Assistant Manager

The Role

The Procurement department at Clifford Chance is instrumental in securing optimal commercial agreements for the firm, reducing risk, and ensuring sustainability in sourcing practices. This role is part of Procurement Operations team which is a sub team within Global Procurement Team, providing worldwide support for business operations and transformational projects.

Who you will work with

You will work with the KETL Managers across the globe and help them with sourcing of documents (Books, Journals, Article, Cases, etc) for the Fee Earners within the firm.

What you will be responsible for

The Assistant Manager (Information Sourcing group in Procurement) works as part of the Procurement Operations team and will handle various enquiries and tasks using a range of databases for the firm's different offices. This role involves sourcing key legal databases, subscriptions, books, and news information, primarily for the Practice areas, but also for certain Business Services sectors, such as Business Development.

What you will do

The candidate will primarily be required to fulfil the below responsibilities, but these are subject to change/expansion/improvement in line with business needs:

• Journal subscriptions administration, which involves keeping track of renewals, communication with the onshore teams and vendors. Arranging trials for the function upon request and negotiating with the vendors for the best possible quotes and merging global subscriptions to attract the best deal.

• Document delivery, which involves researching/purchasing copies of cases, articles, and legislation from online subscription resources as well as external commercial sources basis any copyright licensing restrictions. 

• Ordering and maintaining user records for the subscribed online sources.

• Cataloguing and managing print orders in online Library Management system.

• Staffing the Global Information Sourcing enquiries mailbox and responding to subscription related queries from the business.

• Facilitating and leading stakeholder calls.

• Tactical support in subscription renewals.

• Liaising with the suppliers and clients in a professional and helpful manner.

• Effective and professional front line client interaction.

• Ensuring full understanding of the adhoc projects and drive efficient ways using planning and implementation skills to agree achievable deadlines.

• Leading/ Supporting various business improvement initiatives. 

• Being an agent of positive change to the team and an expert in the line of work.

• Communicating and interacting with global teams to provide proactive solutions.

Your experience 

Primary Skills

• Ability to manage an enquiry helpdesk and respond to stakeholders' enquiries in a timely manner.

• Ability to search for documents using the different platforms available within the firm.

• Ability to manage a virtual library and create catalogues for documents purchased globally.

Communicating, Influencing and Problem Solving

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in the English language.

• Must be able to influence others to assist in delivering the most appropriate solution.

• Know when to refer to established procedures or take the initiative, but also be aware of when it is appropriate to escalate issues, and to whom.

• Ability to communicate with global teams and build networks across groups.

• Ability to effect, undertake, and drive process changes.

•  Expected to work as part of a team and display good team focus and team-working qualities.

•  Build a credible reputation as a trusted assistant and coordinator on information-related matters.

•  Maintain confidentiality regarding strategic matters that they may assist with or come across during their work.

Organisational/Strategic thinking

• Ability to effect, undertake, and quality-assure processes.

• Strong problem-solving skills and analytical capabilities.

• Quick learning capabilities.

• Ability to organise and prioritise workload effectively.

Experience and Knowledge

• Some experience of working on an enquiries desk or in an environment that requires handling a large number of ad hoc queries.

• Experience of working with international publishers or vendors.

• Experience of working with Sydney Enterprise and Research Monitor is preferable.

• Some experience of using legal databases such as Westlaw and LexisNexis.

Professional Expertise

• Any Graduate/Postgraduate working with a multinational organisation.

• Good knowledge of MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook). 

How we will support you

From your first day with us, you will have varied opportunities to continuously grow and development your skills and knowledge. From formal training, informal coaching and mentoring through to skills-based and technical training and on the job learning.

You can also get involved in a variety of employee affinity groups. There is also opportunity to be part of charitable events and volunteering.

Who we are

We are one of the largest international law firms in the world. With over 30 offices across the globe, we strive to exceed the expectations of our clients, providing them with the highest-quality advice and legal insight, which combines the firm’s global standards with in-depth local expertise.

Our firm, work and people span jurisdictions, cultures, and languages. We offer our clients a truly international perspective. We believe every career should be rewarding and stimulating - full of opportunities to learn, thrive, and grow. That’s why we’re so proud of our inclusive, friendly, and team-based approach to work.

You’ll find our clients in commercial and industrial sectors, the financial investor community, governments, regulators, trade bodies, and not-for-profit organisations. But no matter who they are or why they’ve reached out to us, we provide a world-class service every step of the way. And that’s possible thanks to the entrepreneurial spirit and conscientious approach to work that you’ll find across all of our teams.

Whichever area of the business you join, you’ll become an integral part an innovative, diverse and ambitious team of people. Clifford Chance is a place where the brightest minds and the best of colleagues meet

Equal opportunities statement

At Clifford Chance, we understand that our true asset is our people. Inclusion is good for our team and their families, our firm and society.

We are committed to treating all employees and applicants fairly and equally regardless of their gender, gender identity and expression, marital or civil partnership status, race, colour, national or ethnic origin, social or economic background, disability, religious belief, sexual orientation, or age.  This applies to recruitment and selection, terms and conditions of employment including pay, promotion, training, transfer and every other aspect of employment.

We have a variety of flourishing employee networks. These networks are a place for colleagues to share experiences and advocate for change wherever they see an opportunity for improvement.

Our goal is to deliver an equality of opportunity, an equality of aspiration and an equality of experience to everyone who works in our firm. 

Find out more about our inclusive culture here