The Manager of Help Desk and User Experience provides management to those areas of IT that have a direct impact on the desktop computing experience for everyone at the firm. This includes managing all Help Desk functions and personnel as well as the firm’s Application Ownership program. This exempt position works with the practice groups to understand their workflows, and partners with the network engineering team to ensure systems are operating at maximum efficiency and delivering an exceptional user experience.

Primary Responsibilities and Duties

• Manages and continuously improves all facets of Help Desk service delivery operations.
• Provides leadership and management of all Help Desk personnel including establishing and tracking individual goals and professional development objectives for all team members.
• Creates and fosters a responsive and highly visible service-oriented team environment.
• Develops, communicates, and maintains oversight of the firm’s Application Ownership program.
• Maintains a continuous improvement mindset for themselves and the team.
• Ability to think strategically, act independently, and drive outcomes for initiatives and projects for which they are assigned ownership.
• Documents procedures and operating standards for efficient and consistent service delivery.
• Establishes service delivery metrics and produces performance reporting on a regular basis.
• Responsible for back-end administration of cloud platforms — managing users, policies, and templates.
• Develops and reviews business and systems requirements and works with key stakeholders to develop and recommend appropriate solutions to meet the requirements.
• Manage data conversions to new systems or upgrades as appropriate.
• Develops and maintains project, test, and training plans. Builds QA testing protocols and establishes pilot groups for new software or significant upgrades to existing software.
• Investigates errors and malfunctions in firm software to uncover root causes, determine fixes, or suggest replacements. Coordinates application support matters with outside vendors; maintains a sense of urgency when appropriate.
• Ensures server-side applications are updated in a timely fashion, avoiding user disruption as much as possible.
• Identifies and addresses inefficiencies in Pierce Atwood procedures that could be addressed by introducing automation and/or changing the software platform used for a given function.
• Works with the IT Director and the Technology Committee to identify issues and deficits in our application landscape.

Qualifications

Minimum three years of Help Desk and applications management experience. Bachelor’s degree in information technology or related field is required. It is critical that applicants have solid experience working with document management solutions and the Microsoft 365 suite of applications.

Core Skills and Experience Required:

• 5 years’ experience with IT operations in a mid to large size corporate/legal IT environment.
• Strong commitment to customer service and process improvement.
• Strong commitment to being an effective manager focused on building excellent relationships with peers and direct reports.
• Experience working in application/systems support with a focus on process improvement and enterprise applications (SaaS and on-premises).
• Demonstrates and maintains detailed knowledge of operating systems, core applications and databases. Thorough knowledge of database fundamentals and scripting tools.
• Experience with Microsoft applications and operating systems; proficiency with the most recent Microsoft Windows servers/Exchange/desktop OS and Microsoft Office products.
• Deep experience with deploying and administering Microsoft Windows server products, Active Directory and MS Exchange in a high-end/high use environment.
• Experience implementing and supporting remote offices with distributed systems.
• SQL skills/data mining.
• TCP/IP skills – network.
• Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot, research, and correct most system malfunctions, and do so remotely.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills and the ability to translate technical information for non-technical customers. Demonstrated ability to plan, lead, and execute projects of varying size to conclusion.
• Superior time management skills and the ability to prioritize competing tasks.

To apply, please submit your cover letter and resume to Maria Howson at mhowson@pierceatwood.com