Senior ITSM Process Support Analyst in Newcastle upon Tyne

We have an exciting opportunity for a Senior ITSM Process Support Analyst to join our IT Team, based in A&O Shearman's 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.

Technology Services

Deliver performant, available and consistent technology services by operating the firm’s core systems and providing world-class support across all regions and offices to enable frictionless user experiences.

What you will do

Reporting to the Global Service Desk Senior Manager, the Senior ITSM Process Support Analyst provides senior-level administration, coordination and reporting support for IT service management (ITSM) processes across the IT organisation. The role manages the administration of defined process activities end-to-end, maintains process documentation, controls and enables designated process owners and stakeholders to make decisions and drive outcomes. The role supports and influences process effectiveness but does not own the processes or hold final decision-making authority.

As part of the Global Service Desk function, the role coordinates and administers key ITSM practices including Change & Release Management, Problem Management, and Service Design / Acceptance into Service. This includes scheduling and supporting governance forums, ensuring required records and evidence are captured in the ITSM toolset, and monitoring adherence to agreed standards so that services are introduced, changed and operated in a controlled, low-risk and value-driven manner. Where exceptions are identified, the role escalates to the relevant process owner or governance forum for direction.

This role requires a pragmatic, hands-on individual who is comfortable balancing governance with delivery. The Senior ITSM Process Support Analyst works closely with technical teams, service owners, vendors and business stakeholders to prepare information, highlight risks and non-compliance, and escalate decision points to the appropriate process owner or forum.

Key Relationships

• Manager: Global Service Desk Senior Manager
• Direct Reports: None
• Additional Colleagues: Global Service Desk Managers, Regional IT Managers, Global Technical Teams, Service Owners, IT Knowledge & Training Teams, IT Project Managers, Service Managers, Third party suppliers & vendors, Business support functions, including Finance Systems Group, HR, and Facilities.

What you will do

• Manage the administration and day-to-day coordination of assigned ITSM processes by ensuring records are accurate and complete, completing compliance checks, and producing management information (MI) and insights.
• Identify trends, risks, exceptions and decision points, and escalate them to the appropriate process owner(s) or governance forum for direction and approval (this role does not own the process).
• Maintain and update process documentation (policies, procedures, workflows, controls, RACI, templates) using agreed templates, and route changes to the appropriate process owner/governance forum for review and approval.
• Support alignment of ITSM processes with ITIL practices, firm policies, security standards and regulatory requirements by completing routine evidence checks, recording observations, and escalating exceptions and non-compliance for review.
• Change Management: perform initial quality checks on change records (e.g., risk/impact, test evidence, back-out plans, communications), coordinate scheduling and communications, and ensure the change is routed to the appropriate authority for approval.
• CAB support: assist with meeting logistics, prepare and circulate agendas and change packs, capture decisions and actions, publish notes/minutes, and follow up on actions to closure.
• Monitor change outcomes (e.g., success/failure, incidents linked to change) and assist with post-implementation reviews (PIRs). Ensure follow-up actions are logged and routed to the relevant teams/owners, and escalate overdue actions and risks as required.
• Problem Management: support the problem lifecycle by ensuring records are logged and kept up to date, assisting with prioritisation and progress tracking, and coordinating inputs from technical teams.
• Arrange and document root cause analysis sessions under guidance and maintain the known error record and remediation action log, escalating overdue actions and risks to the process owner.
• Produce basic trend reports using incident/problem data (e.g., recurring themes, volumes, categories) and share findings with the process owner/manager to support improvement discussions and prioritisation.
• Service Design / Acceptance into Service: support the service readiness process by checking that required artefacts are provided (e.g., support model, documentation, monitoring, SLAs, knowledge articles, training), coordinating reviews and sign-offs by the appropriate service/process owners, and tracking actions to completion.
• Support service transition by coordinating updates between project delivery, technical teams and service operations, and escalating readiness risks where acceptance criteria are not met.
• Work with ITSM tool owners and vendors to raise requests, assist with testing of agreed configurations, and help confirm that tooling and reports support the documented process steps (escalating gaps to the relevant tool/process owners).
• Support process adoption by using approved guidance materials, assisting with training/briefings, and responding to day-to-day queries on how to follow the process and use the toolset, escalating complex queries where needed.

Decision rights: this role works under guidance and does not approve changes, accept services into live support, or own remediation delivery. The role highlights issues and escalates decisions, risks and exceptions to the appropriate process owner, CAB, service owner or leadership forum.

What you will have

• Experience: Strong working knowledge of ITIL frameworks. Minimum 5 years working within an IT environment. Proven stakeholder engagement and communication skills. Proven ability to adopt, drive, and promote continual service improvement, using data, insight, and stakeholder feedback to enhance service performance, tooling effectiveness, and user experience.
• Personal: Comfortable wearing multiple hats and balancing governance with delivery. Strong analytical and presentation skills. Confident communicator with the ability to influence and challenge constructively. Highly organised, with the ability to manage competing priorities across multiple processes and initiatives. Strong focus on operational excellence, risk management and service quality. Excellent stakeholder engagement and communication skills. Strong focus on continuous improvement, optimisation, and delivering operational excellence. Always promotes the firm's values and fosters collaborative working relationships with a wide range of people and departments. Degree qualified – preferred ITIL v4 Certification - preferred.

What we can offer you

To learn more about the culture and benefits available at A&O Shearman, please visit: Culture and benefits A&O Shearman careers. 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.

NO AGENCIES PLEASE - A&O Shearman does not accept unsolicited CVs.