Director, Global Technology Support & Training

New York, NY

Reports to: Chief Technology Officer

Role Summary

The Director, Global Technology Support & Training is responsible for leading all activities related to user support and technology training education for the firm. The Support & Training function provides support for the firm’s user applications, services, and hardware. This includes: in-house, hosted, and standard office applications; desktop, laptop, tablet and phone hardware platforms, remote access, and printers. The Director provides strategic direction for support and training at the firm, and is knowledgeable about best practices, practices at peer law firms, and is able to communicate and interact effectively with partners and other employees at all levels. The Director also plays a key role coordinating internal communications from GTS, and will manage Service-Level Agreements and reportable metrics to ensure best-in-class support and training to the firm. The Director must be able to deliver an efficient mix of one-on-one, classroom, and E-learning training delivery methods to ensure high quality and cost effective training for all locations. The Director, Global Support & Training reports to the Chief Technology Officer (“CTO”) and interacts directly with the firm’s leadership, partners, management and employees in all global offices.

Key Responsibilities

• Develops, articulates, and implements a strategy for providing best-in-class user support and training in support of the firm’s business.
• Oversees the management and performance of the firm’s Help Desk function, ensuring timely resolution of all software, hardware, communications, and remote access problems;
• Directs the development of training materials and methods, enabling the efficient, timely delivery of technology training to the firm. This includes new hire orientation, and customized training for lateral hires as well as on-going training for incumbents;
• Guides and coordinates all communications and requests for services from firm leadership including Office Managing Partners, Office Managers, Business Unit and Practice Group Leaders, and Business Services leaders not directly aligned with GTS;
• Adopts, as appropriate, accepted international and industry-specific governance, policies, processes, and procedures required to deliver superior support and training services consistent with the firm’s business strategy;
• Recruits, develops, coaches, and conducts periodic performance reviews for support and training team including direct and matrix reports.
• Ensures the continued professional training of the support and training team in a manner consistent with peers in GTS.
• Maintains and continuously improves database of the department’s internal technical documentation – as well as user-facing knowledge bases and other reference materials.
• Confers with the firm’s leaders, partners and employees to understand support and training needs, and provide consultative advice to both legal and business services departments on how to improve their department-specific training and support.
• Keeps abreast of latest knowledge, developments and trends in the field including emerging technologies, industry standards, and business and regulatory requirements as pertains to user support and training. Develops an understanding of which technology, administrative, and operational solutions match the current and future needs of the firm.
• Manages and administers various vendor and consultant relationships related to support and training – as well as contracts and service agreements.
• Other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills & Attributes

The Director, Global Support and Training is a methodical thinker with well-developed analytical, interpersonal and communication skills, including excellent writing skills. The Director understands the business imperative of high quality, time sensitive, service delivery, and is able to act calmly and decisively under pressure. This person can influence and negotiate at all levels of the firm and with representatives of the firm’s clients. This person understands the importance of forging relationships with key stakeholders and providing ongoing, proactive communication, as opposed to merely reacting to issues as they arise.

The Director must have demonstrated ability to lead and direct staff and promote collaboration and team work across functions and locations. The Director must be sensitive to and able to adapt to the firm’s culture, and develop relationships across cultures and geographies. The Director, Global Support and Training is comfortable interacting with the Firm’s partners, leadership, including the CTO, management, and the executives of client organizations. The Director clearly communicates the support and training capabilities of GTS to the firm.

Other KSA’s include

• Broad and deep knowledge of current and emerging trends, practices, standards, and applicable technologies for supporting the diverse technology platforms of large geographically distributed law firms and educating lawyers, legal assistants, legal administrative assistants and business services professionals on the efficient use of the firm’s productivity applications and underlying technologies.
• An ability to tap the knowledge of the wider GTS team to troubleshoot difficult issues and not work in a silo.
• An ability to work very closely with the other functions of the GTS team to be aware, at all times, of what technology projects are underway which may have an impact on user experience.
• Exceptional judgment, tact, diligence, and analytical rigor.
• Mature executive-level, crisis management, and organizational skills.
• An ability to continually prioritize issues so as to attend to the most urgent.
• An ability to discern between “important” and “urgent” issues.
• A tenacity and passion for seeing problems through to final resolution to an acceptable level of end user satisfaction.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and manage people including ability to recruit, coach, development, engage, retain and exit resources as required.

Education & Experience

• 4 year college degree from an accredited college.
• Preference for relevant post-graduate degree in any field.
• 5+ years of hands-on management experience including people, operations and project management. • Minimum of seven years of experience managing the support desk department and technology training programs.
• Prior professional, financial or legal services experience preferred.

Physical Activity/Other Miscellaneous

• Flexibility to travel between Melville and NYC offices as needed
• Ability to work outside standard business hours including nights and weekends
• Flexibility to travel the other firm offices as needed (infrequent)