Application Operations Manager

Clyde & Co; Kansas City (MO); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Life assurance from day one

Season ticket loans

Lifestyle discounts

Wellbeing Day

Employee Assistance Programme

Job summary

Clyde & Co is seeking an experienced Applications Operations Manager to lead a global IT operations team. You will handle incidents, changes, releases, and continuous improvement while aligning with business priorities across offices.

The role blends people leadership with hands-on operational excellence, focusing on service delivery, KPI tracking, and automation initiatives within a hybrid work model.

Qualifications

• Proven experience directly managing an Applications Operations team, ideally in a professional services environment.
• Strong people leadership skills with coaching, motivating and developing team members.
• Experience with global teams and stakeholder management.
• Practical experience in incident, problem and change management.
• Experience with KPIs, reporting tools and metrics.
• Analytical and problem-solving abilities with trend analysis.
• Customer service orientation and balancing expectations with resources.
• Excellent written and verbal communication in business terms.
• Ability to prioritise in a high-pressure operational environment.
• Collaborative, detail-focused and future-oriented mindset.
• A degree in Computer Science or related discipline is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead, develop and retain a high-performing Applications Operations team through coaching and performance management.
• Manage capacity, skills and resources to balance operations, costs and service quality.
• Oversee changes, releases, service requests and maintenance across environments.
• Lead incident management with root cause analysis and remediation actions.
• Act as escalation point for major incidents and outages, coordinating teams.
• Develop incident, ticket handling and escalation processes with KPIs and trend analysis.
• Monitor health of application environments and respond to alerts.
• Oversee audits to support configuration management and consistency.
• Support integration of new services and contribute to automation and centralisation initiatives.
• Ensure activities are documented per standards and procedures.
• Identify improvements from operational trends and propose changes.
• Oversee training and development for new and existing colleagues.
• Participate in CAB meetings and stay updated on industry developments.
• Establish team on-call schedule and ensure coverage.
• Build relationships across IT and the business, communicating effectively.

Skills

People leadership

Stakeholder management

Incident management

Change management

Root cause analysis

Operations KPIs

Customer service

Communication skills

High-pressure prioritisation

Collaboration across teams

Automation initiatives

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science

Job description

We are looking for an experienced Applications Operations Manager to lead and develop a high-performing Applications Operations team within a global IT environment.

This is a hands-on leadership role combining people management, application operations, incident and problem management, service delivery and continuous improvement. You will ensure supported application environments remain effectively managed while leading the team through incidents, changes, releases and operational priorities.

You will also play an important role within the wider IT leadership community, building strong relationships with the business and helping deliver technology services that support the firm and its clients.

Duration: Permanent

Working Pattern: 2 days working from the office, 3 days remote

You will lead the Applications Operations team, working collaboratively with colleagues across the global IT organisation and supporting end users across the business.

The team is responsible for the ongoing operation and support of application environments, including releases, changes, service requests, monitoring, incident resolution and operational maintenance.

As manager, you will develop and support your team while creating a positive, collaborative and high-performing environment. You will also act as an advocate for Applications Operations, communicating the team's results and achievements across the wider organisation.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, develop and retain a high-performing Applications Operations team through effective coaching, mentoring, career development and performance management.
• Manage team capacity, skills and resources to balance operational requirements, cost goals and high-quality customer service.
• Oversee application and platform changes, releases, service requests and operational maintenance across supported environments.
• Lead the effective management and resolution of application incidents, including root cause analysis, corrective actions and viable workarounds.
• Act as an escalation point for major incidents and outages, including where required outside normal working hours, coordinating teams and driving issues through to resolution.
• Develop and maintain effective incident, ticket handling and escalation processes, tracking KPIs and analysing trends to identify areas for improvement.
• Monitor the health of application environments and ensure appropriate responses to system alerts and operational issues.
• Oversee audits and analysis of application environments to support effective configuration management and consistency.
• Support the integration of new application services and contribute to automation, consolidation and centralisation initiatives.
• Ensure operational activity is completed and documented in accordance with required standards, methods and procedures.
• Identify system or service improvements based on operational trends and make recommendations where changes or reconfigurations are required.
• Oversee team training procedures and ensure both new and existing colleagues receive appropriate coaching and development.
• Participate in Change Advisory Board (CAB) meetings where required and maintain awareness of relevant industry and technology developments.
• Establish and communicate the team's on-call schedule and ensure effective operational coverage.
• Build strong relationships across IT and the wider business, communicating technical information clearly and managing stakeholder expectations effectively.
• Contribute positively to the wider IT leadership team, encouraging collaboration, accountability, innovation and continuous improvement.

