New York - Global Managing Director, Legal Support Services

About us

At Winston Taylor, we set the standard, together.

Winston Taylor is a transatlantic law firm built for the businesses, people, and markets driving capital and innovation. Here, you're in the room. In the action. Sleeves rolled up. You'll work with leading clients. Disruptors. Fast-growth companies. And help them to stay one step ahead of the moment and make critical decisions that shape their future. We're present in the U.S., U.K., Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East, combining the scale and speed that clients demand. You'll be trusted with real responsibility from the outset and build experience through hands-on work. We take your progression personally. We provide the platform. You shape the work around your goals and aspirations. Step into the moments that matter. Join Winston Taylor.

Position summary

Winston Taylor is seeking a Global Managing Director, Legal Support Services who will be responsible for leading the delivery and ongoing evolution of legal support services across Winston Taylor's global platform. Working in close partnership with the Global Chief Administration Officer and regional leadership, the role helps translate the firm's strategic priorities into effective operating models, service standards, and workforce strategies that support exceptional service delivery across the organization.

The Global Managing Director will foster a culture of service excellence, continuous improvement, and operational discipline while ensuring Legal Support Services remains responsive to the evolving needs of the business. The role is responsible for balancing premium partner and lawyer support with efficient, scalable service delivery, enabling the function to adapt as the firm continues to grow and evolve.

Position responsibilities

Global Leadership & Operational Excellence

• Partner with firm and departmental leadership to translate strategic priorities into practical operating models and service delivery approaches across Legal Support Services.

• Continuously evaluate service delivery models, workforce structures, and operating practices to ensure ongoing alignment with evolving business needs.

• Develop and maintain enterprise-wide service standards, operating principles, and performance expectations that promote a consistently high-quality experience while allowing for appropriate regional flexibility.

• Establish meaningful performance metrics, service-level measures, and reporting frameworks to monitor effectiveness, identify trends, and support data-driven decision-making.

• Lead continuous improvement initiatives that simplify processes, enhance service quality, improve operational efficiency, and elevate the experience of lawyers and support professionals.

• Identify opportunities to leverage technology, automation, AI-enabled capabilities, and emerging industry practices to strengthen organizational effectiveness and service delivery.

• Foster collaboration across offices and regions, promoting knowledge sharing, best-practice adoption, and continuous organizational learning.

Document Services

• Provide strategic leadership and oversight of the firm's global Document Services function, including centralized, regional, and local delivery models.

• Continuously assess document production workflows, staffing models, and supporting technologies to improve responsiveness, quality, and operational efficiency.

• Establish service standards and quality expectations for document production, formatting, proofreading, digital document support, and related services.

• Promote consistent workflows, templates, and quality-control practices that enhance reliability while supporting local business requirements.

• Partner with Technology and other business functions to enhance document production capabilities through workflow optimization, automation, and emerging technologies.

• Ensure appropriate controls are maintained to protect confidentiality, information security, and matter-sensitive work.

Legal Administrative Support Services

• Lead the ongoing development and evolution of the firm's global Legal Administrative Support Services operating model.

• Evaluate support structures, service scope, staffing ratios, and coverage models to ensure resources remain aligned with changing business demands.

• Develop workforce strategies that optimize capacity, utilization, and service delivery while maintaining premium support experience for partners and lawyers.

• Establish clear service expectations, capability frameworks, career pathways, and development opportunities across the global organization.

• Partner with Talent to strengthen recruitment, onboarding, performance management, succession planning, and professional development programs.

• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, continuous improvement, and service excellence throughout the function.

Executive Support Services

• Provide strategic leadership for Executive Support Services supporting firm leadership globally.

• Develop support models that provide consistent executive support experience while accommodating varying leadership needs and regional requirements.

• Ensure effective prioritization, coverage planning, and resource allocation across executive support teams.

• Identify opportunities to streamline administrative processes, enhance executive effectiveness, and improve organizational efficiency.

• Support globally coordinated leadership activities, including meetings, travel, communications, and other executive support requirements.

Experience, skills, and qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree required; Advanced degree preferred.
• 10 + years of significant leadership experience overseeing complex service delivery operations within a multi-office or global organization required.
• Experience within a global law firm, partnership, or professional services environment required.
• This is a hybrid role that requires the ability to work in the office and travel as required by business needs.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary administrative or professional support functions, such as legal support, executive support, document services, hospitality, or client service operations.
• Experience leading globally distributed teams, multi-region service delivery functions, or enterprise operating model transformations.
• Demonstrated success leading operational improvement initiatives that enhance service quality, organizational effectiveness, and scalability.
• Experience designing or evolving service delivery models that balance premium service expectations with operational efficiency.
• Demonstrated success influencing senior stakeholders and driving organizational change within complex, matrixed, or partnership-led environments.
• Experience establishing service standards, governance structures, performance metrics, and accountability frameworks across multiple offices or business units.
• Strong strategic and operational leadership, with the ability to translate organizational priorities into practical, scalable solutions.
• Strong risk awareness, including confidentiality, information security, and business continuity considerations.
• Experience leading organizations through periods of growth, organizational change, or integration.
• Understanding of emerging technologies, automation, and AI, with the ability to evaluate opportunities to enhance service delivery thoughtfully and pragmatically.

Competencies

• Strategic Leadership & Functional Ownership: Leads the firm's global Legal Support Services function by translating business priorities into scalable operating models, workforce strategies, service standards, and measurable business outcomes.
• Operational Excellence & Service Delivery: Leads the development and continuous improvement of global service delivery models, driving efficiency, scalability, service quality, and operational effectiveness while maintaining a premium support experience.
• People Leadership & Organizational Capability: Builds high-performing teams through coaching, capability development, succession planning, workforce planning, and inclusive leadership practices that strengthen organizational performance.
• Stakeholder Influence & Partnership: Builds credibility and alignment across partners, senior leaders, Office Managing Partners, Talent, Technology, and Business Professional teams to influence decision-making and advance strategic objectives.
• Innovation & Change Leadership: Evaluates and implements process improvements, automation, emerging technologies, and AI-enabled capabilities while successfully leading organizational change and transformation initiatives.
• Commercial, Analytical & Governance Mindset: Uses data, performance metrics, governance frameworks, and sound business judgment to guide investment decisions, improve service outcomes, manage risk, and support firm-wide priorities.