Assistant Director, Enterprise Applications

About Us:

Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP is a leading national law firm focused on serving the transaction, advocacy and advisory needs of Canada’s most dynamic business sectors. We have one of the largest business law practices in the country, serving multinational, national and mid-market clients from our offices in Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary.

Our Culture:

At Cassels, our mission is to attract, retain and promote individuals of exceptional ability and talent from as broad a range of backgrounds as possible. We offer meaningful career opportunities, invest in professional growth, and foster an inclusive environment. Our Firm’s success is built on the unique skills, perspectives, experiences and values of each individual. We encourage a corporate culture that respects and celebrates the dignity, value and diversity of all.

Role Overview:

Our Toronto office is currently recruiting for an Assistant Director, Enterprise Applications in our Information Technology Department, reporting to our Chief Information Officer. This role will be responsible for the strategic planning, execution and management of Cassels enterprise applications portfolio. This role will also collaborate closely with other leaders in IT and business units to spearhead digital transformation initiatives, optimize application value, and ensure the security and compliance of our application landscape.

The successful candidate will be responsible for:

• Planning, leading, implementing initiatives, and the continuous improvement of applications in the portfolio to optimize data integrity, operational efficiency and business outcome delivery.
• Project managing key programs.
• Collaborating with cross-functional teams to align with overall application strategy and business needs.
• Managing vendor relationships.
• Leading support teams that will help the firm maintain a stable and responsive portfolio of applications.
• Helping the firm keep up with the latest trends in the legal market, including (but not limited to) the use of modern approaches such as cloud applications, software-as-a-service capabilities and embedded AI capabilities.
• Building successful stakeholder relationships with other IT team members and key business stakeholders by developing a clear understanding of business needs, acting as a trusted advisor.
• Identifying opportunities for process optimization, implementing best practices, and driving digital transformation initiatives.
• Managing the annual IT Applications related budget GLs to ensure cost optimization.
• Collaborating with the Senior Manager Information Security to ensure that enterprise applications portfolio embraces and applies security strategy.
• Implementing robust change management practices to ensure smooth transitions during transformative projects and programs.
• Working collaboratively with direct reports to support their career progression, nurture their development and to help them realize their potential. Encourage continuous learning and professional development within the team to stay updated with the latest trends, technologies, and best practices in building data architecture strategies.
• Improving application resilience by executing on strategies that improve reliability, tolerability, and disaster recovery readiness.
• Keeping track of trends and provides direction on what emerging technologies should be incorporated to successfully deliver overall IT strategy.
• Providing input to create strategic direction and oversight for the full life cycle for all applications in the portfolio, working in close partnership with peers, and identifies where common approaches, solutions, and Cloud platforms could drive efficiency.
• Providing input to the development of an outsourcing strategy and develops strategic vendor and partner relationships.
• Supporting the CIO in implementing business transformative programs.
• Providing IT planning and policy making committees; drives the development and adoption of enterprise application standards, governance processes and performance metrics.

The successful candidate must have the following education, experience and/or demonstrated skills:

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, information systems or equivalent work experience.
• Ten or more years of experience in IT or business. Legal industry experience will be considered an asset.
• Five or more years of leadership responsibilities, including managing enterprise applications management, management of Software as a service application.
• In-depth knowledge of how Microsoft technologies like Power BI, Power Automate, SharePoint etc., can deliver value to the business.
• Knowledge and experience in managing enterprise applications like Document Management System, CRM, Financial Management System.
• Deep understanding of current and emerging application and AI technologies and practices, and how other enterprises are employing them.
• Solid leadership skills, with the ability to develop and communicate to stakeholders how new software and new ways of working can enhance productivity.
• Effective influencing and negotiation skills in complex environments where resources required for success may not be in direct control of this role.
• Excellent analytical, strategic conceptual thinking, strategic planning, and execution skills.
• Proven service delivery skills with experience in managing service delivery team.
• Ability to build consensus, make decisions based on many variables, and gain support for major initiatives.
• Ability to work under pressure and manage multiple priorities.
• Budget planning and financial management experience.
• Self-starter who self-assesses and solicits feedback from others to improve their performance.
• Strong business acumen, including legal industry, domain-specific knowledge of law firms will be considered an asset.
• Developing staff including coaching, mentoring and performance management.
• Ability to design, deploy, and manage cloud environments, ensuring scalability, reliability, and cost-efficiency.
• Third-party management, working closely with sourcing and vendor managers.

Employment Type: Permanent, Full-Time

What we offer:

• Competitive compensation + Extended Health & Dental Care.
• RRSP Matching Program.
• Education/tuition allowance.
• Fitness Reimbursement Program.
• Diversity and Inclusion Centric Culture.
• A Culture of Wellness: Cassels recognizes the importance of wellness and provides a comprehensive program that addresses the mental and physical well-being of our employees by providing resources, services, training and support on an ongoing basis.
• A fully stocked kitchen with healthy snacks, plus coffee, tea, and drinks throughout the year.
• A business casual dress code (client/day specific).
• Employee referral bonus.
• A hybrid work environment.

Cassels is an equal opportunity employer with a strong commitment to diversity, inclusion, equity and an accessible environment. It is our priority to remove barriers to provide equal access to employment. We strongly encourage applications from Indigenous peoples, racialized people, people with disabilities, people from gender and sexually diverse communities and/or people with intersectional identities. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply, and we will provide appropriate accommodation for candidates with disabilities or accessibility needs throughout the recruitment process, upon request. Please contact our recruiter for any questions, accommodations or specific requests.

We wish to thank all applicants for their interest, however, only candidates selected for interviews will be contacted. We regret that we are unable to respond to individual inquiries about application status, unless required for accommodation purposes.