Job Listings  

Position Overview

The Director of Research and Knowledge Services has firm-wide responsibility for the strategic direction, oversight and advancement of the firm’s library, research and knowledge support, and innovation services. This position integrates traditional law library management with forward-thinking innovation, technology adoption, and process optimization, including the joint design and development of internal and client facing solutions in partnership with the Firm’s Technology & Data Services Team. The Director will lead the acquisition and management of research resources, oversee knowledge support services, drive the adoption of cutting-edge legal technology, and champion the firm’s innovation strategy.  The Director manages a service desk of research analysts and all aspects of research, reference services and user training, as well as Competitive Intelligence (“CI”). The Director collaborates across departments to curate, manage and monitor a portfolio of electronic subscriptions that support the firm’s practices and business units. Additionally, the Director of Research and Knowledge Services contributes to the firm’s innovation strategy, including the evaluation and adoption of relevant technology, data structures and taxonomies, knowledge support services, and a strategic cost consolidation and recovery system.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the operations and activities of library, research and knowledge support services and personnel across offices.
• Build strong relationships with Practice Group Leaders, Practice Group Directors and other firm departments to identify needs, define requirements, and ensure the strategic and cost effective alignment of firm research resources and services.
• Prepare and manage annual budgets for research, knowledge, and innovation services, including resource acquisition, technology investments, and personnel.
• Oversee the firm-wide delivery of research services for billable and non-billable research, ensuring high-quality, timely, and cost-effective support for attorneys and clients.
• Actively contribute to the firm’s innovation objectives, including the development of systems, procedures and workflows that support attorneys and clients, and lead the integration of research data analysis to drive insights, in close collaboration with the Technology & Data Services Team to ensure seamless co-development and implementation of technical solutions. 
  
  • Leveraging significant exposure to and understanding of artificial intelligence (AI) and related legal technologies, serve as a central AI thought-partner to develop and execute the firm’s innovation strategy and AI roadmap, working side-by-side with the Technology Team throughout ideation, prototyping, and deployment.
  • Act as a conduit between attorneys, clients, and technology teams to ensure that technology systems, tools, and services meet the evolving needs of the firm's legal practice.
  • Identify, evaluate, and implement innovative legal technology solutions, including generative AI, document automation, and client-facing portals, to improve efficiency and client service, coordinating all phases with the Technology Team from requirements gathering through post-launch support.
  • Lead the selection, testing, benchmarking, and deployment of new and existing technology resources, collaborating with internal stakeholders and external vendors, and jointly managing proof-of-concept initiatives with the Technology Team. 
  • Stay abreast of emerging technologies and industry trends, providing thought leadership and recommendations to firm management and practice group leadership.
  • Foster a culture of innovation by promoting the adoption of new tools, facilitating training, and encouraging experimentation and learning across the firm. 
• Develop and implement firm-wide knowledge support programs, including the design, structure, and maintenance of practice group sites and knowledge repositories.
  • Oversee the creation, curation, and deployment of knowledge assets, ensuring content is relevant, up-to-date, and accessible.
  • Develop and implement taxonomy systems and governance processes to enhance information search and retrieval across the firm's content management systems.
  • Work with practice groups, Practice Group Directors and the firm’s digital teams to determine the design and structure of the practice group sites.
  • Enhance the firm's competitive intelligence (CI) capabilities by managing CI analysts, conducting in-depth research and analysis, and collaborating with business development teams to deliver actionable insights.
  • Collaborate with the Firm’s Business Development team to provide CI work product that uncovers key actionable information, insights and trends.
  • Ensure strategically-aligned print and digital resources for the subject-specific areas key to the firm's practice areas, as well as business and industry resources to support the firm's CI research, client extranets and public-facing microsites.
  • Utilizes analytics to determine which tools are needed and gathers important data for negotiations.
  • Investigates new research, AI and technology tools to ensure that the firm has leading-edge resources to support the practice of law.
  • Develop and oversee legislative and transactional tracking and monitoring programs, deploying automation as relevant, to support the firm’s growth and client development objectives
  • Develop and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the success and impact of knowledge and innovation initiatives, using data-driven approaches for continuous improvement. 
• Develop and improve the strategic cost recovery and digital resource management system.
  • Oversee and expand a resource metering system to monitor the usage of the firm’s electronic databases.
  • Implement procedures to improve the firm’s cost recovery from client-billable searches.
  • Enforce the entry of accurate client-billable expense data in order to access databases (client validation software for Lexis/Westlaw).
  • Create regular analytical financial and usage reports to management.
  • Review and evaluate new and existing resource subscriptions. Subscribe, cancel or revise as needed.
• Direct the maintenance and cataloging of the library collections, specialized practice pages and collaboration tools.
• Negotiate, review and revise vendor contracts.
• Manage and approve invoices for library, knowledge support and innovation purchases firm-wide.
• Schedule, train, teach research methodology, alert to copyright compliance and license restrictions, and explain costs to attorneys, paralegals and summer associates.
• Collaborate with the Technology & Data Services Team to design, prototype, test, and iteratively improve firm-specific dashboards, knowledge platforms, data pipelines, and AI-enabled research tools.

Secondary Duties and Responsibilities

• Stay abreast of emerging electronic technologies, including AI, Automation, and Natural Language Processing (NLP), and new tools in library, knowledge support, and innovation services.
• Communicate complex concepts and technology solutions to non-technical stakeholders, ensuring transparency and alignment with firm objectives.
• Lead and participate in cross-functional working groups, committees, and innovation-focused initiatives.
• Design and deliver training programs on research methodology, legal technology adoption, AI applications, and knowledge management best practices.

Working Conditions

• Job is performed in a typical office environment, but is subject to time pressures and constraints, and is often dependent on client demands, attorney work, product deadlines, and contract negotiation timelines.
• Long hours are required periodically. Some travel to regional offices required.

Education: 

• Master of Library Science or Information Studies from an accredited university, J.D. preferred

Experience: 

• Ten years' law library management experience.

Special Knowledge: 

• Expertise in legal research methods, online databases (e.g., Westlaw, Lexis), and electronic resource management.
• Deep understanding of knowledge management principles, taxonomy systems, and competitive intelligence practices.
• Strong knowledge of legal technology trends and tools, including AI, automation, and process optimization methodologies, with demonstrated success partnering with technology professionals to develop solutions.
• Excellent leadership, team management, and stakeholder engagement skills. 
• Advanced organizational, analytical, and problem-solving abilities. 
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and exercise sound judgment in high-pressure situations.
• Experience in the evaluation and negotiation of global contracts.

Technical Skills: 

• Legal research database skills and proficiency in standard office software (MS Office) and familiarity with product development, user experience, and data-driven decision-making.
• Superior communication, writing, editing, proofreading, presentation, and training skills, with the ability to influence and inspire at all levels of the organization. 

Attributes: 

• Ability to work well with people and deal with people tactfully in high pressure situations. Excellent time management, organizational and project management skills. Experience with centralizing and streamlining processes.

Qualifications: 

• Ability to maintain confidential information.

Annual Salary Range: $157,595.21 - $260,032.77

Please note that the actual compensation may vary from posting based on geographic location, work experience, education and/or skill level. The posted salary is the range Vinson & Elkins in good faith believes to be the possible compensation for this role at the time of this posting. This range is only applicable for jobs to be performed in New York and may be modified in the future.

Please apply at: Job Description - Director of Research and Knowledge Services