Senior Director, New Product Development (AI)

OVERVIEW

Practising Law Institute (PLI) educates and informs lawyers and other professionals with innovative programs, publications, podcasts, and additional resources. With a sterling reputation developed over 90 years, PLI is a trusted source of professional development and knowledge for the legal community. A nonprofit organization, PLI is also known for its dedication to providing pro bono training and resources to ensure access to justice. PLI’s client base includes a large array of prestigious law firms, corporations, and government agencies. We are also proud to have recently been named one of the “Brands That Matter” by Fast Company. More information about PLI may be found on our website www.pli.edu.

PLI is searching for a professional to fill the role of Senior Director, New Product Development (responsibilities and qualifications are described below) . Work in a collaborative environment with a diverse, employee community where staff enjoy a generous benefits package and a genuine commitment to a work-life balance (4+ weeks of paid time off and hybrid remote/in-person schedules for most roles).

The Senior Director, New Product Development is a central architect of PLI’s AI-driven products. You will use Generative AI, LLM orchestration, and low-code/no-code platforms to build, test, and deploy products at high velocity. You are responsible for taking the “Innovation Triad’s” best ideas and turning them into functional products.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

1. AI-First Product Build

• Lead the creation of MVPs and full-scale products using AI-driven development workflows (e.g., using AI skills to generate front-end interfaces, automate backend logic, and manage data structures).
• Establish a “Rapid MVP Lab” where ideas and prototypes are turned into functional AI products in weeks, not months.
• Ensure PLI’s AI and digital products are grounded in PLI’s proprietary legal expertise and maintain high accuracy and credibility.

1. The “Innovation Triad” Integration

• With Innovation: Take experimental AI use-cases and prototypes and transform them into stable products. With the Innovation team, determine which AI models (OpenAI, Gemini, open-source) are best suited for the vision.
• With Product Management: Work together to build the product road map and go-to-market strategy.

1. Risk & Quality Governance

• Ensure all AI-generated products meet the rigorous ethical and accuracy standards required for the legal profession (minimizing hallucinations) and meet or exceed PLI’s own standards for professional legal industry products.
• Ensure all AI-generated products conform with highest rigor to PLI’s AI and data governance policies.
• Monitor the cost-efficiency of AI API usage to ensure products remain profitable as they scale.

QUALIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS

• Experience: 8+ years in digital product leadership, with a significant recent focus on Generative AI implementation.
• Technical Proficiency: Deep understanding of the AI lifecycle, from prompt engineering and fine-tuning to RAG and API orchestration.
• The “Non-Traditional” Builder: Expert-level experience with no-code/low-code ecosystems and AI development tools that eliminate the need for manual coding or engineer intervention.
• Legal/Compliance Awareness: Understanding of data privacy and IP issues as they relate to training and using AI in a professional services context.

Preferred Qualifications

• JD or other professional legal industry experience
• Experience producing digital products for the legal profession
• Experience in an educational technology organization

Core Competencies

• Prompt Mastery: The ability to communicate with AI models as effectively as one would communicate with a human engineer.
• Architectural Vision: You see the “big picture” of how different AI products connect to solve a complex legal problem.
• Velocity: A bias toward action; you prefer a “working AI beta” today over a “perfectly coded spec” next month.

YOUR BENEFITS AT PLI

PLI offers a generous benefits package and is committed to creating an interesting, collegial, and supportive work environment:

• Medical, dental and vision plans for employees and their families
• Generous employer contribution to employee retirement savings account
• Ample paid time off and holidays, summer Fridays
• Flexible hybrid remote/in-person scheduling for most roles
• Unlimited access to LinkedIn Learning web-based training along with other career development opportunities
• Work-life balance initiatives
• One-time $500 Home Office Allowance
• Gym/Wellness Allowance of up to $300 each calendar year

COMPENSATION RANGE FOR THIS POSITION

$190,000 - $215,000 per annum

(Exact compensation offer may vary based on the candidate’s job-related skills and work experience.)

EEO STATEMENT

PLI is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any candidate based on race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, military and veteran status, sexual orientation, or any other factor protected by federal, state or local law.

Only those applicants who meet our requirements for this position will be contacted.

Practising Law Institute is an equal opportunity employer. Click here to learn more.