Ropes & Gray

About Ropes & Gray

Ropes & Gray is a preeminent, global law firm. The firm has been ranked in the top-three on The American Lawyer's prestigious "A-List" for seven years and is ranked #1 on Law.com International's "A-List" in the U.K.—rankings that honor the "Best of the Best" firms.

The firm has approximately 2,500 lawyers and professionals serving clients in major centers of business, finance, technology, and government in Boston, Chicago, Dublin, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Seoul, Shanghai, Silicon Valley, Singapore, Tokyo and Washington, D.C.

The firm has consistently been recognized for its leading practices in many areas, including asset management, private equity, M&A, finance, real estate, tax, antitrust, life sciences, health care, intellectual property, litigation & enforcement, privacy & cybersecurity, and business restructuring.

Ropes & Gray is an equal opportunity employer.

Overview

The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion team is seeking to hire a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Manager. In this role, you will report to, and work in collaboration with, the Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and the entire DE&I team. Successful candidates will have an interest in (and experience with) diversity, equity and inclusion efforts at a large organization. The ideal candidate is an experienced and passionate self-starter and team player who is eager to contribute substantively to building programs, systems and processes for the success of diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and initiatives at Ropes & Gray.

Responsibilities

• Develop and guide the Ropes Multicultural Forum’s (RMF) initiatives and implement certain strategic efforts as set by the RMF co-chairs and firm leadership.
• Foster engagement and community-building among forum members.
• Provide thought leadership and support to RMF leadership and RMF members.
• Keep up with trends and innovations in legal industry and beyond regarding the professional development and advancement of diverse attorneys; recommend and collaborate with the firm’s Professional Development & Training team as well as Attorney Development to implement programs for the RMF Professional Development Series.
• Partner with the Events team, and other key stakeholders, to plan and execute annual RMF Greater Good recognition, summer associate events, alumni events, and Women of Color Dinners.
• Provide operational and day-to-day support for the RMF, including coordinating internal meetings for the general forum and the forum’s mentoring circles.
• Manage the RMF’s grant program, including identifying grant opportunities, guide attorneys through the application process and collaborate with practice groups and other firm resources to support applicants in their professional development endeavors.
• Collaborate with the firm’s Marketing team to develop, update and maintain relevant content on the firm’s website and the RMF’s Infonet and Pulse pages.
• Responsible for RMF content contributions to the DE&I Quarterly Snapshots and Year in Review.
• Provide RMF co-chairs with summaries for the monthly Diversity Committee Meetings
• Manage the RMF budget and collaborate with other departments, as necessary, to fund and support RMF programming.
• Perform other work-related duties, as necessary.
• Travel to other offices, occasionally, for DEI programming and meetings.

ESSENTIAL CAPABILITIES:

• Demonstrate strong project management skills to be able to execute policy, planning and strategy decisions for the RMF.
• Develop and manage a detailed program, project, and initiatives schedule and work plan.
• Predict resources needed to reach Forum objectives, and manage resources in an effective and efficient manner.
• Provide updates on a consistent basis about strategy, adjustments, and progress on Forum initiatives.
• Regularly review the Forum budget and related expenditures.
• Project and event/activity planning.
• Occasionally oversee the responses to surveys, RFPs, and client diversity inquiries as well as sponsorship requests.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required. Focus in operations, project management or related areas preferred; J.D. or advanced degree a plus.
• A minimum of eight years of progressive professional experience required.
• Three to five years at a law firm or professional services firm strongly preferred.
• Minimum of two years of experience in a diversity, equity and inclusion role required.
• Experience in preparing and monitoring a department budget.
• Ability to work independently and flexibly, managing multiple tasks simultaneously. 
• Sound judgment and ability to respect, protect and maintain highly confidential and sensitive information.
• Ability to assimilate information quickly in order to grasp larger concepts as well as details.

Comprehensive and Total Rewards Package

Ropes & Gray is proud to offer a comprehensive Total Rewards package to our business support team members. The firm also offers comprehensive health and well-being benefits, personal and professional development, career growth opportunities and a collegial and supportive culture. The anticipated pay range for this role is Boston/DC: $117,000 - $175,000 which represents our good faith and reasonable estimate of the starting salary range at the time of posting. In addition, this role is eligible for a discretionary bonus based on performance. The actual offered rate for this position will be determined based on job-related, non-discriminatory factors, including qualifications and experience, geographic location, education, external market data and consideration of internal equity. 

Working Conditions

This position requires hybrid on-site presence as an essential function of the role. Consistent and predictable on-site presence is required for ongoing business continuity, professional development and effective collaboration with colleagues and management.