Director of Data Services

Responsibilities

• Own and evolve the firm's enterprise data strategy and multi-year roadmap, aligning with AI, financial, and operational priorities.
• Design and oversee the build of the firm's enterprise data architecture, integrating systems such as Aderant, iManage, Intapp, and CRM.
• Lead the selection and implementation of modern data infrastructure, including cloud data warehouses (Snowflake, Databricks, or Azure Synapse) and ETL/ELT orchestration.
• Establish and enforce enterprise data standards, taxonomies, metadata policies, and master data management (MDM) programs.
• Build and lead a high-performing organization of professionals across data governance, engineering, and analytics.
• Drive AI data enablement by owning the data layer for RAG pipelines, vector databases, and knowledge retrieval infrastructure.
• Chair the firm's Data Governance Council and manage the firm-wide Data Stewardship Program.
• Partner with Finance, Business Development, and HR to deliver advanced analytics and business intelligence products.

Requirements

• 15+ years of progressive experience in data engineering, architecture, analytics, or enterprise data strategy.
• 5+ years in an executive leadership role (Director, VP, or equivalent).
• Proven track record of building enterprise-grade data infrastructure from the ground up in complex environments.
• Deep expertise in the modern data stack, including cloud data warehouses, orchestration tools, and BI visualization tools (Power BI, Tableau).
• Experience implementing comprehensive data governance frameworks and stewardship programs.
• Experience in professional services, legal, financial services, or other highly regulated industries.
• Exceptional executive presence with the ability to translate technical complexity into strategic insights for firm leadership.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience at a law firm, in-house legal department, or legal technology company.
• Familiarity with legal-specific systems such as Aderant, iManage, or Intapp.
• Experience building AI-ready infrastructure, including vector databases and embedding workflows.
• Advanced degree in Data Science, Computer Science, Information Management, or a related quantitative field.
• Professional certifications such as CDMP, TOGAF, or cloud-specific data certifications (Snowflake, AWS, or Azure).

Benefits

• Competitive annual compensation range of $325k – $380k.
• Comprehensive health care and retirement benefits.
• Paid time off, including vacation and sick time.
• Parental leave and basic life insurance.
• Flexible Spending Accounts and discretionary, performance-based bonuses.

About the Company

Gibson Dunn is a leading global law firm, advising clients on significant transactions and disputes. Our exceptional teams craft and deploy creative legal strategies that are meticulously tailored to every matter, however complex or high-stakes.