Director, Certification & Standards

Position Summary

The Director, Certification & Standards will lead CLOC's strategy to establish and sustain the professional standards and certification for the legal operations profession. This role will translate the CLOC Core 12 into a rigorous competency framework and use those standards as the foundation for CLOC's certification, continuing education, and professional development efforts.

As the program owner, the Director will lead the development, launch, governance, and ongoing evolution of the CLOC Certified Legal Operations Professional credential, ensuring it is credible, relevant, rigorous, and valued by professionals and employers. The role will work closely with CLOC leadership, volunteers, industry experts, employers, and external partners to strengthen CLOC's position as the trusted authority on legal operations standards and professional competency.

Key Responsibilities

Professional Standards & Competency Framework

• Lead the development, publication, and ongoing evolution of CLOC's professional standards for legal operations.
• Ensure standards reflect professional judgment, analytical ability, ethical practice, and the evolving needs of legal operations.
• Lead research and stakeholder engagement to validate standards with professionals, employers, and the broader legal ecosystem.
• Establish a sustainable process for reviewing and updating standards as the profession evolves.

Certification Strategy, Governance & Quality

• Lead the strategy, roadmap, launch, and ongoing evolution of the credential.
• Serve as staff lead for the Certification Advisory Committee and related governance bodies.
• Oversee certification eligibility, policies, candidate experience, appeals, credential maintenance, and quality assurance.
• Develop the long-term governance roadmap, including the transition to an independent Certification Board.

Assessment & Credential Integrity

• Oversee assessment development, validation, administration, and continuous improvement in partnership with certification and psychometric experts.
• Manage assessment blueprints, item-bank governance, standard setting, scoring, and ongoing evaluation of assessment quality.
• Monitor assessment data and outcomes to maintain the rigor, validity, reliability, and credibility of the credential.

Continuing Education & Recertification

• Establish and manage continuing education and recertification requirements for certified professionals.
• Oversee CLOC's CE approval process, including eligibility criteria, documentation, tracking, and reporting for CLOC and external educational activities.
• Partner with the Learning & Engagement team to ensure CLOC programs can be efficiently evaluated for CE eligibility.

Industry Engagement & Employer Adoption

• Build relationships with legal operations leaders, General Counsel, employers, hiring managers, educators, and other industry stakeholders to strengthen the relevance and recognition of CLOC standards and certification.
• Develop employer-facing resources and strategies that position certification as a meaningful benchmark for hiring, career development, and workforce planning.
• Use research, surveys, roundtables, and market intelligence to inform standards, assessment, and credential evolution.

Program Operations & Growth

• Oversee certification operations, technology platforms, vendors, candidate support, credential records, and program delivery.
• Develop scalable processes and systems that support certification, CE tracking, renewal, and future growth.
• Manage program budgets, forecasts, performance metrics, and vendor relationships.
• Partner with Marketing, Membership, Education, and other CLOC teams to drive awareness, adoption, and member value.
• Establish and monitor measures of program success, including enrollment, candidate experience, renewal, employer recognition, and financial sustainability.

Volunteer & Stakeholder Leadership

• Recruit, engage, and support subject matter experts, committee members, reviewers, and other volunteers who contribute to standards and certification development.
• Facilitate effective working groups and governance processes, ensuring clear roles, decisions, and accountability.
• Build a sustainable volunteer pipeline and foster strong collaboration across CLOC teams and external stakeholders.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience.
• Seven or more years of experience in professional certification, credentialing, professional education, workforce development, standards development, association leadership, or a related field.
• Experience leading the development, launch, or ongoing management of a professional certification, credentialing, competency standards, or comparable professional program.
• Experience developing or managing competency frameworks, professional standards, or assessment-based programs.
• Experience managing complex, cross-functional initiatives involving volunteers, subject matter experts, external partners, and senior stakeholders.
• Experience developing policies, governance processes, quality assurance practices, or other structures supporting the integrity of a professional credential.
• Experience with continuing education, recertification, or professional credential maintenance programs.
• Strong project management, facilitation, and operational leadership skills.
• Demonstrated ability to translate industry needs and research into practical standards, programs, and policies.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to build credibility and influence across a diverse professional community.

Preferred

• Experience within legal operations, legal services, legal technology, professional services, compliance, human resources, workforce development, or an adjacent professional field.
• Association or nonprofit leadership experience.
• Experience working with certification assessment, psychometric, or credentialing professionals.
• Familiarity with competency-based education, adult learning, and professional development principles.
• Experience managing learning management systems, credentialing platforms, assessment technologies, or CE tracking systems.
• Knowledge of professional certification and credentialing best practices.
• Experience developing employer-facing credential adoption strategies.
• Experience working with independent boards, certification committees, standards bodies, or similar governance structures.
• Familiarity with emerging technology and AI trends affecting professional practice.
• Advanced degree (Master’s, JD, EdD, or PhD) preferred

Benefits

• Competitive salary
• Annual bonus opportunity
• Discretionary time off and 11 paid holidays
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Employer-sponsored retirement plan with 5% safe-harbor contributions (does not require employee contributions)
• Professional development and continuing education opportunities
• Opportunities to attend industry events and conferences
• Paid parental and family leave
• Employee wellness program
• Opportunities for career growth and advancement