The role

THE OPPORTUNITY

DLA Piper are looking for a Senior Specialist to support the Head of Culture & Inclusion in the delivery of the agreed D&I strategy across the International firm. You will be responsible for leading specific Diversity & Inclusion initiatives and projects that support the broader D&I strategy and position the firm as a leader for Diversity and Inclusion. You will proactively provide current and leading edge subject matter expertise and support to the business and HR colleagues.

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Contribute actively to the delivery of firm-wide Diversity & Inclusion priorities and action plans
• Provide specialist expertise to support local Diversity & People Inclusion initiatives and Business Development activities
• Act as an international ambassador for the firm in respect of Diversity & Inclusion, including the management of relationships within the legal sector and in cross-sector network
• Keep up to date in key developments/research in the specialist field of Diversity & Inclusion and update the firm and our policies/initiatives accordingly
• Undertake regular monitoring and data analysis and measure progress against key deliverables
• Be a key point of specialist expertise to support leaders within the CoE teams
• Identify areas for collaboration across the wider Talent Development function

Specific duties will include:

Strategy

• Drive the implementation of specific initiatives aligned to the diverse talent pipeline strategy including:

o    Leadership, talent and succession
o    Sponsorship and mentoring
o    Learning and development
o    Hybrid working
o    Work allocation
o    Policy and practice

• Lead D&I reporting, such as our D&I goals and progress and pay gap narrative development

Talent Development and Learning

• Provide subject matter expertise and best practices D&I aspects of learning, talent management and career development strategies e.g. talent and succession planning, performance management
• Support the development and implementation of additional D&I training as part of the International Career Academy, for example: e-learning and training for specific business groups/functions
• Coach and advise on all D&I related topics at all levels across the firm
• Analyse and monitor internal promotion and retention data
• Liaise with external diversity partners regarding our expectations and approach regarding D&I

Diversity Analytics

• Create and draw conclusions from relevant metrics and analytics in order to inform action and investment decisions
• Support the HR Community and senior leaders to understand the diversity of their workforce
• Leverage relevant D&I insights from engagement/pulse surveys 

Client Engagement

• As required, provide specific D&I content/data to support pitch/RFP requests, including data gathering and analysis
• Provide information on specific client expectations/interests in respect of D&I

Resource Groups

• Support existing Resource Groups across the firm, particualry around linkages to D&I learning and Resource Group leaders development
• Act as Talent and Learning consultant to support resource group members to deliver agreed objectives

Responsible Business

• Provide subject matter expertise as required to the International Responsible Business team to support key initiatives e.g. Break Into Law
• Represent the firm as required within legal sector networks and in cross-sector networks, meetings or events
• Support the firm's partnerships with external organisations and undertake regular monitoring of these relationships to ensure that they provide value for the firm and are in line with our strategic objectives
• Manage our statutory reporting activities

Wellbeing

• Support the firm's international wellbeing programme, recognising the specific needs and challenges within a law firm context
• Collaborate and work in partnership with Compensation & Benefits colleagues on the delivery of the above

ABOUT YOU

• Have proposed and led programmes and initiatives around learning, talent development, progression and retention across a complex multi- stakeholder business area
• Have the ability to manage multiple projects and competing priorities
• Have a genuine passion and enthusiasm for diversity and inclusion
• Have a strategic mindset
• Have an excellent knowledge of D&I best practices and linkages to HR practices
• Have experience of working in international teams/environments
• Be able to quickly build relationships at all levels and influence, persuade and coach
• Have excellent communication skills, both written and verbal 
• Be able to exercise empathy, discretion and sensitivity

ABOUT US

DLA Piper is a global law firm with lawyers located in more than 40 countries throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific. Our global reach ensures that we can help businesses with their legal needs anywhere in the world. We strive to be the leading global business law firm by delivering quality, service excellence and value to our clients and offering practical and innovative legal solutions to help them succeed. Our clients range from multinational, Global 1000, and Fortune 500 enterprises to emerging companies developing industry-leading technologies, as well as government and public sector bodies.

OUR VALUES

In everything we do connected with our People, our Clients and our Communities, we live by these values:

• Be Supportive – we are compassionate and inclusive, valuing diversity and acting thoughtfully
• Be Collaborative - we are proactive, passionate team players investing in our relationships
• Be Bold - we are fearless and inquisitive, challenging ourselves to think big and find creative new solutions
• Be Exceptional - we are strategic and driven, exceeding standards and expectations

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

At DLA Piper, diversity and inclusion underpins how we live our values and everything we do.  We believe that everyone has a voice, and that everyone’s voice counts. We know that the rich diversity across our firm makes us stronger, more innovative and creative, which helps us to better serve our clients and communities. We are committed to providing an inclusive working environment and culture across our global firm, where everyone can bring their authentic self to work. 

Diversity of perspective, thought, background and culture combine to make us the leading global law firm; that’s why we actively seek to build balanced teams. We welcome the unique contribution that you will bring to our firm and actively encourage applications from all talented people – however your talent is packaged, whatever your background or circumstance and regardless of how you identify.

We support anyone with a disability or long term health condition to ensure they have the opportunity to perform at their best. If you have not done so already, please let us know if you require any support so we can make the right adjustments and considerations should they be required.

AGILE WORKING

We know that people have responsibilities and interests outside of their career and that as a business, we all benefit from working flexibly. That's why we are open to discussing with candidates the different ways in which we are able to support requests for agile working arrangements.

PRE-ENGAGEMENT SCREENING

In the event that we make an offer to you, and where local legislation permits, we will conduct pre-engagement screening checks that may include but are not limited to your professional and academic qualifications, your eligibility to work in the relevant jurisdiction, any criminal records, your financial stability and references from previous employers.