Director of Innovation and Knowledge Programs
About Gowling WLG
Gowling WLG is an international law firm with more than 1,500 client-facing professionals and over 2,100 business services team members operating in 20 cities around the world.
Gowling WLG (Canada) – the Canadian arm of Gowling WLG – is one of the nation’s leading law firms with seven offices located in Vancouver, Calgary, Waterloo Region, Hamilton, Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal. The Firm offers a full suite of business law, litigation, and intellectual property services in all of Canada's key industries, including energy, mining, financial services, government, infrastructure, manufacturing, life sciences, and technology.
Owing to their roots and continued investment in technology, Gowling WLG (Canada) is among the nation’s most innovative law firms, regularly examining, adopting, and creating new solutions and applications to leverage all advancements to support their lawyers, staff, and clients. From developing Contest Creator, an award-winning and revenue generating app, to co-developing GenAI-powered applications to streamline data, conduct risk and legal analysis, and automate document production, the Firm’s innovation strategy is at the forefront of the Canadian legal industry.
Gowling WLG (Canada) has been repeatedly recognized as a top employer committed to social responsibility, technology and innovation, and creating a positive work environment for its people. The Firm’s dedication to their team and community is evidenced by continued and progressive investment in diversity, equity and inclusion, well-being, and community service.
The Opportunity
Director of Innovation and Knowledge Programs
Gowling WLG (Canada) is recruiting a new National Director of Innovation and Knowledge Programs. This hybrid position can be situated in any of their Canadian locations as this team currently spans nearly all of their offices.
Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, the core purpose of this role is to develop and implement programs, processes, and tools that will drive innovation, AI, data science, and business improvement throughout the Firm to ensure it remains current with legal industry advancements.
In addition to the domain of Innovation, the ideal candidate will assume leadership over the Firm’s Knowledge Management and Library Services portfolio to further drive the modernization and transformation of those functions in alignment with the core innovation deliverables. The Firm will consider applicants who are specialized in the area of Innovation for a more narrowly focused role and mandate that is not inclusive of Knowledge Management and Library Services.
Key responsibilities include but are not limited to:
General
Design and direct the Firm’s innovation initiatives, including practice innovation, practice support solutions, business process reengineering, stakeholder engagement, innovation pipeline management, and knowledge management.
Lead and develop a high-calibre, cross-functional team composed of legal resource and innovation lawyers, legal solutions specialists, and legal information professionals.
Direct strategic initiatives and special projects as requested.
Innovation
Lead the strategic vision for deploying AI and advanced analytics to deliver practical legal solutions.
Oversee the development and implementation of legal technology, process improvement, automation proof-of-concepts, and AI model deployment.
Offer insights on the implications and risks of AI in the legal sector.
Apply idea management principles to identify and develop structured processes for generating, capturing, discussing, and prioritizing valuable insights and/or alternative thinking to achieve optimal business outcomes.
Analyze market trends and search for emerging new market opportunities using best practices in innovation.
Collaborate with the Firm’s leadership to develop a strong innovation culture through active communication that fosters creativity, the promotion and education of innovation concepts, continuous improvement, and transformation in a manner aligned with the needs of the business.
Knowledge Management / Practice Support
Oversee the knowledge function of legal practice areas to help ensure billable lawyers are provided with the technical expertise, experience, and tools (knowledge documents, precedents, playbooks, checklists) to enhance the quality, efficiency and effectiveness of fee-earning work.
Direct and oversee practice support resources to provide research, analysis and strategy development to support billable lawyers on complex legal matters.
Direct and oversee the development of legal writing and publications, including practice specific insights and analyses on legal trends and developments.
In collaboration with the Firm’s Head of Learning & Development, identify opportunities and direct creation of content for high quality legal education programs.
Direct the integration of library services into the broader knowledge management function to ensure the Firm’s library resources and expertise is well positioned to support knowledge sharing, research and information access through the use of AI legal research tools, analytics platforms, and related solutions.
Develop new synergies and efficiencies across the team in managing the Firm’s collective knowledge assets.
Essential Qualities and Experience
Gowling WLG (Canada) inclusively encourages all suitably qualified leaders to apply for the position, but will prioritize candidates who demonstrate most of the following qualifications:
Minimum 10 years of senior level experience in innovation leadership, preferably in legal or a comparable professional services organization. Knowledge Management experience is an asset for those seeking to assume leadership of this function.
A law degree (LLD, JD) or equivalent is considered a strong asset, and is a prerequisite to be considered for the full portfolio inclusive of knowledge management. A university degree in Business Administration, engineering, computer science or a related field is considered an asset.
Ability to work with and influence multiple key stakeholders and peers to accomplish common objectives.
Strong project management skills and the ability to move concepts from visionary to implementation.
Strong affinity for technology.
Proficiency in prioritizing and redefining priorities when necessary.
Strong communication, organizational, time management, and leadership skills.
Some domestic travel required.
Search Process
The Director of Innovation and Knowledge Programs position is a senior strategic leadership role with direct potential to pioneer transformational legal innovation with a recognized team of experts. The Director will step into an active and ambitious pipeline of projects.
Gowling WLG (Canada) is budgeting a competitive salary range for this role that takes into account the potential breadth and specialization expected in the role, and that will vary depending on experience and the ultimate scope of the leadership portfolio.
We will require finalists to offer comprehensive recent references and to complete a background check. We expect to process our first review of applications by July 31, 2024.
Gowling WLG (Canada) is proud to offer equal employment opportunities and actively encourages diversity, equity and inclusion in its workplaces. Gowling WLG (Canada) welcomes applications from women, racialized persons, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, persons of all sexual and gender identities, and all who may contribute to the further diversification of ideas.
All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply, however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority. In accordance with provincial legislation, accommodation will be provided by Gowling WLG (Canada) and Mosaic Executive Search throughout the recruitment, selection, and assessment process, upon request, to applicants with disabilities.
Applications (cover letter and curriculum vitae) or nominations for the Director of Innovation and Knowledge Programs opportunity with Gowling WLG (Canada) should be submitted in confidence to: info@mosaicsearch.ca
You are also welcome to email questions and submissions to:
Dave Namkung (dave@mosaicsearch.ca)
