Head of KM - example job description

Another example role description for you, this time for the Global head of KM for Herbert Smith freehills, the massive multinational law firm (found on LinkedIn).

It's a really nice job description, with a good focus on the overall objective of the role (bullet point 1) and on change management (bullet point 6)

Primary Responsibilities:

• Ensure all Practice Groups collaborate effectively and focus business services knowledge components on winning work and doing work more efficiently
• Work closely with the global Knowledge and Learning leadership team and team members to achieve global strategic alignment.
• Develop and execute a roadmap of clearly defined projects and initiatives aimed at supporting the firm's knowledge management strategy, and the firm's business strategy.
• Create new internal support service roles, processes, tools, and fee-earner competencies aimed at evolving and modernising the knowledge and intelligence support services provided internally at the firm.
• Identify and implement process, technology or resource change/transformation projects aimed at reducing the firm's cost of production and maintenance of existing and new knowledge assets. e.g. document management systems, AI etc
• Lead the change management of knowledge sharing In conjunction with other K&L teams
• Drive a clear methodology around the transfer of tacit knowledge and reuse of best practice
• Develop and launch new-to-market knowledge based products or services that create new or additional revenue streams for the firm, and increase the impact of current "thought-leadership" publication production processes.
• Lead and represent knowledge management's evolving service offering and capabilities during direct involvement with:
• Legal Project Management function activities related to mapping legal processes - aimed at identifying and delivering enhancements to processes through knowledge services that positively impact the margin of the matter.
• Business Development pitch creation and delivery, aimed at promoting the use and value of the firm's knowledge services to prospects during the sales cycle.
• Client Care activities, aimed at promoting the use and value of the firm's knowledge services to clients to enhance revenue and/or client satisfaction and retention.
• Develop and implement strategic initiatives aimed at reducing lawyer reliance on external subscription services.
• Source and introduce new technologies, processes and/or resource models to increase the efficiency of relevant legal information delivery to fee earners in a right-time manner.
• Oversee global legal content management and legal asset storage/repositories maintenance team so as to ensure that the firm's key legal knowledge assets are harvested, stored, matured and re-used in an effective manner - and in a manner that aims to optimise the firm's profit, reduce reliance on external sources, and reduce or eradicate manual asset maintenance burdens and costs.
• Enhance and standardise existing global legal knowledge asset maintenance processes in a manner that reduces existing costs, decreases time taken to identify and edit legal content, and increases standardisation and risk mitigation/readiness.
• Manage a global budget, ensuring that budget targets are met.

Key Performance Indicators:

• The creation (in association with the Knowledge and Learning Leadership team) of a new target operating model and knowledge related role specifications for global knowledge personnel.
• Cost reduction associated with knowledge asset maintenance.
• Clear link to revenue creation target as a result of new client facing products and services.
• Demonstrable link to the securing of fees from new clients based on collaborative involvement in sales pitches.
• Demonstrable link to the increase of margin of selected strategic corporate transactions and/or dispute resolution matter types in collaboration with the Practice Group and/or the Legal Project Management team through the introduction of advanced knowledge management offering(s) or solutions.
• Measureable impact on collaboration between practice groups e.g. number of client inactions with multiple practice groups in attendance.
• Deliver to stated and agreed objectives within budget and on time.

Qualifications, Skills & Experience:

• 10 plus years' experience managing a knowledge management function at a senior level in a legal or professional services environment
• A robust understanding of current and emerging technologies relevant to client-facing knowledge industrialisation, internal tacit knowledge transfer, storage and retrieval enablement, and advanced collaboration tools
• Proven experience at running large change projects in a professional services firm
• A track record of innovative thinking, and the development and successful delivery of client focused service delivery transformation involving effective organisation of a firm's knowledge processes, systems and behaviours
• Proven capability to independently develop, encourage and embed new ideas and approaches in a creative manner
• Ability to collaboratively work with areas outside of the traditional Knowledge Management function
• Commercial experience supporting the firm-wide leverage of knowledge assets, knowledge resources, and knowledge skills to support high margins
• Experienced in dealing with ambiguity and adapting to changing circumstances