Director Legal Operations Jobs in Encinitas, CA (NOW HIRING)

Allen Matkins, a law firm with over 285 attorneys, was founded with deep roots in real estate and has leveraged that foundation to grow and build prominent litigation, corporate, tax, labor and employment, land use, and environmental practices, allowing us to partner with clients across myriad industries and markets. For nearly 50 years, Allen Matkins has worked with clients drawn to us by our reputation for market-leading solutions, pragmatism, exemplary quality, approachability, and our unparalleled network of contacts and connections in business and government. Our firm’s success is driven by our commitment to hiring and developing top talent, ensuring a team that delivers exceptional work and service to our clients. We are guided by our core values: our people are our most important resource; we have a commitment to quality work, all the time; and we work as a team with each other and with our clients - we foster camaraderie.

The Director of Legal Recruiting provides strategic support to the firm's recruiting efforts across all offices. This position collaborates with the Chief Recruiting & Professional Development Officer, Management Committee, Practice Leadership, and Diversity Committee to develop, implement, and manage recruiting strategies and programs.

• Law Student Recruiting, Summer Program, and Entry Level Hiring
  • Lead campus recruiting and law school outreach strategy, managing coordinators responsible for execution and ensuring consistent engagement and pipeline development across target schools
  • Lead and oversee the summer associate program, including program structure, event strategy, budget management, and overall execution, with accountability for program quality, candidate experience, and offer outcomes
• Provide leadership and strategic direction for lateral associate recruiting function, providing oversight and support to the Legal Recruiting Manager, and ensuring alignment with firm growth priorities, practice group needs, and market conditions
• Serve as the central point of coordination across lateral recruiting channels, ensuring consistency in processes, communication, and candidate experience
• Provide oversight of offer strategy and process
• Communicate and work closely with senior partners within all practice areas regarding lateral associate needs
• Oversee relationships with search firms
• Collaborate on lateral attorney integration
• Assist with lateral partner recruiting
• Leadership and Operations
  • Manage and develop recruiting team members, including setting priorities, allocating resources, and providing coaching and performance management
  • Monitor recruiting activity and key metrics (e.g., hiring volume, acceptance rates, pipeline strength), providing visibility and escalating trends or issues to leadership
  • Coordinate with Professional Development, DEI, and other administrative teams to ensure alignment with broader talent initiatives
  • Identify operational gaps and implement process improvements to enhance efficiency, scalability, and consistency across recruiting functions

Bachelor's degree is required along with 10 years of progressive experience, preferably in a law firm or other professional services environment.

• Demonstrates strong initiative and independent judgment, with an ability to think strategically and drive results
• Proven ability to manage complex, high-volume workflows in a fast-paced environment while maintaining attention to detail and organization
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with an ability to engage effectively and build credibility with attorneys, leadership, and business professional teams
• Strong problem-solving capabilities, with the ability to anticipate issues, develop solutions, and execute effectively
• Collaborative and team-oriented, with the ability to work across teams and influence stakeholders in a multi-authority environment
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain relationships, remain proactive, and manage competing priorities
• Strong planning and organizational skills, including the ability to set priorities, manage both short- and long-term initiatives, and drive measurable outcomes
• Ability to build relationships, remain proactive, and stay highly organized
• Exercises sound judgment and discretion, with the ability to handle sensitive and confidential information
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and Windows applications
• Experience with Flo recruiting systems

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Allen Matkins is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, marital status, medical condition, physical or mental disability, veteran status, all other characteristics prohibited by law, or gender identity and/or expression.

We will collect the personal information you provide in connection with this application as well as information included with any other document(s) you provide us. We may use this information to evaluate your application and consider you for employment with Allen Matkins. We may share this information with third parties for any of the following purposes: (i) to confirm the accuracy of the information provided; (ii) to conduct a background check; (iii) to confirm or evaluate potential conflicts of interest; and/or (iv) to check references. If you accept an offer with Allen Matkins, we may use this information to provide you with the benefits of your employment. Our employees' personal information is governed by our Privacy Policy, available at https://www.allenmatkins.com/disclaimers/privacy-policy.html .

Qualified Applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act.

Allen Matkins is an Equal Opportunity Employer and offers a competitive compensation & benefits package. The anticipated base salary range for this full-time role is $225,000- $285,000 per year. Actual salary will depend upon a number of factors, including, but not limited to, relevant experience, job-related skills, qualifications, and location.

The base salary range displayed on the job posting reflects the estimated range for new hire salaries for the position. The actual offered base salary will be determined by work location and additional factors, including, but not limited to, relevant experience, job-related skills and qualifications. The pay range is subject to change at any time dependent on a variety of internal and external business factors.

Equal Opportunity Employer
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws.For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.