Global eDiscovery Manager

**Introduction** At IBM Legal, Regulatory Affairs & General Counsel, we provide the guidance and oversight that enable IBM to innovate responsibly and operate with integrity. Our teams manage complex legal, regulatory, and compliance matters across the globe. Ensuring trust with clients, partners, and communities. Working in Legal and Regulatory Affairs means tackling diverse challenges, from intellectual property and data privacy to corporate governance and ethical business practices. You'll collaborate with colleagues worldwide to protect IBM's interests while supporting growth and innovation. With continuous learning, global exposure, and opportunities to shape the future of technology through law and policy, IBM offers a unique environment to build your career while making a meaningful impact. **Your role and responsibilities** IBM is seeking a strategic and operationally excellent professional to serve as Global eDiscovery Manager, supporting the transformation and daily leadership of IBM's global eDiscovery program. This is a critical role that will partner closely with the Global eDiscovery Senior Manager to modernize service delivery, drive operational excellence, and advance the use of technology across IBM's litigation, investigation, and regulatory matters. The Global eDiscovery Manager will serve as the second-in-command for the eDiscovery function, providing hands-on leadership, tactical execution, and strategic support across all aspects of the program. This role requires a collaborative leader who can manage complex workflows, lead cross-functional teams, and serve as a trusted advisor to internal and external stakeholders. The Global eDiscovery Manager will report to the Global eDiscovery Senior Manager within the Legal Operations organization. The ideal candidate combines deep hands-on eDiscovery expertise with strong program management, technology evaluation, vendor management, and process improvement experience. The role requires the ability to operate strategically while remaining engaged in complex case matters. Key Responsibilities Discovery Program Operations · Serve as the operational lead for the Global eDiscovery program, leading the day-to-day eDiscovery operations across the full eDiscovery lifecycle. * Provide leadership and oversight to Program Managers, technical resources, vendors, and external service providers as needed. · Drive consistency, defensibility, and quality across all discovery workflows. · Monitor program-level metrics, reporting, and performance indicators. · Identify opportunities for operational improvements and cost optimization. · Act on behalf of the Global eDiscovery Senior Manager as may be required. Strategic Program Support · Partner closely with the Global eDiscovery Senior Manager to execute strategic initiatives and departmental objectives. · Assist in developing and implementing global eDiscovery policies, standards, playbooks, governance frameworks, and operating procedures. · Conduct periodic audits of eDiscovery processes, controls, workflows, and documentation. · Support cross-functional initiatives involving Legal, CIO, Records Management, Privacy, Security, and Information Governance teams. Technology and Vendor Management · Support evaluations of emerging eDiscovery, legal technology, AI, analytics, and automation solutions. · Develop business cases and pilot programs for new technologies, and support their implementation, deployment, and adoption. · Research industry trends and recommend technologies that improve efficiency, quality, and defensibility. · Assist with implementation, deployment, adoption, and governance of newly approved technologies. · Partner with technical teams and vendors to develop automated workflows and technology integrations. · Manage vendor relationships, monitoring service levels and performance, and supporting budget management and cost-control initiatives. Case Support and Strategy · Participate in matter intake and planning meetings involving high-risk or high-visibility matters. Support legal teams and outside counsel on complex cases with discovery strategy. · Support assessment of complex matters for the appropriate use of TAR/CAL, advanced analytics, AI-assisted review, and emerging technologies. · Provide best practice guidance regarding preservation, collections, processing, review workflows, analytics, and productions. Training and Organizational Development · Develop and deliver training related to eDiscovery obligations, technologies, and best practices. · Mentor Program Managers and other team members promote adoption of technology-enabled workflows and continuous learning. · Serve as an escalation point for operational and technical issues for Program Managers and other team members. **Required technical and professional expertise** Experience • 8+ years of eDiscovery program management experience, gained in-house, at a law firm, consultancy, or eDiscovery service provider. • Experience managing complex global eDiscovery matters and programs. • Deep, hands-on knowledge of the full eDiscovery lifecycle and workflows, including legal hold, preservation, collection, processing, review, production, and data disposition. • Experience with global eDiscovery matters spanning multiple jurisdictions, data privacy regimes (e.g., GDPR), and cross-border production challenges. • Demonstrated experience managing multiple concurrent, complex matters with competing deadlines and shifting priorities. • Significant experience interacting with and advising senior stakeholders, outside counsel, and cross-functional partners. Technical Skills • Hands-on proficiency with one or more leading eDiscovery platforms such as Relativity, Nuix, Hanzo, Reveal, or Everlaw. • Experience with TAR/CAL workflows, predictive analytics, and AI-driven document review methodologies. • Experience explaining and guiding legal teams on search algorithms, Boolean search logic, and analytics tools. • Familiarity with modern enterprise productivity platforms and cloud-based data sources (e.g., Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Slack, Teams). • Deep understanding of the Electronic Discovery Reference Model (EDRM) and eDiscovery industry best practices. • Familiarity with AI-assisted review tools and a demonstrated desire to continue learning emerging AI methodologies. Professional Skills • Strong project and time management skills with the ability to prioritize, solve problems, and meet deadlines under pressure. • Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with a demonstrated ability to communicate technical specifics to non-technical audiences. • Highly organized, with strong judgment and the ability to work independently in a fast-paced environment. • Ability to quickly learn new processes and systems and apply that knowledge effectively across matters. • Strong ethical standards and commitment to compliance. • Ability to support global teams, including occasional flexibility outside standard business hours when needed. **Preferred technical and professional experience** Project management or eDiscovery accreditations such as PMP, ACEDS, or RCA. IBM is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, caste, genetics, pregnancy, disability, neurodivergence, age, veteran status, or other characteristics. IBM is also committed to compliance with all fair employment practices regarding citizenship and immigration status.