Davis LLP is one of Canada’s leading law firms with a team of innovative, proactive and dedicated lawyers, administrative and support staff who serve our clients in Canada, the Pacific Rim and around the world. As one of British Columbia’s Top Employers from 2008 to 2010, Davis LLP offers competitive salaries and benefits including a generous, top-rated employee pension plan. We believe that all members of our team need to work together to provide world class service to our clients.
If you are talented in providing unprecedented service, are enthusiastic and a team player, we are looking for you! Come and experience the Davis difference! We are currently looking for an IT Director to join the IT department and invite you to review the job description.
The IT Director is a hands-on role that manages the IT department and oversees system maintenance and requirements for the firm. S/he provides Davis LLP with consulting, education, and project management to support current systems and identify future system needs. The IT Director is the most senior role in the department, liaises with lawyers and staff at all levels, and works directly with Firm Management to maximize the firm’s investment in technology.
Excellent communication skills and a high degree of responsiveness will be essential in order to effectively translate the needs of our lawyers and staff into priorities for the IT department. The incumbent will need to communicate regularly with our lawyers and staff to ensure that their use of and experience with our technology is contributing to their productivity and the overall success of their practices and departments.
With nearly 600 workstations over eight offices, Davis LLP utilizes best of breed and leading edge technologies to ensure lawyers are able to access voice and data resources regardless of geographical boundaries. Davis hosts a vSphere fully virtualized central datacentre and backup datacentre which utilizes NetApp SANs along with Site Recovery Manager (SRM) and Snap Manager for Virtual Infrastructure (SMVI) for Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery. Major offices are interconnected with an MPLS network with redundant internet based VPN links with performance boosts via QoS and WAN accelerators. Remote offices connect via VPN and Cisco WAN accelerators. The firm’s core systems include Cisco VoIP, Exchange 2007, Elite 3.7, Office 2003 and FileSite 8.5 running on Windows XP.
Remote access is provided by Citrix, VPN, and mobile PDA devices which allow users to access all voice and data resources available in the firm remotely. PDAs are utilized beyond email and support digital dictation, time and billing as well as DMS access.
Duties and Responsibilities:
- Work with lawyers and staff in various practice areas and departments to identify areas where technology can assist in the practice of law or delivery of service, continuing to support the firm’s goal to allow lawyers to practice law virtually via remote access technologies, and ensure appropriate lawyer and end user technology training is developed and delivered as needed;
- Work with the Technology Committee and Firm Management to formulate and implement IT policies and best practices that respond to the firm’s strategic planning priorities;
- Maintain and update the firm’s ongoing Technology Plan in response to the firm’s strategic planning priorities: assessing individual user and practice group needs and designing specifications for specific application projects, acquiring and implementing hardware and software, assisting Firm Management with establishing and monitoring annual capital budgets for approval by the Executive Committee, and negotiating firmwide IT contracts for approval by the Director of Operations;
- Supervise and manage the IT department, including determining priorities in the daily maintenance of the systems, providing ongoing mentoring and feedback to IT staff, facilitating the performance review process, and ensuring the team delivers a high level of customer service and meets or exceeds Service Level Agreements;
- Remain current with technology and identify future trends to provide the firm with a competitive advantage through productivity, efficiency, and revenue generation;
- Develop and maintain relationships with industry peers to stay abreast of trends in the legal market;
- Work with external consultants who may be retained from time to time by the Executive Committee to provide strategic advice.
Knowledge, Qualities & Experience Required
- Excellent communication (written & verbal) and interpersonal skills required, must be highly responsive with the ability to listen effectively and respond appropriately to individuals of all levels in a timely manner;
- Must have solid knowledge of software (ideally legal specific) and hardware programs in order to supervise the systems department and recommend future system requirements for the firm;
- Demonstrated success in managing and mentoring employees to achieve the department’s goals and provide “world class†service to internal clients;
- Excellent organizational, time management, and follow-up skills required;
- Strong ability to manage multiple internal clients and remain productive within a time-sensitive and fast-paced environment;
- Strong project management experience;
- Dedicated to providing quality service to clients and consistently meet expectations by providing service beyond expectation;
- Proven problem-solving skills with the ability to visualize and deliver creative solutions;
- Ability to multitask, establish priorities, work independently, and proceed with objectives under minimal supervision.
- Minimum of 7-10 years’ of progressive experience in IT with at least 3-5 years in an IT management role is required; multi-office legal or professional services environment experience is preferred; relevant education and MCSE and/or MCDBA certification(s) are also preferred.
To apply for this position, please go to the Careers / Professional Staff section of www.davis.ca and apply through the posting.
We thank all candidates for their interest, however, only short-listed candidates will be contacted.
Reference: http://ping.fm/rVcKt
