Senior Director, Outside Counsel Management & Strategy

This leader will design and implement an end-to-end outside counsel operating model, transforming outside counsel management from a primarily transactional and spend-management function into a strategic, data-driven capability. The role will establish the governance, processes, technology, data, and analytics needed to optimize firm selection, pricing, performance, relationships, and allocation of legal work. The Senior Director will also lead a multidisciplinary team of approximately 6 to 8 professionals responsible for outside counsel and legal spend operations, including budgeting and forecasting, e-billing, rate and vendor management, spend analytics, and Legal Spend Management technology.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead enterprise outside counsel strategy: Develop and execute a multi-year global strategy and operating model governing how outside counsel are selected, engaged, managed, evaluated, and retained. Partner with Legal leadership to align the right providers and delivery models with the complexity, risk, and strategic importance of legal work.
• Optimize the law firm portfolio: Design and evolve Johnson & Johnson's preferred-firm and strategic relationship model. Segment and evaluate firms based on capability, performance, economics, geographic reach, and relationship value, using data to inform future work allocation and portfolio decisions.
• Manage strategic law firm relationships: Serve as a senior commercial and operational counterpart to major global, regional, and specialist firms. Lead strategic business reviews and negotiations and establish expectations related to performance, pricing, staffing, technology, innovation, service delivery, and continuous improvement.
• Drive performance and advanced analytics: Establish an enterprise outside counsel performance framework, including firm scorecards, attorney feedback, benchmarks, KPIs, and executive dashboards. Connect matter, spend, pricing, staffing, and outcome data to generate actionable insights and measure value beyond cost.
• Lead technology and digital transformation: Serve as business owner for technology supporting outside counsel sourcing, spend management, e-billing, relationship management, and performance. Lead implementation and adoption of integrated digital capabilities and identify responsible opportunities to use AI and automation to improve decision-making, productivity, and value.
• Advance sourcing and alternative delivery strategies: Establish standards for competitive sourcing, RFPs, alternative fee arrangements, and provider selection. Partner across Legal, Procurement, and Finance to identify opportunities to leverage traditional firms, specialist and alternative legal service providers, technology, and internal resources.
• Lead and develop the team: Lead a global multidisciplinary team supporting outside counsel management and legal spend operations. Build strategic, analytical, commercial, and technology capabilities while establishing clear accountability, service levels, operational metrics, and development opportunities.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree such as an MBA, JD, or comparable graduate degree preferred.
• Minimum 8+ years of progressive experience in Legal Operations, outside counsel management, legal procurement, legal finance, law firm pricing/business management, or closely related discipline.
• Significant direct experience in outside counsel management, legal spend, legal sourcing, law firm pricing, or legal services commercial management.
• Deep understanding of the U.S. and global legal-services market, including major law firms, boutiques, regional firms, and alternative legal service providers.
• Strong knowledge of law firm economics, pricing, staffing models, alternative fee arrangements, and commercial negotiations.
• Demonstrated financial and analytical acumen, including experience with significant legal spend, budgeting, forecasting, e-billing, performance metrics, dashboards, and data-driven decision-making.
• Experience developing or transforming preferred-firm, outside counsel, strategic sourcing, or law firm performance programs.
• Experience leveraging technology, data, analytics, automation, or AI to improve Legal Operations and outside counsel management.
• Demonstrated people leadership and experience leading change within a large, complex, global or matrixed organization.
• Executive presence with the ability to influence senior Legal, Finance, Procurement, and business leaders and engage credibly with senior law firm executives.

Preferred Qualifications

• MBA, JD, Master's degree, or comparable advanced degree.
• Experience within a highly regulated global company, major law firm, or similarly complex professional-services environment.
• Experience managing $250M+ in annual external legal spend or a comparably complex professional-services portfolio.
• Experience establishing or materially redesigning a global preferred-firm or outside counsel program.
• Experience with enterprise legal management, e-billing, sourcing, analytics, or law firm relationship-management platforms.
• Experience with strategic sourcing, alternative legal service delivery, change management, Lean Six Sigma, project/program management, or advanced analytics.