Global Senior Change Manager – Workspace of the Future

Job Overview

Clifford Chance is running a major workplace transformation programme in the UK in support of its vision to be the global law firm of choice for the world's leading businesses of today and tomorrow.

​​​We are seeking an experienced and Senior Change Management practitioner to lead on all change-related aspects in the programme.

Set to continue into 2028, this programme will have a large impact on our people and the ways in which everyone in the London office work (2,000+ employees). Significant areas of change include building and location, physical space, interior design, future ways of working and all supporting technologies, processes, and policies.  

The successful candidate will set the Change Strategy for the programme, linking into the wider CC@40 strategy, and manage the delivery of the resultant Change Plan(s).  Operating at a senior level, you will identify, prepare and equip people with the right knowledge, skills and abilities to adapt to an agile and activity-based work environment and adopt the associated behaviours to support new ways of working in line with the evolving culture of CC. This broadly includes the definition, design and delivery of all change, stakeholder and colleague engagement, communication, training, support and adoption aspects.

Who you will work with

You will join an established Programme Team, reporting to the Programme Manager and Head of Workplace Transformation and working closely with the Programme Support Office and Sub-Programme leads.  You will work with the Programme Communications Lead to drive employee engagement and minimise change resistance. You will work with other project disciplines, domain experts and a range of stakeholder groups, including the Global Head of Change Management. You will plan how to work with existing (and potentially new) local Change Agent Networks to both land and sustain the change with impacted groups and individuals.

What you will be responsible for

Your primary responsibility will be the development of a Change Strategy and the subsequent delivery of the resultant Change Plan(s) that actively identify and manage the implications of this transformational change. 

What you will do

You will ensure Change actions are embedded into the wider programme plan and not viewed as a separate stream of work and you will ensure that the Change strategy, plan and deliverables link to the wider agenda of change taking place in the firm and to the firm's strategy

You will focus on the people side of change and lead on core change management deliverables such as behavioural change, communications and training, to ensure successful user adoption and benefits realisation. 

You will act as an expert point of contact and coordinator for senior leaders, managers and supervisors to help in their role of change sponsor.

Specifically, you will:

• Carry out Change Impact Assessments, capturing impacts and actions to develop Change Plans that are aligned to and integrated with accompanying project or programme plans. 
• Own, maintain and deliver the Change Management plans, focusing on behavioural change, communication and training. 
• Work alongside Communication and Project colleagues and subject matter experts to develop communication products. Carry out communication channel analysis and recommend approaches appropriate to the impacted audience groups.
• Work collaboratively with Learning and Development colleagues to design training plans and develop training material. 
• Assist in identifying change benefits and success factors at the earliest possible stage in the programme to ensure a clear baseline/benchmark.
• Identify business risks to change resistance or compliance and identify/manage mitigations.
• Apply quality control to user-facing content to ensure style, language and tone adheres to overall Global Programme Group standards.
• Establish the Change Agent Network (e.g., local network, , champions, voice of the client) to help drive behaviour change and employee engagement. 
• Complete overall change readiness assessment.
• Lead initiatives to develop employees’ understanding and acceptance of impacts on specific job roles, policies, technology impacts and business practices.
• Design, develop and implement benefit realisation plans in support of the programme.
• Organise and deliver workshops, demonstrations, focus groups or other sessions for impacted audience groups or where business input needs to be facilitated.
• Map and manage detailed stakeholder relationships, leading on engagement with a broad range of business stakeholders and project sponsors. Manage and maintain the stakeholder plans. Actively coach and support critical business change enablers.
• Actively consider and drive support and adoption Plans.
• Establish clear handover plans to a 'Business As Usual' state, which include knowledge transfer, reinforcement and the ongoing ownership and monitoring of successful change.
• Work with senior leaders to help them manage potential resistance and build engagement and excitement across the firm.
• Act as the main point of contact between HR and the Programme team.
• Ensure alignment of all people-based activities within the programme with the wider HR strategy and plan
• Develop the people policies that will embed the new ways of working in the new workspace.
• Working with HR teams to Identify policy enhancements that will be required to support the new office environment and creating business cases for trial/ implementation.
• Understanding and alignment of HR roadmaps and initiatives to feed into the project.
• Ensure lessons from previous projects within the HR space are considered as part of the Programme.
• Engagement and co-ordination of all relevant HR team resources to ensure the right level of input is provided by Subject Matter Experts.
• Provide a consistent HR engagement across all sub-programme Steering Committees

Your career experience so far

• Demonstrable change management experience in professional services and across a range of other related industries.
• You will have experience in leading change within a workplace transformation programme, including workspace reduction and movement to activity-based working is preferred.
• Strong presentation, verbal and written communication skills with the ability to articulate complex ideas in easy to understand business terms to all levels of management including senior leaders.
• Ability to effectively manage multiple competing priorities with high attention to detail.
• Familiarity with project and programme management approaches, tools and methodologies.
• Possesses strong analytical skills, good listening skills with ability to effectively coach and mentor others; must be able to lead by influence. 
• Exhibits effective team skills.
• Demonstrable experience of working as part of a broader programme or project team on large-scale business transformations.
• It is desirable that the successful candidate will hold a Prosci Change Management certification and be able to evidence how they take a proven, people-focused approach to developing an agile, change-ready organisation.

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.

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.

Our one firm global strategy is focused on targeted growth led by the needs of our core clients, those who we can best support with the breadth and depth of Clifford Chance expertise, across the sectors and geographies, which matter most to them.

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.

Hybrid Working

This role follows our 'balanced' hybrid working approach and as long as business needs allow, you will be supported to work in a hybrid way with the expectation of working from the office for a minimum of 50% of your time.

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.

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