Senior Director, Practice Innovation – Professionalism

American Immigration Lawyers Association

Director of Practice Innovation leading AILA's Center to shape future immigration law practices. Driving strategy, innovation, and member engagement while managing content and resources.

Posted 6/2/2026full-timeRemote • 🇺🇸 United StatesSenior💰 $150,000 - $165,000 per yearWebsite

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

Cyber Security

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Set and drive enterprise-wide strategy for the future of immigration law practice, aligning innovation, technology, and professionalism with AILA's strategic priorities.
Identify emerging trends — including AI, legal technology, and government digitization — and translate them into organizational action across products, services, and member engagement.
Lead cross-functional execution through influence and alignment, partnering with Technology, Marketing, Education, and other teams to deliver integrated, scalable solutions.
Serve as AILA's external voice on the future of legal practice, representing the organization at conferences and industry forums and elevating its thought leadership on innovation and ethics.
Develop and publish original articles, special reports, newsletters, and practice resources — including the AILA Ethics Compendium, Practice Pulse, and Futures Report.
Design and deliver legal education programs on ethics, practice management, AI, well-being, and career development for national and chapter conferences.
Manage internal and external contributors; align content with organizational priorities; develop faculty and speaker pipelines.
Lead the Center's innovation agenda, including evaluation of legal technology tools, AI applications in immigration practice, and emerging models of legal service delivery.
Oversee the Innovation & Technology Committee and lead the AILA Futures initiative, translating long-range research into actionable member guidance.
Monitor AI regulation, data privacy, cybersecurity, and government digitization developments relevant to immigration practitioners.
Provide expert guidance to members on legal ethics, law firm management, technology adoption, and career development in immigration practice.
Engage proactively with AILA leaders, chapters, sections, and members to surface pain points and ensure member needs inform Center priorities.
Lead and develop a team of 2–4 direct reports, setting clear expectations, providing coaching, and aligning team efforts with organizational priorities.
Develop and manage the annual budget for the Center, ensuring effective resource allocation and reporting on key performance outcomes.

Requirements

What you’ll need

J.D. and active bar admission in any U.S. jurisdiction.
10+ years of experience in law office management, legal ethics, and professionalism.
Demonstrated ability to set strategy, translate emerging trends into actionable initiatives, and drive organizational impact.
Proven ability to lead and develop high-performing teams, and to influence cross-functional stakeholders in complex organizations.
Exceptional writing, public speaking, and presentation skills, with the ability to represent an organization effectively in external forums.
Strong interpersonal and networking skills; ability to build coalitions and partnerships across the legal community.
Strong knowledge of immigration law and law practice management (strongly preferred).
5+ years of experience leading innovation, legal technology, or future-of-practice initiatives within a law firm, bar association, legal services organization, or legal technology company (strongly preferred).

Benefits

Comp & perks

Medical, dental, and vision insurance
Employee assistance program
401(k) retirement savings plan with matching contributions after 3 months of employment
Generous paid time off
Paid parental leave
Professional development opportunities
Employer-paid life insurance and disability benefits

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills & Tools

legal ethicslaw office managementimmigration lawlegal technologyAI applicationspractice managementbudget managementcontent developmentteam leadershipcross-functional execution

Soft Skills

strategic planninginfluencepublic speakingpresentation skillsinterpersonal skillsnetworkingcoachingcollaborationwritingproblem-solving

Certifications

J.D.active bar admission