress reporting for leadership.

Stakeholder Management

• Build trusted relationships with executive leadership, HR, Marketing, Business Development, and key stakeholders across the firm.
• Facilitate stakeholder alignment sessions and leadership workshops.
• Bring an external perspective and share leading practices from comparable law firms and professional services organizations.
• Serve as a trusted advisor while helping leaders successfully navigate organizational change.

Desired Experience & Credentials

The ideal candidate will bring a combination of transformation leadership, (end-to-end) implementation expertise, executive presence, emotional intelligence, and hands-on execution capability and experience successfully leading complex organizations and teams through significant change.

Preferred Experience

• 10+ years leading organizational transformation, service transformation, business transformation and enablement, organizational effectiveness, strategic programs, PMO, or enterprise-wide implementation initiatives.
• Demonstrated success translating organizational strategy into detailed execution plans and measurable business outcomes.
• Experience leading complex transformation initiatives within a law firm, professional services organization, consulting firm, or similarly matrixed environment.
• Proven ability to develop implementation of roadmaps, governance structures, workflow maps, operating models, RACI frameworks, role design, and transition plans.
• Experience partnering with executive leadership to drive organizational transformation, stakeholder alignment, and employee adoption.
• Strong project and program management experience with responsibility for multiple interconnected workstreams.
• Demonstrated success influencing senior leaders while balancing strategic thinking with hands-on execution.
• Ability to quickly establish credibility, navigate organizational complexity, and lead through influence rather than authority.
• Experience building organizational frameworks, redesigning business processes, and implementing sustainable operating models.
• Ability to clearly articulate transformation initiatives personally led, including the business challenge, implementation approach, stakeholder management strategy, and measurable results achieved.

Preferred Credentials

• Law firm experience strongly preferred.
• Professional services experience (consulting, accounting, financial services, or similarly structured organizations) highly desirable.
• Experience supporting Marketing & Business Development functions preferred; candidates with transformation experience within HR, Finance, IT, Operations, or other business services functions will also be considered.
• PMP certification preferred.
• Prosci or other change management certification is a plus.
• Lean Six Sigma or other process improvement certifications are desirable.
• Relevant graduate or undergraduate degree desirable.

Ideal Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate has successfully translated organizational strategy into practical execution by leading complex transformation initiatives from planning through implementation.

They possess the executive presence to influence senior leaders while maintaining the humility to work alongside teams in developing detailed implementation plans. They are comfortable navigating ambiguity, organizational politics, competing priorities, and long-tenured stakeholder groups while building credibility organically throughout the organization.

Successful candidates demonstrate the ability to:

• Translate strategy into execution.
• Develop comprehensive implementation of roadmaps.
• Build future-state operating models.
• Design workflows, governance structures, and accountability frameworks.
• Lead organizational design and role clarity initiatives.
• Coach executive leaders through organizational transformation.
• Anticipate resistance and proactively drive change adoption.
• Build trust and credibility across all levels of the organization.
• Balance strategic thinking with hands-on execution.
• Bring practical ideas and external perspectives from similar transformation initiatives.

Above all, they are builders—individuals who enjoy creating structure, solving complex organizational challenges, and helping organizations successfully implement meaningful, lasting change.

What Success Looks Like

By the conclusion of the engagement, this individual will have helped this firm successfully implement its future-state Marketing & Business Development operating model through:

• Successful execution of the firm's transformation roadmap.
• Clearly defined workflows, governance structures, and operating models.
• Well-defined roles, responsibilities, and accountability across the organization.
• Strong leadership alignment and stakeholder engagement.
• Practical implementation plans that enable sustainable organizational change.
• Effective adoption of new processes, structures, and ways of working.
• Improved organizational effectiveness while minimizing disruption throughout the transition.

Working Model

This engagement is expected to begin at approximately 40 hours per week during the initial implementation phase. As the transformation progresses and implementation stabilizes, the anticipated level of effort will taper to approximately 30 hours per week during the following three months and 20 hours per week during the final phase of the engagement.

The initial engagement is expected to span approximately 12 months, with flexibility to extend up to 18 months based on business needs and project progression.

Duration: Approximately 12 months, with the potential to extend to 18 months.