Director of Data Services

About the role

The owns the formulation and execution of the firm's enterprise data strategy, translating complex legal operations into a coherent, future-state data architecture. This role is responsible for establishing the foundational data structures that allow every financial system, matter, client relationship, and AI model within the firm to operate with clarity and cohesion. The hire will act as the chief architect of Gibson Dunn's data estate, defining standards, resolving long-standing fragmentation, and building the governance structures necessary for sustainable value. They will lead the creation of a lasting data culture that empowers decision-making at the highest levels of the organization. This position will also own the roadmap for integrating data across disparate legal and operational platforms, ensuring the firm's investments in technology yield measurable returns. The Director will partner closely with the Chief Legal Operations Officer to align data initiatives with firm-wide priorities around profitability, risk management, and client service. Ultimately, this role delivers the strategic intelligence that allows leadership to price matters accurately, manage risk proactively, and compete more effectively in a data-driven legal market.

Key facts

What you'll do

Define and own the enterprise data strategy and multi-year roadmap, aligning data initiatives with the firm's financial, operational, and competitive priorities.

Design and oversee the implementation of a unified data architecture that integrates Aderant, iManage, Intapp, CRM, HR systems, and other operational platforms into a single coherent layer.

Lead the selection, deployment, and optimization of modern data infrastructure, including cloud data warehouses, ETL/ELT orchestration, data catalog, and lineage tools.

Establish and enforce enterprise-wide data standards, taxonomies, and metadata policies to resolve inconsistencies in key metrics such as realization rate, utilization, and client revenue.

Own the master data management program, creating authoritative systems of record for clients, matters, attorneys, rates, and the timekeeper hierarchy.

Build and chair the firm's Data Governance Council, setting policies, procedures, and accountability measures for data stewardship across the organization.

Provide firm leadership with self-serve analytics capabilities through a Practice Intelligence platform that delivers visibility into matter pipelines, utilization, and profitability.

Partner with Finance to develop analytics that deliver partner-level insight into economic performance, enabling better compensation, pricing, and staffing decisions.

Collaborate with Business Development to create client intelligence products, including relationship analytics, cross-sell opportunity modeling, and competitive positioning data.

Work with Human Resources to deliver workforce analytics, including staffing models, associate advancement tracking, DEI reporting, and lateral hiring ROI analysis.

Establish a BI Center of Excellence to select, govern, and support firm-wide BI and visualization tooling, fostering a community of data-savvy users.

Oversee the data engineering team, setting technical standards for pipeline development, data quality testing, schema design, and system integration architecture.

Champion the responsible and compliant use of data in relation to AI initiatives, ensuring that models are built on governed, high-quality inputs.

Report regularly on progress, ROI, and roadmap adjustments to firm leadership, using data to drive continuous improvement and strategic pivots.

Requirements

The candidate must possess a Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience, demonstrating a foundational understanding of data architecture, business operations, or a related discipline.

The candidate must have a minimum of ten years of progressive experience in data architecture, data engineering, or a closely related field, with a proven track record of designing and implementing enterprise data solutions.

The candidate must have deep expertise in modern data platforms, including but not limited to cloud data warehouses such as Snowflake, Databricks, Azure Synapse, or equivalent technologies.

The candidate must have extensive experience with ETL/ELT frameworks and orchestration tools, enabling the reliable movement and transformation of data across heterogeneous systems.

The candidate must have a strong background in master data management principles, with experience establishing authoritative records for critical entities such as clients, matters, and personnel.

The candidate must demonstrate advanced SQL capabilities and the ability to write complex queries that ensure data accuracy, consistency, and performance across large datasets.

The candidate must have a history of building and leading high-performing data teams, setting technical standards, and mentoring junior engineers and analysts.

The candidate must have a proven ability to communicate complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders, aligning technical strategy with business objectives.

Nice to have

Experience within the legal services industry or with professional services firms managing complex data estates.

Demonstrated experience deploying and governing AI or machine learning initiatives that rely on structured data assets.

Background in compliance or risk management within data-intensive environments.

Practical notes

This is an executive-level position requiring significant travel between Los Angeles, New York City, and Washington, D.C.

Visa sponsorship may be considered for eligible candidates.