We’re a national law firm with a local reach. Our philosophy is ‘Expert Hand, Human Touch’ – something you’ll find in the way we work with our clients and how we support our teams. But we’re more than just a law firm – we’re a team of people working together to help individuals and businesses navigate life’s ups and downs. Working here you’ll feel a part of our friendly and inclusive environment.

We’ll value you for who you are and what you bring. We support each other and push boundaries to achieve incredible things and make a real difference to our clients and communities.

We’re always looking to support our colleagues in working in a way that best works for them. Please speak to one of our Talent Acquisition Team to find out more information about our flexible working arrangements.

The Applications Platform Manager will be part of the Application and Platform Services team with the IT Service Management and Operations department and report into the Applications and Platform Lead (STSM) within the IT Service and Platform function.

The role is responsible for the day-to-day service performance of defined Application services. These services can include business support applications, legal case management systems, finance systems and other key business systems, hosted on premise or in the cloud (Software as a Service (SAAS) or within Microsoft Azure).

The role holder’s first task will be to take on full responsibility for the technical management of multiple suppliers to ensure technologies are maintained, issues and problems are owned and resolved efficiently, and to support the development of the service for future cloud platforms, acting as the platform owner in this area. This will involve working with the business stakeholders, other platform managers and the architecture team to resolve issues, mitigate risks and deliver against a roadmap within risk acceptance.

Key Responsibilities: 

• Accountable for delivering excellent Application services to support IM’s stakeholders.
• Collaborate with partners to ensure competitive pricing and current technology in the Legal Application area.
• Ensure Application services meet IM's needs and improve service levels.
• Serve as SME/Contract owner for relevant applications.
• Align IT with business strategies for appropriate Application solutions.
• Maintain strong partner relationships and ensure proper licensing.
• Manage cost of ownership and provide accurate forecasts.
• Develop and execute a roadmap to modernize Application services.
• Champion decommissioning of aged Applications and support consolidation efforts.
• Address technical problems and deliver Major Incident recommendations.
• Build relationships with internal stakeholders to meet service needs.
• Contribute to cloud strategy development and supplier management lifecycle.
• Identify new technologies and efficiencies for Application platform tower.
• Work with Procurement and Supplier Management teams to meet targets cost-effectively.
• Contribute to business case development for new services and improvements.
• Ensure appropriate Disaster Recovery solutions and testing schedule and remediation is in place for Applications.
• Serve as a key member of IM IT's escalation team.

Essential:

• Significant experience of SQL based systems and Application management including disaster recovery
• Evidenced ability of delivery excellence through partner organisations and service provider with strong commercial acumen and ability to manage costs
• Experience of working with Microsoft technology stack (inc Sharepoint on premise and online)
• ITIL Foundation (preferably V3 or v4)
• Extensive experience of successfully dealing with all levels of internal and external stakeholders
• Able to evidence excellent “Customer” focus, empathy and communication
• Evidenced ability to review, propose and improve processes and react positively to change
• Evidenced ability to identify and champion new technologies
• Evidence of challenging the business “norms” and the assumptions
• Be self-motivated, capable of producing work to the highest quality with minimal management. (High levels of autonomy)
• Able to give direction to colleagues and 3^rd party suppliers (provides supervision even when not in a direct reporting relationship)
• Able to apply relevant technical governance effectively to ensure alignment with standards, policies and strategy (works within scrutiny for own work and provides scrutiny for the work of others)
• Clear decision-making ability with the facility to judge complex situations and assess when to escalate issues
• Able to apply curiosity, logic, and experience to find solutions to complex problems and engage other people in evaluating an implementing solutions (Complex problem-solving ability at all levels)

Desirable

• Relevant technical qualifications/certifications e.g. – Dynamics 365 Fundamentals MB-920
• Comprehensive and wide-ranging experience of developing and procuring technical solutions
• Strong planning and organisation skills, with the ability to prioritise and deliver multiple concurrent outputs
• Ability to balance conflicting and changing demands through prioritisation and a pragmatic approach
• Recognises costs and other impacts as well as strategic direction and policy when making decisions
• Experience in selecting and delivering as-a-Service based solutions
• Experience in managing an eco-system of suppliers

• Flexible working options - Make work fit around your life, not the other way around.
• 25 days holidays as standard plus bank holidays - You can ‘buy’ up to 35hrs of extra holiday too
• Generous and flexible pension schemes.
• Volunteering days – Two days of volunteering every year for a cause of your choice (fully paid)
• Westfield Health membership, offering refunds on medical services alongside our Aviva Digital GP services.

We also offer a wide range of well-being initiatives to encourage positive mental health both in and out of the workplace and to make sure you’re fully supported to work in a way that best suits you.  This includes our Flexible by Choice programme which gives our colleagues more choice over how they wish to work subject to role and client requirements.

We have recently been ranked in the Best Workplaces for Wellbeing for Large Organisations for 2023! 

Our responsible business programmes are fundamental to who we are and our purpose. We’re committed to being a diverse and inclusive workplace where our colleagues can flourish, and we have established a number of inclusion network groups across our business to support this aim.  

Our commitment to Social Responsibility, community investment activity and tackling climate change is a fundamental part of who we are. It’s made up of four strands: Our People, Our Community, Our Environment and Our Pro Bono. 

As part of the Irwin Mitchell Group’s on-boarding process all successful applicants are required to complete the group’s employment screening process. This process helps to ensure that all new employees meet our standards in relation to honesty and integrity therefore protecting the interests of the Group, existing employees, clients, partners and other stakeholders.

Depending on the role you apply for we may carry out checks that will establish your eligibility to work in the UK, and criminal record check and financial checks ­with a credit reference agency will also be undertaken.

The employment screening process will fully comply with Data Protection and other applicable laws.

Irwin Mitchell LLP is an equal opportunity employer.