DEI Manager - Sidley Austin LLP

Summary

This position is open to our San Francisco, downtown Los Angeles, Palo Alto, and Century City offices. 

The DEI Manager is located in California and helps manage, develop, implement,  and administer key diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs and projects in the Firm’s California offices and firmwide. The Manager will report to the DEI Director who sits in the Los Angeles office. The Manager will also interact with the Firm’s lawyers, including, but not limited to, women, racial/ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+ lawyers, and lawyers with disabilities; Firm and California office leadership; and the Firm’s Marketing, Strategic Planning, Human Resources, Event Planning, Technology, Creative, Wellness, Learning & Development, and Legal Recruiting Departments (“Strategic Partners”) to accomplish the Firm’s diversity, equity, and inclusion goals. The Firm’s global DEI Team works in a collegial manner to advance the Firm’s overall DEI goals; implement, create, and evolve industry best practices; and support underrepresented communities in the Firm, individual lawyers, and members of professional staff.

Duties and Responsibilities

People: Investing in and Supporting People

• Engage with and support the Firm’s people, culture, and DEI mission in all California offices (Century City, Los Angeles, Palo Alto, San Diego, and San Francisco) and proximate offices (the “California Offices”).
• Mentor, engage with, and serve as a resource for historically underrepresented attorneys in their professional development, including through regular and consistent outreach to attorneys in the California Offices.
• Work in collaboration with the DEI Director in developing practices to support the retention and development of historically underrepresented attorneys in the California Offices. This responsibility will require extensive collaboration with DEI Team colleagues, DEI and office leadership, and Strategic Partners.

Processes: Supporting Committee and Group Processes and Projects

• Support the firm’s DEI and SidleyWomen Committees in California, including organizing and managing meetings, developing agendas, addressing questions and issues raised, coordinating resources, and managing budgets in alignment with Committee goals.
• Support assigned firmwide Affinity Groups, including for LGBTQ+ attorneys and for attorneys with disabilities, and provide local office support to all Affinity Groups. This includes developing and implementing local-office projects and programs, organizing and managing meetings, addressing questions and issues raised, coordinating resources, and coordinating and processing budget requests to support group goals.
• Manage office-specific sponsorships for local lawyer affinity organizations: determine alignment with DEI Committee goals and related budget allocations, facilitate the sponsorship approval process, and help the DEI Director and Chief Diversity Officer (CDO) monitor and measure the impact of local sponsorships.

Programs: Developing and Supporting DEI-related Programming

• Manage assigned office-specific and firmwide programs, heritage month celebrations and commemorations, and other projects in collaboration with Strategic Partners. This includes engaging participants, researching and engaging speakers, and managing program budgets and invoicing.
• Work in close collaboration with the DEI Director and DEI Specialist to develop standardized workflows, policies, and processes that increase the efficiency and effectiveness of DEI programming.
• Work in close collaboration with the DEI Director and DEI Specialist to develop and deliver all DEI-related global programming, including bespoke programs and retreats. This responsibility requires extensive collaboration with the DEI Team, DEI leadership, firm lawyers, and Strategic Partners.

Additional Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Hires, develops, coaches, and supervises direct reports. Conducts annual performance reviews.
• This position may require working non-standard hours, as needed.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

California Applicants: Salaries may vary by location. In California, the estimated target salary range of this role is $138,000 - $160,000, in addition to bonus eligibility and a comprehensive benefit package. Salary determinations are made based on numerous factors, such as, but not limited to, the relevant market and the skill, experience, class or graduation year, and education of the selected candidate

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform the Duties and Responsibilities (Duties) above satisfactorily and meet the requirements below. The requirements listed below are representative of the minimum knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job. If you need such an accommodation, please email staffrecruiting@sidley.com (current employees should contact Human Resources). 

Education and/or Experience: 

Required:

• Bachelor’s Degree
• A minimum of 5 years of prior work experience
• Experience mentoring, advising and/or coaching associates in their career development
• Experience in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and web-based services and related applications
• Strong project management and organizational skills
• Demonstrated ability to spot concerns and issues and to formulate and execute responses or solutions
• Demonstrated ability to marshal the resources of the Firm across many departments to present excellent programs and effective initiatives
• Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and cross-cultural communication and collaboration
• Ability to travel approximately 40% of the time, primarily to California offices, including overnight travel.

Preferred:

• Advanced degree, particularly a J.D.
• Law firm, corporate experience
• Prior work experience where collaboration on projects was required 

Other Skills and Abilities:

The following will also be required of the successful candidate:

• Strong organizational skills
• Strong attention to detail
• Good judgment
• Strong interpersonal communication skills
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Able to work harmoniously and effectively with others
• Able to preserve confidentiality and exercise discretion
• Able to work under pressure
• Able to manage multiple projects with competing deadlines and priorities

Sidley Austin LLP is an Equal Opportunity Employer