Essential Skills & Experience

• Proven experience directly managing an Applications Operations team, ideally within a law firm or professional services environment.
• Strong people leadership skills, with experience coaching, motivating and developing team members and maintaining an engaged, high-performing team.
• Experience working successfully with global teams and end users, with strong relationship and stakeholder management skills.
• Practical experience of incident, problem and change management, including managing operational queues and escalated issues.
• Experience working with infrastructure and operational KPIs, reporting tools and metrics, with the ability to analyse trends and identify improvements.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, with the confidence to research technical issues and drive problems through to resolution.
• Strong customer service orientation and the ability to balance customer expectations with available capacity, skills and technology.
• Excellent written, verbal and interpersonal communication skills, including the ability to communicate technical ideas in clear, business-friendly language.
• Ability to prioritise and deliver effectively in a high-pressure operational environment, including managing competing demands and major incidents.
• Highly self-motivated and detail-focused, with a collaborative approach and the ability to work effectively across teams.
• A track record of driving short-term operational priorities while remaining aligned with longer-term goals.
• A degree in Computer Science or a related discipline is preferred.

What sets this role apart

This is more than a traditional application support management position. You will combine technical operational leadership with people management, taking responsibility for everything from team development and service performance to incidents, releases, changes and continuous improvement.

You will have the opportunity to make a tangible impact on how Applications Operations performs, using KPIs, ticket trends, root cause analysis and operational insights to identify improvements and strengthen service delivery. You will also contribute to automation, consolidation and centralisation initiatives as the firm's technology environment evolves.

As part of the wider IT leadership community, you will be expected to think beyond your immediate team. You will collaborate across a global IT organisation, advocate for Applications Operations and help create a culture built around accountability, collaboration, customer service and continuous improvement.

What’s in it for you

Modern, flexible working

A minimum of 2 days each week required from the office, 3 days from home.

Join an award-winning global firm

Clyde & Co is ranked Band 1 in multiple practice areas by Chambers and Legal 500.

Career progression and development

Structured learning and development programmes, secondment opportunities and internal mobility across global offices.

Purpose and inclusion

Award-winning for pro bono work and recognised as an inclusive firm, with global DEI initiatives, leadership programmes, and community impact through volunteering and sustainability.

Fantastic benefits

Perks include life assurance from day one, season ticket loans and lifestyle discounts, an annual Wellbeing Day each year, 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme and more.

Please note: eligibility for benefits may vary based on location and length of service. Full details will be confirmed upon joining.

The Firm

When you work at Clyde & Co, you join a team of 500 partners, 2,400 lawyers, 3,200 legal professionals and 5,500 people in nearly 70 offices and associated offices worldwide. Our values are the principles that guide the decisions we make, unite us in our endeavours and strengthen our delivery, for both our clients and our firm. We work as one, excel with clients, celebrate difference and act boldly. We are committed to operating in a responsible way by progressing towards a diverse and inclusive workforce that reflects the communities and clients it serves. We are devoted to providing an environment in which everyone can realise their potential, using its legal and professional skills to support its communities. We do this through pro bono work, volunteering and charitable partnerships, and minimising the impact it has on the environment, including through our commitment to the SBTi Net-Zero standard and the setting of ambitious emissions reduction targets.

Our Commitment

Clyde & Co is proud to be an equal opportunities employer. Our values encourage us to support fairness, celebrate diversity and prohibit all forms of discrimination in the workplace to allow everyone to excel at work. Therefore, we welcome and encourage all applications from suitably qualified individuals, regardless of background or identity. Learn more about our interview process.

A Note on Privacy

Please take a moment to read our privacy notice. This describes what personal information Clyde & Co (we) may hold about you, what it’s used for, how it’s obtained, your rights and how to contact us as a data subject.

If you are submitting a candidate as a Recruitment Agency Partner, it is an essential requirement and your responsibility to ensure that candidates applying to Clyde & Co are aware of this privacy notice.

This is the job description as constituted at present; however, Clyde & Co reserves the right to reasonably amend it in accordance with the changing needs of the business.