Director, Development Operations

Cozen O'Connor; Philadelphia (Philadelphia County); On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Cozen O'Connor in Philadelphia is seeking a Director of Development Operations to lead enterprise software strategy, architecture, delivery, and operations for a firm of about 2,000 users.

You will guide a multidisciplinary team, partner with executives to modernize platforms, and oversee initiatives spanning custom apps, intranet modernization, workflow automation, and integrations with key systems such as ServiceNow.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering or similar.
• 10+ years of experience in application development and architecture.
• 5+ years in operational teams supporting enterprise applications.
• 3-5 years people management across onsite/remote resources.
• Experience in Agile environments and complex portfolio management.
• Experience with mid-market enterprises and large law firms preferred.

Responsibilities

• Direct software lifecycle management and operational support aligned to business needs and strategy.
• Manage a portfolio of development, enhancements, and maintenance projects to successful completion.
• Lead a team of 8-10 developers, managers, and operations staff, coordinating contracted resources.
• Collaborate with engineers, product owners, and experts to deliver end-to-end solutions.
• Drive integration and collaboration between development and operations for high-quality products.
• Provide architecture strategy across all phases of software delivery and lifecycle management.
• Advise business owners on technical and business tradeoffs, risks, and opportunities.

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or Software Engineering

Tools

ServiceNow

Job description

Job Description

As the Director of Development Operations at Cozen O'Connor, you are responsible for the strategic leadership, architecture, delivery, and operational support of enterprise software, workflow automation, and business transformation programs across the firm. Working within the Information Services organization, you lead a multidisciplinary team of developers, workflow engineers, contractors, and vendors to deliver innovative technology solutions supporting approximately 2,000 firm users and multiple business units.

Serving as both a technology and business leader, you partner with executive stakeholders to define technology strategy, modernize core business platforms, and deliver enterprise-scale applications that improve operational efficiency, data accessibility, client service, and business outcomes. You oversee a portfolio that includes custom application development, intranet modernization, workflow automation, legal technology innovation, and insurance claims platform integrations.

Responsibilities

• Direct software lifecycle management and operational support to ensure alignment with business needs and strategy.
• Manage a robust portfolio of new development, enhancements, and maintenance projects to successful completion, navigating quality, schedule, competing priorities, and cost management challenges.
• Lead, manage, and grow a team of 8-10 talented developers, managers and operations staff, providing critical business services to the Firm. Oversee the selection, onboarding and effective use of contracted, outsourced and vendor resources to ensure seamless integration and effective team collaboration.
• Work with engineers, product owners, and subject matter experts to understand complex technological and business environments and produce integrated end-to-end solution options.
• Drive effective integration, communication, and collaboration among development and operations teams, focusing on the delivery and lifecycle management of high-quality products and business services.
• Partner with domain accountable executives to bring their roadmaps to fruition in a rational and effective way.
• Utilize in-depth knowledge of software development and deployment, infrastructure technologies, and cloud services (ServiceNow) to develop technology strategy, achieve business buy-in, and monitor execution toward the target architecture across the enterprise.
• Provide thought leadership and technology architecture strategy for all phases of software delivery (development, testing, build, deployment, operational, and lifecycle management).
• Prepare and present potential technical solutions and advise business and product owners on the technical and business value of proposals, including appropriate tradeoffs, risks, and opportunities.
• Build awareness, increase knowledge, and drive adoption of modern data technologies and architecture patterns, sharing customer and engineering benefits to gain buy-in.
• Promote a culture of architecture excellence and being well-managed, using opportunities to promote reuse of existing solutions where possible.
• Recognize technical and business process impediments impacting projects and devise improvements and mitigation plans.
• Communicate and drive highly complex technology solutions to broad audiences, including executives, business leaders, product managers, legal experts, security specialists, and software engineers.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree, Computer Science, Software Engineering or similar.
• 10+ years of experience in Application Development and application architecture, including development and architecture of CI/CD solutions.
• 5+ years of experience in operational teams supporting enterprise applications, providing uptime, break-fix, 3rd level user support, patching, and continuous improvements.
• 3-5 years of people management experience, including managing employees, vendors, and partners with a mix of onsite, remote, onshore, and offshore resources.
• At least 3 years of experience working in an Agile environment.
• Ability to plan, manage, and support a complex portfolio of systems and projects where competing priorities are the norm, and on-time and on-budget delivery is important.
• Experience with mid-market enterprise organizations (1,000 to 5,000 end users).
• Experience with large law firms is preferred.

About Us

Known for its commitment to action and tangible results, Cozen O'Connor has rapidly grown to become one of North America's fastest-growing law firms. Offering full-service expertise in litigation, business law, and government relations, the firm serves a diverse clientele, including global Fortune 500 companies, growing middle-market firms, startups, and high-profile individuals. Established in 1970, Cozen O’Connor has more than 1,000 attorneys who help clients manage risk and make better business decisions. The firm counsels clients on their most sophisticated legal matters in all areas of the law, including litigation, corporate, and regulatory law. Representing a broad array of leading global corporations and middle market companies, Cozen O’Connor services its clients’ needs through 35 offices across two continents. The firm is consistently ranked among the top 100 law firms in America and has received recognition from prestigious legal and business organizations such as Chambers & Partners, The American Lawyer, The Legal 500, and Best Lawyers. Cozen O'Connor is dedicated to excellence and strives to achieve the right results for its clients, no matter how complex or critical the legal challenges.

Cozen O’Connor is committed to fostering greater inclusion in the legal profession. We understand the organizational effectiveness that comes from welcoming and valuing differences within the firm, and we know that assembling a team with a breadth of perspectives and experience is necessary to provide the highest quality legal service. We encourage candidates to apply and join us in this effort.

Cozen O’Connor actively welcomes applicants who have previously left the workforce and are looking to return to their careers. Gaps in experience are not penalized.

Cozen O’Connor is an Equal Opportunity Employer, including disabled and veterans.