Projects & Innovation Senior Advisor
The firm
Shoosmiths is the law firm clients choose for excellent service, incisive thinking and above all for our ability to focus on what matters. From offices across the UK and Brussels, we support some of the world’s most exciting and ambitious businesses; amazing clients making an impact. We empower our people to be their authentic selves and deliver together in supportive teams committed to excellence and innovation. The first top 50 law firm to achieve ‘Platinum Standard’ Investors in People, our values and culture are not just words on our website but are the heartbeat of the firm.
We have an outstanding benefits package to complement our competitive remuneration system. In addition to the competitive salaries, great working environment and high-quality work, we believe that all staff should be rewarded for their commitment to the continued success of the firm through a comprehensive and flexible range of benefits.
To discover more about our benefits, please visit: Benefits Package
The team
Shoosmiths’ Projects & Innovation (P&I) team is the primary delivery capability for all significant change programmes across the firm. Whether delivering projects themselves or supporting the wider firm to deliver their own change, the P&I team has oversight of all major change in the firm.
The team drives efficiency and excellence in the way the firm operates, creates more competitive advantage in the delivery of legal services and maximises the impact and effective delivery of impactful change programmes in the firm.
The role
This is an excellent opportunity for an established transformation professional to help the P&I team maximise the impact of major change programmes in the firm. Through the effective delivery of change, we will drive efficiency and excellence in the way that the firm operates and how we deliver client services.
As a Senior Advisor in P&I, you will play a pivotal role in supporting the Director of P&I, along with the Heads of Operational Excellence and Legal Process Innovation and the P&I Managers, in delivering their strategic plans and objectives.
You will play a pivotal role on business change projects, upon which you will be comfortable performing differing roles, ensuring accountability and collaboration to achieve successful outcomes.
You will lead some projects of your own, but you will also be accountable for running work streams on larger change projects as part of a broader team. Using your change management and project management skills, you will act as a champion of best practice and will apply industry-standard methods and our business processes.
The role demands a proactive approach and a self-managing mindset and requires excellent communication skills.
Main responsibilities
- Support the P&I leadership team to implement their strategies and plans across the firm.
- Assist on major change initiatives or projects throughout their lifecycles, being accountable for key work streams and collaborating with a cross-functional team.
- Independently lead and manage smaller change initiatives or projects of your own.
- Provide coaching and personal development support for less experienced colleagues.
- Build and maintain relationships with business areas to which you are aligned, obtaining a deep understanding of their business objectives and roadmap of change initiatives.
- Conduct analysis and/or research to identify opportunities for business change.
- Communicate and collaborate effectively with internal and external stakeholders, including senior leadership, legal divisions, business departments, clients, and suppliers.
- Apply best practices and methodologies for project management, process improvement, and change management, including managing issues or risks
- Act as a champion of continuous improvement, innovation and collaboration across the firm. This may include using coaching, mentoring or training skills to impart knowledge or skills throughout the organisation.
Skills and qualifications
- Experience in a similar role, such as a law firm or professional services organisation, with responsibility for project management, process improvement, and change management.
- Accreditations such as Prince2, Agile, LEAN Six Sigma are desired but not necessary.
- Established leadership skills. You should have demonstrable coordination and delegation skills and experience in developing team members through training, mentoring or coaching.
- Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills with excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills. This should be grounded in commercial awareness and the use of established or emerging legal technologies.
- Possesses a good understanding of the commercial, organisational and financial context in which the firm operates, and consequently ensures that they and their teams operate with the firm’s processes, business objectives and budget in mind and actively contribute towards firmwide profitability and competitive advantage.
- Demonstrates a desire to role model best practices for the team and firm, and proactively identify opportunities for improvement of these in line with the wider team and firm objectives.
Equal opportunities
Our approach to our people is underpinned by our approach to diversity, inclusion and well-being. Our ambition is to build a diverse and ambitious workforce that reflects all backgrounds and talents, and a workplace that is supportive and inclusive, recognises and nurtures talent, and has a strong sense of community between colleagues.
This means that everyone who either applies to or works for the firm is treated equally, whatever their gender, age, ethnic origin, nationality, marital status, disability, sexual orientation or religious beliefs.