EDiscovery Automation Manager Remote

Schedule: 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM
FLSA: Exempt
Position Type: Full-Time/Regular

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP is a leading international law firm with more than 900 lawyers in offices throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. We are currently seeking a eDiscovery Automation Manager in the eDiscovery department, reporting to the Director of eDiscovery. The role can reside in Dallas, Houston, New York, Philadelphia or Washington, DC with hybrid work capabilities and will responsible for leading the firm’s eDiscovery Processing function and staff.

This role owns the strategy, optimization, and operational execution of defensible processing workflows across the firm’s current processing stack—Nuix (pre-culling), Relativity Processing (processing and loading into Relativity), and Message Crawler (processing chat data to RSMF)—with a particular emphasis on automation, efficiency, and quality control.

• Own and continuously improve the firm’s end-to-end processing workflows (collection intake through processed deliverables and Relativity load readiness) across Nuix, Rampiva Automation, Relativity Processing, and Message Crawler.
• Identify, design, and implement automation opportunities (e.g., standardized job templates, repeatable QC steps, scripted validations, dashboarding/metrics, exception reporting) to improve throughput, reduce error rates, and increase predictability.
• Develop and maintain defensible processing standards aligned with eDiscovery best practices, including repeatable QC controls (e.g., exception handling, error remediation playbooks, statistical/targeted QC, and documented sign-offs).
• Establish performance metrics and reporting for the processing function (cycle times, backlog, exception rates, rework drivers, capacity utilization) to support continuous improvement and resourcing decisions.

• Develop robust documentation for processing workflows, including SOPs, runbooks, training guides, escalation procedures, and tool-specific standards.
• Maintain and curate a processing documentation that supports consistent execution by staff.

• Advise on and manage processing staffing levels, including hiring recommendations, coverage models, cross‑training plans, and surge capacity planning.
• Mentor and train direct reports, including building competency plans (core processing, advanced exceptions, tool administration basics, QC discipline, defensibility).

• Provide hands‑on troubleshooting and “last‑line” execution for difficult, urgent, unusual, or high‑risk processing tasks when staff or project managers cannot complete the work.
• Lead root‑cause analysis for recurring processing issues; implement corrective actions and preventive controls.
• Partner with eDiscovery Project Managers to ensure processing decisions align with matter strategy, timelines, budgets, and production requirements.

• Conduct meetings with other eDiscovery stakeholders (Project Management, Collections, Hosting/Relativity Admin, Info Gov, Practice Technology Support, and IT) to advise on processing strategy and operational alignment.
• Participate in change management as the firm’s software stack evolves; assess impacts, update workflows/SOPs, train staff, and support adoption.
• Participate in evaluation of new processing‑related software and tools (requirements gathering, pilot design, scoring criteria, testing, defensibility review, implementation planning).

• Assist eDiscovery Project Managers with processing software usage and best practices; provide structured training within the eDiscovery group on Nuix, Relativity Processing, and Message Crawler workflows.
• Serve as a subject matter expert on processing methodologies, defensible workflow design, and processing‑related troubleshooting.

• Participate in budget planning for eDiscovery processing software and related firm eDiscovery tools, including…