Automation Engineer

A&O Shearman; Northern Ireland; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading global law firm in Northern Ireland is seeking an experienced Automation Engineer to join their IT team. The role involves designing and developing automated solutions using Microsoft Power Platform and Blue Prism, while collaborating with various business teams to improve processes and efficiency. Ideal candidates should have at least 5 years of experience in IT, with a strong background in automation development and stakeholder engagement.

Benefits

Exceptional career opportunities

First-rate training and development

Commitment to inclusivity

Qualifications

• Direct experience in automation development using Microsoft Power Platform.
• Expertise in Blue Prism and Power Automate.
• At least 5 years background in the IT industry.

Responsibilities

• Plan and design automation solutions and workflows.
• Develop automation solutions from discovery to deployment.
• Integrate solutions with business applications.

Skills

Automation development

Microsoft Power Platform

Robotics and software automation

Stakeholder engagement

Tools

Blue Prism

Power Automate

Job description

Job Description

We have an exciting opportunity for an Automation Engineer to join our growing IT team 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.

The Team - Enterprise Technology Platforms

The Enterprise Technology Platforms team is responsible for shaping the strategic direction and roadmap of the firm's core technology platforms. These platforms act as the foundational "building blocks" that enable the delivery of strategic business outcomes. The team ensures that platform services are continuously improved, aligned with business needs, and prioritised effectively. By designing, building and managing these platforms, the team simplifies and enhances the firm's technology landscape—making it more efficient, scalable and fit for purpose.

Reporting to the Intelligent Automation & Agent Lead, this role designs, develops and maintains automated systems and processes to improve the efficiency and quality of processes across the firm. The role is responsible for directing and working with external third-party service providers.
The role is accountable for identifying potential opportunities and programming automated systems in-line with firm wide or departmental objectives, policies and standards. It will be required to collaborate with cross-functional teams to implement automated solutions to solve complex business problems

What you will do

• Plan and design automation solutions and workflows which improve the quality and efficiency of processes and solve complex problems.
• Develop automation solutions from discovery and design to deployment using all technologies at your disposal including Blue Prism and Power Automate.
• Integrate solutions with real-world business applications and devices to maximize end-to-end value.
• Participate in sprint planning, retrospectives and demos and actively manage the backlog of the team.
• Work with fee earners and business teams to design, build, test and deploy solutions that meet their needs whilst following all architectural best practices and procedures.
• Write unit, integration and acceptance tests.
• Work with Power Platform & Automation and Technology Services team members to ensure that solutions are robust and to support ongoing maintenance, troubleshooting and upgrades.
• Work with stakeholders from the AI Platform, Software Engineering, Data Governance and Information Security teams to ensure solutions are performant, compliant and secure.
• Act as the focal point for matters related to automation engineering, providing expert guidance to other teams when required.
• Contribute to the management of the Intelligent Automation & Agents team benefits delivery, developing estimates and tracking performance against plans and ROI.
• Identify and pursue opportunities for continuous improvement in automation engineering. Supporting the development of automated IT processes (e.g. testing, deployment, etc).
• Engaging and assisting with other forms of intelligent automation & agents development as and when the business requires it.

What you will have

• Direct experience in automation development, specifically using integrations and features of the Microsoft Power Platform, preferably within the legal or professional services sector.
• Expertise in robotics and software automation tools including Blue Prism and Power Automate.
• Proven experience in optimizing business processes via automation.
• Knowledge and understanding of software architecture, patterns, testing and debugging.
• Solid understanding and experience in use of the testing pyramid.
• Experience of modern development methods, agile working practices and work item tracking tools.
• Knowledge of current IT trends and ability to be source of good practice and innovation across the wider engineering community.
• Proven track record of managing projects and changes. Gathering requirements and working with stakeholders.
• At least 5 years background in the IT industry, with 2-3 years experience in developing intelligent automation solutions with Blue Prism and Microsoft Power Platform.
• Proven stakeholder engagement and presentation skills.
• Ability to work cross functionally, building strong relationships with stakeholders.
• Proven business acumen and ability to understand how they add value the function, firm or clients.
• Ability to identify issues, analyze requirements and develop innovative solutions.
• Ability to lead and develop team members.
• Promotes the firm's values at all times and is comfortable working with a wide range of people and departments.

A&O Shearman is a global industry-leading law firm, with nearly 50 offices in 28 countries worldwide. Our fluency in English law, US law, and the laws of the world's most dynamic markets, enables us to provide unmatched insight and seamless delivery to clients. We work on challenging and important deals and disputes that have the potential to shape the future.

We offer exceptional opportunities for our people; opportunities to work for the world's leading businesses; to transform the status quo, and to deliver your best work, helping you and your career to thrive, while delivering unparalleled outcomes for our clients.

Whether you're helping clients solve complex challenges, transforming the ways we manage our business, or ensuring the smooth running of our operations, this is an environment where you can belong and excel. We provide first-rate training and development; we are committed to an inclusive environment, and we provide support and ways of working that help you optimize your wellbeing.