Application Operations Manager

Clyde & Co•Kansas City, MO

5d•Hybrid

About The Position

Clyde & Co is seeking an experienced Applications Operations Manager to lead and develop a high-performing Applications Operations team within a global IT environment. This hands-on leadership role combines people management with application operations, incident and problem management, service delivery, and continuous improvement. The manager ensures supported application environments are effectively operated and leads the team through incidents, changes, releases, and operational priorities. The role works collaboratively with colleagues across the global IT organisation and supports end users across the business. The team is responsible for ongoing application-environment operations and support, including releases, changes, service requests, monitoring, incident resolution, and operational maintenance. The manager develops the team, fosters a positive and collaborative working environment, and communicates the team's results and achievements across the wider organisation. The position also contributes to the wider IT leadership community, builds relationships with the business, and helps deliver technology services that support the firm and its clients. The working pattern is two days in the office and three days remotely. The position is permanent.

Requirements

Proven experience directly managing an Applications Operations team, ideally within a law firm or professional services environment.
Strong people leadership skills, including 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 in incident, problem, and change management, including managing operational queues and escalated issues.
Experience with infrastructure and operational KPIs, reporting tools, and metrics, and the ability to analyse trends and identify improvements.
Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, including confidence researching technical issues and driving problems 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 explain 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.

Nice To Haves

A degree in Computer Science or a related discipline is preferred.

Responsibilities

Lead, develop, and retain a high-performing Applications Operations team through coaching, mentoring, career development, and performance management.
Manage team capacity, skills, and resources to balance operational requirements, cost goals, and customer service quality.
Oversee application and platform changes, releases, service requests, and operational maintenance across supported environments.
Lead application incident management and resolution, including root cause analysis, corrective actions, and viable workarounds.
Act as an escalation point for major incidents and outages, including outside normal working hours where required; coordinate teams and drive issues to resolution.
Develop and maintain incident, ticket-handling, and escalation processes; track KPIs and analyse trends to identify improvements.
Monitor application-environment health 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 activities are completed and documented in accordance with required standards, methods, and procedures.
Identify system or service improvements from operational trends and recommend changes or reconfigurations.
Oversee team training procedures and ensure 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 relationships across IT and the wider business, communicate technical information clearly, and manage stakeholder expectations.
Contribute to the wider IT leadership team by encouraging collaboration, accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement.