Head of Legal Operations

Are you ready to make an impact at DTCC?
Do you want to work on innovative projects, collaborate with a dynamic and supportive team, and receive investment in your professional development? At DTCC, we are at the forefront of innovation in the financial markets. We are committed to helping our employees grow and succeed. We believe that you have the skills and drive to make a real impact. We foster a thriving internal community and are committed to creating a workplace that looks like the world that we serve.
 

As a member of the DTCC General Counsel’s Office and reporting to the Deputy General Counsel, the Head of Legal Program and Operations will lead and oversee the team responsible for administering and engaging with systems, processes, and stakeholder relationships that support the day-to-day work of the Legal Department across DTCC’s various businesses and product lines. In this role, the Head of Legal Program and Operations will provide strategic guidance to senior leadership in the Legal Department, on enhancing and optimizing the business model of the department to maximize efficiency and quality of service.

Pay and Benefits: 

• Competitive compensation, including base pay and annual incentive

• Comprehensive health and life insurance and well-being benefits, based on location

• Pension / Retirement benefits

• Paid Time Off and Personal/Family Care, and other leaves of absence when needed to support your physical, financial, and emotional well-being.

• DTCC offers a flexible/hybrid model of 3 days onsite and 2 days remote (onsite Tuesdays, Wednesdays and a third day unique to each team or employee).

Specific Responsibilities 

Legal Operations 

• Own and improve the end-to-end operating model and operational infrastructure of the legal department, driving adoption of new tools, processes and best practices across the department. 

• Oversee and manage legal technology initiatives and continuous improvement of existing legal systems and processes, including document management, contract operations, knowledge management, e-billing, analytics and workflow automation. 

• Manage a team of eight (8) paralegals, enabling them to lead their respective workstreams with autonomy and accountability. 

Legal Financial Management 

• Manage legal budgeting, forecasting, accruals, and outside counsel engagement in partnership with legal stakeholders and the finance team, analyzing and reporting on spend trends, risks and resource allocation. 

• Drive strategy for legal-specific vendors, including legal technology providers and outside counsel; overseeing risk assessment and spend optimization. 

Regulatory Activities 

• Develop and oversee paralegal staff that support enhanced operational processes and streamlined workflows for review and signoff of clearing agency membership application legal documentation and related communications with internal stakeholders, membership applicants and their representatives. 

• Develop and oversee paralegal staff that support enhanced operational processes and streamlined workflows for legal assessment of the eligibility of security issuances and offerings to be deposited for book-entry services at DTC and communications with internal stakeholders, issuers, issuer’s counsel and transfer agents about the assessment and legal requirements. 

• Develop and oversee paralegal staff that support enhanced operational processes and streamlined workflows for regulatory rule filings with the SEC. 

Litigation Operations 

• Develop litigation technology strategy and processes, including legal hold lifecycle and e-discovery. 

• Oversee and enhance litigation operations, including discovery, regulatory requests, pre-litigation coordination, management and tracking, litigation metrics and reporting.     

Strategic Advisor / Cross-Functional Liaison 

• Advise senior management in the Legal Department on ways to maintain and enhance the efficiency and quality of service provided by the department, with a particular expertise in and focus upon improving processes and technology solutions that underlie core department functions and responsibilities. 

• Cross-functional liaison between the Legal Department and other support functions (e.g., Finance, Regulatory Relations, Compliance, Risk, Internal Audit, Privacy, Security), representing the department’s views and priorities in such forums. 

• As Legal Department representative, participate in risk assessment and compliance testing initiatives.

Qualifications:

• Minimum of 10 years of related experience

• Bachelor's degree preferred or equivalent experience

Specific Requirements:

• 10+ years experience in legal operations, corporate legal management or related field, with at least 6 years experience leading process optimization, workflow development, legal finance management, legal technology strategy and reporting/analytics.

• Excellent analytical, organizational and project management skills, comfortable managing multiple work streams under deadline.

• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage effectively with internal stakeholders, including senior management and business leaders, and to partner successfully with cross-functional teams.