Senior AI Program Director

Overview

This is an exciting opportunity to work for one of the top law firms in the U.S.! Davis Wright Tremaine LLP is looking for a Senior AI Program Director to join our team in our Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, New York, or Washington D.C offices.

This position offers the flexibility to be fully remote while working within reasonable commuting distance from any of our offices.

This position leads the firm-wide Artificial Intelligence (AI) Program with a primary focus on value creation—identifying, building, and scaling AI-enabled products and workflows that measurably improve client outcomes and firm performance. Responsibilities include product management and portfolio leadership, firm-wide adoption champion and change management, client-facing support for RFPs and outside counsel guidelines (OCGs), and results-driven enablement across practice groups and business functions. The AI Program Director will also work closely and influence the AI governance model and partner with Information Security and Information Governance to ensure safe, compliant, and secure AI usage aligned with recognized standards.

At Davis Wright Tremaine, you will find challenging assignments, opportunities for professional growth and community involvement, and a culture of inclusion. DWT fosters inclusiveness and authenticity. Regardless of position, everyone here has a voice and the support is unparalleled.

On a typical day you will

Value creation, product management, and portfolio leadership

Define the firm's AI product strategy and offerings (internal and client-facing), including product charters, value hypotheses, MVPs, roadmaps, packaging, and success metrics.

Operate an intake and prioritization process to evaluate ideas across the firm; conduct discovery and user research; size opportunities; assess feasibility, ROI, and risk; and advance high-potential use cases to pilots and scale.

Lead cross-functional product teams (Innovation, IT, KM, PD, BD / Marketing, Pricing) to deliver AI-enabled solutions for high-impact workflows (e.g., research, drafting, review, intake, matter management).

Establish product KPIs and measurement plans; instrument usage analytics and feedback loops; run A / B tests and iterative improvements to drive adoption and sustained value.

Adoption, enablement, and change management

Partner with Professional Development to design tiered curricula (fundamentals, prompt techniques, practice-specific patterns, responsible use) and certify competency levels.

Build communities of practice and a champions network; publish playbooks and use-case libraries; provide office hours and coaching to accelerate skill development and behavioral change.

Implement structured change management (communications, readiness assessments, stakeholder engagement) to reduce friction and increase adoption across attorneys and staff.

Client engagement, RFPs, and OCG alignment

Lead AI-related responses for RFPs, DDQs, and client assurance requests; articulate our products, governance, security posture, and measurable outcomes.

Coordinate with Pricing and BD on differentiators, case studies, and value narratives; ensure OCGs that address AI are operationalized in policy and controls.

Marketing, brand, and recognition

Collaborate with Marketing to pursue industry awards and rankings that showcase responsible innovation and client impact; support thought leadership, speaking, and media opportunities.

Data, measurement, and business impact

Define and report KPIs such as adoption and active use rates, time-to-value, cycle-time reduction, error-rate improvement, cost savings, revenue contribution from AI-enabled offerings, client satisfaction, and training completion.

Publish dashboards and progress reports for leadership and stakeholders; benchmark against industry surveys and best practices.

Operations and delivery

Align AI architecture, integrations, and environments with IT standards; coordinate platform operations (e.g., model lifecycle, versioning, evaluation, and decommissioning).

Manage resourcing, vendor relationships, and program budget; evaluate build-vs-buy and total cost of ownership.

Responsible AI governance (positioned after product / adoption)

Partner with IG on the firm's AI policy, standards, and operating model aligned to recognized frameworks (e.g., NIST AI RMF; ISO / IEC 42001).

Advise on governance processes for responsible AI (use-case intake and triage, risk assessments, model evaluation, human-in-the-loop controls, monitoring, auditability, incident response).

Track evolving regulatory obligations (e.g., EU AI Act) and client expectations; coordinate with IG, GC, and InfoSec to operationalize compliance.

Security, privacy, and risk management (positioned after governance)

Partner with Information Security to embed "secure by design" principles across AI systems and workflows, consistent with CISA and UK NCSC guidance.

Ensure data protection and confidentiality controls (access management, minimization, redaction / tokenization where appropriate, logging / telemetry, retention, data residency); lead vendor due diligence and third-party risk management for AI providers.

Join us if you have

Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree in a relevant field (information systems, computer science, business, or JD) preferred.

10+ years of progressively responsible experience in technology or innovation, including 5+ years leading cross-functional programs or products; law firm or professional services experience preferred.

Proven product management leadership shipping AI or advanced automation solutions with clear business outcomes; fluency in discovery, MVPs, roadmapping, backlog management, user research, and product analytics.

Demonstrated success in firm-wide adoption and change management (communications, training programs, champions networks) with measurable improvements in usage and impact.

Strong understanding of LLM-enabled solutions and enterprise AI delivery (e.g., retrieval augmented generation, evaluation methods, telemetry, model lifecycle).

Experience establishing responsible AI governance aligned with industry frameworks (e.g., NIST AI RMF, ISO / IEC 42001) and familiarity with the EU AI Act's risk-based approach.

Solid grasp of information security and privacy principles applied to AI (secure design, deployment and operation; data protection; vendor risk management) and experience partnering with InfoSec, Risk, and GC.

Exceptional communication and stakeholder management skills; ability to translate technical concepts for non-technical audiences and drive consensus across practice groups and business functions.

Excellent organizational, prioritization, and decision-making skills; comfortable leading multiple initiatives across offices with a high standard of ethics and confidentiality.

Who We Are

Davis Wright Tremaine LLP is an AmLaw 100 law firm with 10 offices nationwide. We are relentlessly committed to client service and look for candidates who share that commitment. At DWT, client service means having empathy for each client's and each lawyer's work and personal pressures, business objectives, and legal needs; anticipating their needs; and having the capabilities and commitment to deliver what matters most to them.

What's in it For You?

DWT offers competitive compensation in addition to ample benefits including but not limited to

Choice of health and vision insurance plans

2 paid volunteer days for qualifying community service work

Dental plan

Fertility and adoption benefit

Paid sabbatical after 13 years of service

Tuition reimbursement

Commuter benefits

Retirement contribution

This job description intends to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by individuals assigned to this position. It is not intended to include all duties and responsibilities.

Davis Wright Tremaine provides reasonable accommodations for those who need them to complete the application or recruiting process and for employees who need reasonable accommodations to perform the essential functions of their positions due to a disability or for religious reasons. If you need to request accommodation during the application or recruiting process, please email [email@dwt.com].

Davis Wright Tremaine fosters a culture where all talented individuals—including those who are traditionally underrepresented in the legal profession—can have, and can see, paths to success. Our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion sits on four pillars : Community, Growth, Education, and Engagement. Learn more about the firm's commitment to DEI here : https : / / www.dwt.com / dei

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