About Ashurst:

Ashurst is a leading global law firm with a history spanning almost 200 years, and clear strategy for our future growth. Our in-depth understanding of our clients and commitment to providing exceptional standards of service have seen us become a trusted adviser to local and global corporates, financial institutions and governments in all areas of commercial law.  To find out more please visit here

Our people are our greatest asset. We bring together lawyers of the highest calibre with the technical knowledge, industry experience and regional know-how to provide the incisive advice our clients need.  How we share our knowledge across our business, and with our clients, is critical in delivering value to our clients.

We currently have 26 offices in 16 countries and a number of referral relationships that enable us to offer the reach and insight of a global network, combined with the knowledge and understanding of local markets. 

Our clients value us for being approachable, astute and commercially minded. As a global team we have a reputation for successfully managing large and complex multi-jurisdictional transactions, disputes and projects, and delivering outstanding outcomes for clients in innovative ways.

Ashurst regards an inclusive and diverse environment as critical to its business success.  Accordingly, the firm encourages applications from candidates representative of all talent pools.  Find out more about our Diversity and Inclusion Strategy on the "About Us" section of our website.     

In order to comply with regulatory and client requirements, Ashurst will undertake appropriate vetting of staff. When applicants accept a job offer, Ashurst, alongside a specialist provider, will undertake professional verification and background checks.  These checks are only undertaken with consent, and in accordance with our legal and regulatory obligations

Business Area - Central Management and Operations

Role: Service Designer

Location: London

Reporting to: Operations Programme Director

Hours of work - 9:30 to 17:30 plus additional flexibility as required 

Department/ Role Overview:

The BSR2020 programme is a core part of the firm's business plan to help drive performance to 2020, and will enable the firm to build and provide market leading business services. This includes making organisation changes (including processes and changes to service delivery) which allows the firm to be able to respond to the changing demands of clients, evolving technology and market efficiency drives, and embrace different ways of working.

• A key area of activity is to drive cross functional efficiencies and improve service levels for the firm's clients and our internal clients who are the lawyers and the service professionals from the HR, IT, Finance, Compliance and Business Development functions
• The business analyst team is focusing on the improvement of specific processes. We need the service designer to be looking across all processes and to be working to identify, design and deliver cross-functional service solutions using a customer centric approach. 

Main responsibilities:

• Work with the Business Analyst team and the SMEs to identify, design, shape and drive service solutions for cross-functional processes
• Design service solutions that will deliver a positive customer journey across multiple workstreams/service delivery functions
• Shape and produce service solution designs – for example through the tailored application of architecture frameworks- comprising service processes, service descriptions, and service responsibility matrices.
• Ensure the service design meets key service requirements, volumes, service measure targets and SLAs, and transition phases.
• Estimate the resource effort and cost needed to run the service design through the implementation phases and through the length of the service delivery period.
• Define the service responsibilities of the different teams involved and document for internal agreement purposes.
• Document the service design into recommendations
• Design of governance and compliance requirements
• Oversee the implementation of the service design in collaboration with other team members such as SMEs, Business Analysts, Technical Architects and Transition Managers
• Consult with the functions and the Global Delivery Centre to ensure that they have a clear understanding of the service architecture proposals at an appropriate level.
• Retain overall ownership of the service solution through transition into operation and/or subsequent refinement, or modification.
• Coach and advise teams on ‘best practice’ service activities.
• Work with the BAs ; SMEs and GDC Service Improvement Manager to design service transformation and improvement plans.

Risk and Control: Ensure that all activities and duties are carried out in full compliance with our regulatory requires and internal policies.

Essential skills and experience:

• Solution design (operational focus not systems architecture) in the context of a global delivery centre
• User-centred design to ensure a positive customer experience of in-scope services through design of a cross functional service
• Able to demonstrate impact of solutions designed and return on investment
• Analytical capability (ability to review complex data)
• Excellent communication skills
• Leadership
• Communication strategies for service users
• Excellent interpersonal skills with people at all levels, internally and externally. With proven ability to influence senior leaders strategic thinking in line with organisation priorities
• A working knowledge of project management methodology and planning processes

Desired skills and experience

• Outsourcing – management of transfer of services including operational delivery
• Operational delivery team management and service/programme delivery
• Professional services experience preferably a law firm
• Understanding of Finance, HR, Risk and Compliance and IT services and processes