Details
Posted: 18-May-22
Location: Nationwide
Type: Full Time
Required Education: 4 Year Degree
Salary: $80,000 to $85,000
Additional Information:
Telecommuting is allowed.
We are recruiting for a Mansfield Rule & Knowledge Sharing Specialist. At Diversity Lab, we create and invest in innovative initiatives that boost diversity and gender equity in law firms and legal departments. Behavioral science, data, and design thinking are at the core of everything we do.
If you enjoy project management, process mapping and execution, data, and sharing best practices and are passionate about increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the legal profession, we would love to talk with you about this opportunity! Send your resume to [email protected].
About Diversity Lab
Diversity Lab works with law firms and legal departments across the globe to create more fair, equitable, and inclusive communities and workplaces. We disrupt bias in talent systems by embedding structure, accountability, and transparency. We leverage data, behavioral science, and design thinking to create and pilot experimental ideas with more than 300 leading law firms and legal departments across the U.S. and beyond. In collaboration with our clients, we measure the results and share the lessons learned with the broader legal community.
Our inaugural project – the OnRamp Fellowship – is the largest re-entry program for lawyers who want to return to the profession after a career hiatus. To inspire others to develop and experiment with innovative initiatives such as the Fellowship, we launched the Women in Law Hackathon in 2016, and the Diversity in Law Hackathon series in 2018. These first-of-their-kind "Shark Tank"-style pitch competitions brought together high-level law firm partners, legal department leaders, talent experts, and law students in small teams working together to generate ideas to boost diversity and inclusion in the legal profession.
The Mansfield Rule is an idea that was generated by one of the Women in Law Hackathon teams and further developed by Diversity Lab. Since the first iteration of the Mansfield Rule in 2017 that included more than 40 law firms, Diversity Lab has measured and reported significant progress in the Certified firms’ pipelines to leadership. Mansfield 5.0, the current version, is being piloted by more than 160 large law firms. As a result of the early adopters’ successful outcomes, there are now three additional versions of the Mansfield Rule, including an iteration tailored for midsize law firms, legal departments, and law firms in the U.K. In total, there are now more than 300 law firms and legal departments participating.
In 2020, Diversity Lab launched the Move the Needle Fund (MTN), the first-ever collaboration among 30 legal departments, four law firms, and a dozen community leaders designed to test and measure research-backed “bias interrupters.” The MTN bias interrupters are science-driven tweaks to talent and business systems – such as hiring, feedback, work assignments, and pay processes – that disrupt and minimize unconscious biases in the workplace to provide fair and equal access to career-enhancing opportunities for lawyers of all backgrounds.
More About the Mansfield Rule & Knowledge Sharing Specialist Role
In the Specialist role, you will work with our teammates who lead the Mansfield Rule for law firms and legal departments to help manage and support the Mansfield Rule Certification process, knowledge sharing activities, and Client Forums. You may also have the opportunity to contribute to other Diversity Lab research, pilots, and projects.
This role is a full-time, remote work opportunity. You will be asked to travel within the U.S., likely 3-5 times per year.
Primary Responsibilities
- Partner with our Mansfield Rule, Midsize Mansfield Rule, and Mansfield Rule: Legal Department Edition teams to manage the Mansfield Rule Certification process, including: helping to strategize and innovate as we grow the initiative; communicating with and assisting current and potential participants; conducting check-ins with the participants; collecting and analyzing data with our data scientists’ support; helping to design and execute knowledge sharing programming; and managing and updating key materials, both organizational and substantive.
- Work with the Mansfield Rule team to help plan and execute the Mansfield Rule Client Forum logistics. You will also have responsibility for communicating with law firm and legal department participants, liaising with Client Forum hosts, developing program agendas and timelines, and supporting the pitch meeting and matching process.
- Collaborate with the entire Diversity Lab team on other projects as needed. As a 10 year young dynamic, small company with a collaborative and inclusive work culture, we expect and urge all team members to pitch in to help with key projects as time permits, without regard to job description, tenure, or title. We also encourage our team members to take initiative in identifying areas where they can contribute based on their strengths, skills, and interests.
Location Details
– Job format is full-time remote work; reliable internet and telephone access are required.
– Job can be performed from anywhere within the contiguous United States, but the following locations are preferred: Austin, Baltimore, Greater Boston; Denver/Boulder; Houston; Miami; New York City or nearby areas; San Francisco Bay Area. While these locations are preferred, applicants from other locations will be considered fully.
Benefits
We offer a 401(k) program featuring a 4% employer match, as well as a basic life insurance policy with a $50,000 benefit for which the premium is paid by the organization. Employees are additionally entitled to participate in group health and dental insurance policies; premiums for these policies are 100% the responsibility of the employee.
Additionally, teammates are welcome to contribute pre-tax income to a Health FSA, Dependent Care FSA, and/or Health Savings Account, subject to federal rules and regulations. Contributions to a Health FSA, Dependent Care FSA, and/or Health Savings Account are 100% the responsibility of the employee.
Diversity Lab offers vacation time and paid federal holidays, as well as additional paid holiday time at its discretion (e.g., we typically provide paid holiday time between Christmas Eve Day and New Year’s Day each year).
The Skills Needed to Be Effective in This Role
No one is perfect, so we don’t expect one human to embody all of these skills. But if you have some of these key skills and are willing to learn, we encourage you to apply.
- Experience in professional development, business development, and/or diversity, equity, and inclusion in a professional services environment (law firm or legal department strongly preferred), including planning and executing programming and interacting with internal or external clients.
- Strong project management skills, including excellent attention to detail and timeline management.
- Excellent client relationship skills, including responsiveness and a willingness to help solve problems in a friendly, diplomatic, and efficient manner.
- High EQ; ability to interact effectively with team members and external partners; self- awareness and sensitivity to communications and team relationships required.
- Ability to make smart decisions with ambiguous information.
- Embody a learning mindset; maintain curiosity and interest in continuing to learn about relevant issues, sharing knowledge with teammates, and growing professionally. This also includes the ability to learn from mistakes and find ways to problem-solve challenging issues.
- Strong written and verbal communications skills; ability to think and speak extemporaneously.
- Ability to stay composed and focused under pressure and hard deadlines.
- Self-motivated; able to take initiative with minimal assistance or supervision and manage time efficiently.
- Willingness to listen to and learn from feedback and offer feedback effectively to others as appropriate.
- Comfort with learning and using many forms of technology; proficiency with Google Docs/Microsoft Word and Excel/Google Sheets required. Experience with Zoom, other virtual meeting platforms, and PowerPoint/Google Slides preferred.
- Bachelor’s degree required.
- 5 years law firm or legal department experience strongly preferred. Other legal experience or professional services firm experience will be considered as well.
- Active commitment to and passion for creating inclusive and equitable workplaces and communities.