Intranet Platform Owner

We have an exciting opportunity for an Intranet Platform Owner to join our global Technology Department, based in the A&O Shearman Belfast office. The core of the global technology department's mission is to provide stable, reliable, and secure platforms and services to our partners, staff and clients and fulfil our regulatory obligations across 30+ countries. To ensure that a consistent and standardised IT service is delivered to all offices, IT is managed and led as a global function, enabling all offices to benefit from complete systems integration and economies of scale. We have around 400 technologists based predominantly in the UK, Singapore and increasingly in the US.

Reporting to the Head of Knowledge Technology Platforms, the role is responsible for overseeing the ongoing development and operational management of the A&O Shearman intranet. The role will chair the Intranet Governance Group, an executive-level strategic body composed of senior leaders and key business stakeholders from across the firm that provides strategic direction for the Intranet. The role is responsible for managing and motivating a virtual team of skilled IT professionals and directing external third-party service providers.

The role is accountable for ensuring the alignment of the A&O Shearman intranet with the strategic goals, digital transformation roadmap and operational priorities of the global firm. The role-holder will work with teams and individuals to:

• Design, develop, curate and build user-friendly but flexible solutions to store content and deliver requirements intuitively to our lawyers and business teams.
• Develop and implement governance frameworks for content management, and AI usage within the intranet.
• Drive the adoption of AI capabilities (e.g., intelligent search, summarization, document classification) to enhance knowledge discovery and legal research.
• Support a global network of intranet content owners and local champions and lead and co-ordinate their engagement and activities.
• Establish and maintain best practice standards for intranet design, usability, accessibility, security and performance.
• Support the governance and strategic rollout of Microsoft Viva Engage, ensuring alignment with organisational goals for employee engagement, collaboration, and knowledge sharing.
• Align Viva Engage with the broader intranet strategy, identifying and leveraging synergies across the wider Microsoft technology stack to deliver a cohesive and scalable digital workplace experience.
• Develop customer relationships with senior business leaders, fee earners, knowledge lawyers and business teams to manage the delivery of the intranet platform.
• Support the Enterprise Architecture & Technology Platforms leadership team to collectively define, implement and operate the firm's intranet platform.
• Act as the focal point for matters related to the intranet platform, providing expert guidance to other teams when required.
• Support service provider reviews to assess performance against service targets, drive innovation and ensure any remediation activities are being delivered.

What you will have:

• Experience in managing intranet or similar platforms.
• Knowledge and understanding of intranet best practices, trends and standards, including user experience, information architecture, content management, search and social.
• In-depth knowledge of data quality, metadata management, and related disciplines.
• Expert knowledge of SharePoint Online, including features, functionality, configuration and integrations.
• Familiarity with Microsoft Copilot, including its integration with Microsoft 365 and Power Platform.
• Understanding of agentic AI-autonomous agents that perform tasks, make decisions, and adapt over time.
• Knowledge of IT strategic planning, design, and operations processes.
• Strong project management and problem-solving skills, with the ability to plan, prioritize and deliver on time and within budget.
• High attention to detail and quality, with the ability to ensure compliance with the firm's policies, procedures and brand guidelines.
• A passion for innovation and user-centric design, with the ability to identify and implement new ideas and solutions.

We recognise that our people are our most valuable asset, which is reflected in the wide range of benefits that are available to our employees. Some of these benefits include: our occupational pension scheme, group income protection cover, private medical insurance, mental health resources and free apps, health and wellbeing services encompassing GP service, emergency back-up care support, parental and special leave, online discounts and lifestyle management services.

We recognise the value of flexible working and embrace hybrid working, allowing our people to work from home up to 40% of their working time. We do, however, remain committed to working together in person for the remaining 60% of time so that we can learn, grow and succeed together.

Should you require additional support at any stage of the recruitment process due to a disability or a health condition, please do not hesitate to contact a member of our recruitment team who will work with you to provide any adjustments as required.

We are an equal opportunities recruiter and do not discriminate on the basis of race, colour, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, or any other protected characteristic.

If this role is not of interest we may have another suitable opportunity here for you at A&O Shearman! Visit our careers portal at A&O Shearman Careers and submit your CV to our Talent Network to be notified when the perfect opportunity becomes available.