Career Center
Posted: 17-Aug-23
Location: Syracuse, New York
Type: Full Time
Required Education:
About the Firm
Bond Schoeneck & King is a full-service law firm with 285 attorneys located in 16 offices across New York, Florida, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Kansas. Key practice areas include real estate development and construction, commercial lending and transactions, health and long-term care, manufacturing, hospitality, higher education, municipalities and school districts, and agribusiness. The firm prides itself on the knowledge and expertise of our lawyers, developing close relationships with and solving real world business problems for our clients. A solid, stable, secure technology platform is essential to our business.
Job Description
Bond Schoeneck & King is seeking a Chief Information Officer (“CIO”) to lead the Firm’s technology team. Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer and collaborating with members of the senior leadership team and key decision makers, the CIO will identify, recommend, develop, implement, and support cost-effective technology solutions for all aspects of the Firm.
The CIO will establish and implement strategies that have long-term impact on business results in alignment with the Firm’s strategic objectives. Due to the unique challenges of managing IT in a law firm setting relevant legal industry experience is a must.
Cybersecurity is a critical concern, and the CIO should have a deep understanding of cybersecurity risks, and best practices to mitigate those risks. The CIO must understand the unique challenges and opportunities that exist within the legal industry, have a proven track record of success in navigating them, be knowledgeable about the latest technology trends, tools, and platforms that can be used in a legal setting; should have experience implementing new technologies and be able to identify areas where technology can improve efficiency, productivity, and profitability. The CIO will be responsible for building and managing the Firm’s IT infrastructure.
The CIO will have responsibility and leadership for all aspects of the Firm’s information technology including infrastructure, hardware, and systems, cybersecurity, compliance, business analysis, budget control, project management, application development and integration. The ability to clearly communicate and garner support for IT strategic and operational plans will be essential.
The CIO must exhibit the following qualities, desires, and experience:
- Be an effective leader who can inspire and motivate the Technology team.
- Ensure a stable and secure platform for all firm-critical systems and software.
- Manage resources effectively and be able to prioritize (and re-prioritize) tasks to meet critical deadlines.
- Have a deep understanding of cybersecurity risks and best practices.
- Be able to develop and implement a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy that protects the firm's sensitive data and intellectual property while enabling lawyers to be effective and responsive when serving clients.
- Have strong communication skills and be able to articulate complex technical concepts in terms that non-technical colleagues can readily understand.
- Have a strategic mindset and be able to align the technology vision with the overall business strategy.
- Identify emerging trends and opportunities and make recommendations that can drive growth and innovation.
- Be comfortable building, selling, and managing IT operating and capital budgets.
- Possess excellent communication skills, which include active listening and the ability to present complex ideas in concise written and verbal descriptions which are easily understood by both technical and non-technical audiences.
- Demonstrated, proven ability to successfully build and manage a high-performance IT team.
- Be adept at managing relationships with vendors and external partners.
- Negotiate contracts, evaluate proposals, and ensure that vendors are delivering the agreed-upon services and products.
- Experience planning, communicating, and managing change and leading organizational transformation.
- Anticipate and manage resistance to change and implement processes and strategies that can minimize disruption and maximize adoption.
- Regulatory Compliance Knowledge: Law firms must comply with a variety of regulatory requirements; the CIO must have a solid understanding of these regulations; be able to implement process and technology solutions that comply with these regulations while still enabling the firm to operate efficiently and effectively.
- Build relationships and create strong collaborative connections with functional leaders to establish a forward thinking and common IT vision and roadmap.
- Experience with managing multiple office locations as well as mergers and acquisitions.
- In-depth experience in technology strategy, analysis, and planning.
- Ability to travel as required.
Overall education, and experience requirements include:
- Four-year degree is required; BS Computer Science or Information Technology Management preferred; MBA or MS in Computer Science or Information technology considered a big plus.
- Fifteen plus years of progressive IT leadership and broad-based information technology experience and management in a legal setting.
- Law Firm ERP Systems experience (Aderant experience a plus)
- CRM experience (Interaction experience a plus)
- Microsoft tools, including Excel, Word, Vision, and PowerPoint.
- Video conferencing software (Zoom experience a plus)
- SQL report writing software (DataFusion)
- Microsoft cloud migration experience (O365, Exchange online, Azure)
Benefits Summary
- Competitive compensation
- Mutually agreed relocation assistance
- The firm offers a robust and competitive suite of benefits for our business operations leadership team including flexible paid time off, a 401(k) plan including a firm contribution, paid holidays, affordable Health, Dental, Vision and Life Insurance coverage, AD&D, STD and LTD, Health Savings Account (HSA), Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) to help offset the cost of dependent care and/or health care expense, and a variety of voluntary benefits.
At Bond, exceptional work product and a collegial work environment are cornerstones of our success. We are dedicated to the communities in which we live and work. Bond has long recognized the value, both to its team and to our communities, of active participation in and support of charitable, governmental, professional, and community-based organizations. Bond is committed to the importance of diversity within the legal profession and strongly encourage the interest of diverse candidates in the firm. We are an EEO employer.
Please send cover letter and resume to: CIOSearch@unbiasedconsulting.com. Please note that this search is being managed by Unbiased Consulting, a leading consulting provider to the legal market. We ask that you do not directly contact the firm, its lawyers or staff, relative to this search, as candidates who do so may be eliminated from consideration.
