A&O Shearman is a new global industry-leading law firm, with nearly 50 offices in 29 countries worldwide. Our fluency in English law, US law, and the laws of the world’s most dynamic markets, enables us to provide unmatched insight and seamless delivery to clients. We work on challenging and important deals and disputes that have the potential to shape the future.
We offer exceptional opportunities for our people; opportunities to work for the world’s leading businesses; to transform the status quo, and to deliver your best work, helping you and your career to thrive, while delivering unparalleled outcomes for our clients.
Whether you're helping clients solve complex challenges, transforming the ways we manage our business, or ensuring the smooth-running of our operations, this is an environment where you can belong and excel. We provide first-rate training and development, we are committed to diversity, equity and inclusion and we provide support and ways of working that help you optimise your wellbeing.
What truly defines a career with us? We recruit the best and ask for the best of you. And together, we will redefine success.
Department purpose
The Technology Services department is responsible for providing world class support and services to our business all across the globe. The IT Service Management team is part of Technology Services, and operates all of the IT services and infrastructure for the firm.
Role purpose
The Senior M365 Support Analyst is accountable for implementing A&O Shearman’s strategy, architecture, standards and roadmaps in the following areas:
- Administration and support of the entire suite of M365 applications in use at A&O – Exchange Online; Office 365 (Word/PowerPoint/Excel/OneNote); MS Teams; OneDrive; SharePoint Online; AvePoint (M365 backup), Copilot
- All messaging flow services – Proofpoint, Mimecast;
- All other collaboration tools used in the firm – Cisco WebEx; Zoom; Slack;Mural; Condeco
- Document tools – Adobe Acrobat suite; Litera suite; Templafy
- All office add-ins, including Legal Tech applications, excluding iManage
- Including packaging, configuration, deployment, patching of software
- Providing technical expertise for projects, where required
Key Relationships
- Works with Technical Team Leads (within the IT Technology Services management teams), senior managers, and Specialists to ensure a seamless approach to support and improvement across applications and infrastructure.
- Ensure that the technology area is well understood by peers and is actively considered in wider technology decision making. It is key that we do not operate in technology silos.
Role and responsibilities
Architecture & Technology Planning
- Provide specialist advice to support the strategy, architecture, standards and roadmaps (which are owned by the Office of the CIO/CTO).
- Accountable for ensuring there is an up-to-date forward view of IT upgrades required to ensure that devices continue to meet the business needs and that they remain supportable. Ensure that the supporting business case is robust so that funding is secured to deliver the required changes.
Application and Technology Support
Works to ensure effective, seamless support for end users to include:
- Administration and support of the entire suite of M365 applications in use at A&O – Exchange Online; Office 365 (Word/PowerPoint/Excel/OneNote); MS Teams; OneDrive; SharePoint Online; AvePoint (M365 backup), Copilot
- All messaging flow services – Proofpoint, Mimecast;
- All other collaboration tools used in the firm – Cisco WebEx; Zoom; Slack; Mural; Condeco
- Document tools – Adobe Acrobat suite; Litera suite; Templafy
- All office add-ins, including Legal Tech applications, excluding iManage
Service Delivery
- Diagnose complex incidents/problems and identify root cause and actions required to maintain or improve service levels:
- As necessary investigate complex incidents/problems through involvement in SWATs.
- Develop implementation plans for dealing with more complex requests for change; evaluate risks to the integrity of the service inherent in proposed implementations; seek authority for those activities; undertake review of effectiveness of change implementation.
- Define and deliver continuous improvement programmes so that, where applicable, systems deliver a improved performance to the business:Enhancements and improvements to services should be delivered by the appropriate governance authority
Instil a culture of continual improvement and problem solving; and
Provide advice, assistance and leadership associated with the planning, design and improvement of service and component availability, including the investigation of all breaches of availability targets and service non-availability, with the instigation of remedial activities.
Risk Management
- Embed risk awareness and management into the technical decision making in order to support Allen & Overy's approach to risk, with a focus on stability and integrity of systems.
- Refer to domain experts for guidance on specialised areas of risk, such as architecture and environment.
- Take part in audits and risk assessments.
Quality, Methods, Tools
- Champion and ensure use of appropriate techniques, methodologies and tools.
- Provide advice on the application of appropriate quality and/or environmental management techniques.
- Provide advice to the Product Leader on ways of improving the effectiveness and efficiency of their control mechanisms.
Key requirements
Business Competencies
- Commercial acumen, including an understanding of the overall picture of IT service costs and how IT adds value to the business.
- An enthusiasm and passion for technology. The ability to promote technology within the firm, using business friendly language, and seek out opportunities with tangible business benefits.
- High level of personal credibility, impact and influence with proven ability to work effectively and persuasively at all levels of the business.
- Having an open mind to consider all alternatives when making technology decisions.
- Excellent communication and presentation skills, both orally and written.
- Ability to manage ambiguity and often conflicting priorities.
- Ability to develop good working relationships across the breadth of the IT function and effectively share knowledge between individuals and teams to contribute to the overall effectiveness of project and service improvement work.
- Experience of working in a global environment across international locations with an appreciation of multiple cultures.
Knowledge
- Excellent all-round technology knowledge and practical experience of the majority of technologies within this discipline.
- Detailed practical knowledge of the operation and maintenance of IT infrastructure and services within a Microsoft technology environment.
- Expected to have a solid understanding of all technologies used by A&O, business working practices and active working experience and understanding of the core applications.
Experience
- Extensive IT experience with experience in a 2nd/3rd line role supporting a number of the technologies listed in this job description.
- Proven track record in providing technical leadership and delivering enterprise-wide solutions.
- Experience working within the professional services sector with an appreciation of the demands placed on support teams by the business.
