Senior Director of External Counsel

About the role

The Senior Director of External Counsel Management will lead RBC's enterprise-wide external counsel management program. This senior role will drive organizational transformation of how RBC manages external legal resources, positioning external law firms as strategic partners that deliver measurable business value while maintaining rigorous risk and financial discipline.

The Senior Director will lead a high-performing team and serve as the owner of RBC's external counsel strategy across four interconnected pillars: financial governance, relationship management, documentation standards, and enterprise risk management. This role reports to the VP of the Chief Legal & Administrative Officer (CLAO) Group Shared Services & Enterprise Legal Advisory, providing governance oversight to ensure external legal spend and law firm relationships are fully optimized, transparent, and aligned with the bank's enterprise risk framework and strategic objectives.

Responsibilities

• Enterprise Financial Governance & Strategic Sourcing
  • Design and oversee sophisticated financial governance frameworks for global law firm spend, including rate structures, alternative fee arrangements (AFAs), performance-based models, and competitive procurement strategies
  • Establish enterprise-wide spend analytics and business intelligence capabilities to drive cost optimization and value realization
  • Work alongside procurement team to lead strategic negotiations with major law firms on pricing, capacity planning, and service-level agreements
  • Partner with other functional partners to influence forecasting methodologies, executive reporting, and ROI measurement for external legal spend
  • Champion continuous innovation in pricing discipline, value-based engagement models, and legal service delivery optimization
• Strategic Relationship & Portfolio Management
  • Own the enterprise law firm relationship strategy in close collaboration with the Global Head of Litigation, Chief Operating Officer for Law Group, and other senior leadership
  • Establish governance frameworks for law firm performance measurement, including balanced scorecards, KPIs, benchmarking, qualitative evaluations, and strategic reviews
  • Lead law firm panel optimization, succession planning, and strategic partnerships
  • Manage escalation processes for complex operational or relationship issues
• Documentation, Standards & Governance
  • Establish and maintain comprehensive governance documentation for external counsel engagements, including external counsel manuals, engagement letter frameworks, billing protocols, and compliance requirements
  • Ensure global consistency and alignment with regulatory expectations, internal policies, and operational best practices
  • Drive adoption of standards across the organization and serve as the subject matter expert for external counsel governance matters
  • Periodically audit and refresh documentation to reflect evolving regulatory requirements and market practices
• Enterprise Risk Management & Compliance Oversight
  • Lead the third-party risk management program for external counsel, establishing risk assessment frameworks and ongoing monitoring mechanisms
  • Identify, assess, and mitigate operational, compliance, and reputational risks associated with global external counsel management
  • Ensure alignment with enterprise risk management expectations and emerging regulatory trends affecting legal service delivery
• Leadership & Organizational Development
  • Lead, mentor, and strategically develop a team, fostering a culture of operational excellence and continuous improvement
  • Drive initiatives that enhance scalability, consistency, transparency, and maturity across the external counsel lifecycle
  • Employ legal technology solutions, data analytics, and automation to enhance reporting, controls, risk visibility, and decision-making
  • Serve as a thought leader within the organization on legal operations and external counsel management best practices

Requirements

Must have:

• Bachelor's degree in any field
• 15+ years of progressively senior experience in legal operations, external counsel management, procurement, enterprise risk management, or a related field
• Demonstrated experience managing law firm relationships and enterprise-level legal spend at significant scale
• Proven leadership experience, including building, mentoring, and developing high-performing teams
• Strategic stakeholder management experience at senior organizational levels (C-suite, Board, or equivalent)
• Strong track record of driving organizational transformation and implementing large-scale process improvements
• In-depth knowledge of alternative fee arrangements, legal service delivery models, and pricing innovation
• Deep understanding of financial governance, enterprise risk management, and third-party oversight in regulated environments

Nice to have:

• JD, LLB, MBA, or equivalent advanced degree
• Extensive experience within a financial institution or other highly regulated environment (banking, insurance, asset management)
• Proven experience leading global, multi-jurisdictional law firm programs across multiple time zones and legal systems
• Advanced expertise in enterprise risk management and compliance frameworks
• Demonstrated success implementing legal spend management platforms, matter management systems, and analytics capabilities

Benefits

• A comprehensive Total Rewards Program including bonuses and flexible benefits, competitive compensation, commissions, and stock where applicable
• Leaders who support your development through coaching and managing opportunities
• Ability to make a difference and lasting impact
• Work in a dynamic, collaborative, progressive, and high-performing team
• A world-class training program in financial services
• Flexible work/life balance options
• Opportunities to do challenging work

Pay

The expected salary range for this position is $200,000 - $340,000 depending on experience, skills, and registration status, market conditions, and business needs. You have the potential to earn more through RBC’s discretionary variable compensation program, which increases total compensation based on business performance targets and individual goals.

Location: Goldman Sachs Tower, 30 Hudson Street, Jersey City, United States of America

Employment Type: Full time, salaried, 40 hours per week