Manager, Professional Development - M&A

Location: New York

Job Summary & Objectives The M&A Professional Development Manager (“PDM”) is a role central to the practice and all aspects of the group’s legal talent development efforts, with success driven by strong relationship-building and day-to-day connection with associates and partners. The PDM is responsible for managing a range of associate activities including assigning deals, development and mentoring efforts and initiatives, and overall talent engagement, serving as a trusted advisor and “go-to” resource for the associates.

The PDM will be responsible for supporting the M&A associates assigning process for the New York and Boston offices and facilitating broader professional development efforts as needed across the US offices. This role requires a people-first mindset, strong judgment, and the ability to build credibility quickly with stakeholders at all levels. This highly visible role is an integral part of the Legal Talent Team and will work closely with both the M&A practice group leader and staffing partners to support engagement, retention, and performance.

Essential

Job Duties & Responsibilities Staffing ( New York & Boston Offices only for associates permanently in the group) ~65% of role Collaborate with the staffing partners to thoughtfully allocate work and structure deal teams for mid-senior associates, exercising judgement around associate experience, capacity, skills, business needs and development priorities

Develop trusted relationships with mid to senior associates by means of weekly in-person 1:1 check-ins / meetings gaining a deep understanding of their recent engagement experience, strengths, aspirations, pressures, and development needs in order to make informed future staffing and development decisions

Act as a central, trusted conduit between associates and partners – surfacing insights, flagging issues early, and facilitating productive dialogue around workload, performance, and development

Monitor and actively manage associate utilization to promote fairness, sustainability, and strong performance, balancing evolving business demands with individual needs

Works closely with M&A PDM colleague who focuses on junior-level associates to integrate staffing efforts across entire deal teams on an ongoing basis

Exercise sound judgment to balance client and business needs with individualized associate development, ensuring staffing decisions support both short‑term execution and long‑term talent growth

Analyze utilization and availability data and pair it with qualitative insight from associate relationships to inform staffing decisions and leadership conversations. Share the analysis with the staffing partners on a regular basis

Consult with the relevant staffing partners and members of the Legal Talent team regarding cross-group staffing, client secondments, etc.

Assist with coordination and tracking of associate hours and schedules, including vacation, leaves of absence and related coverage

Professional Development Support Performance Reviews ~10% of role Coordinate with the Legal Talent Team to support the delivery of thorough evaluations and developmental objectives for associates

Prepare required reports and participate in relevant meetings with group leadership to discuss associate evaluations

Coordinate with and assist the Legal Talent Team with ensuring robust feedback is provided to each associate in a timely fashion

Assist with intake of orally communicated evaluations on an as needed basis

Associate Training & Development ~5% of role Provide the Training Team feedback and insights into the creation of relevant practice-specific training curriculum, and incorporation of practice-specific development needs into firm-wide development programs (i.e. STBReady, STBAdvance)
Facilitate coordination with STB coaching resources as needed in support of associate development

Associate Mentoring, Engagement & Morale ~20% of role Support associate development by ensuring all associates have a mentor pairing and are in ongoing contact with their mentors in line with firm mentoring programs

Support integration of lateral hires or group/office transfers through regular check-in meetings and…