Knowledge and Information Officer - Corporate

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.

The Role

Job Overview

The Corporate Knowledge and Information Officer plays a pivotal role in proactively addressing the knowledge and information needs of the London Corporate practice. The role sits within the Corporate Knowledge and Information team which has a particular focus on Corporate Transactions & Advisory and Private Equity, while also providing additional support to other Corporate groups as needed. 

The role would suit someone who is a self-starter with experience of working in knowledge and information in Corporate M&A.  Strong communication skills and an ability to engage core users is required as well as familiarity with knowledge systems and experience in managing and developing knowledge collections.

It is an interesting and varied role situated within the London Corporate practice where internal client face to face interactions are maximised and collaboration across groups and practice areas encouraged.  If you are passionate about knowledge and keen to contribute to the London Corporate knowledge ecosystem through knowledge awareness campaigns, this could be the role for you.

The goal of Knowledge and Information Services is to ensure all internal clients (fee earning and business professionals) have access to knowledge and information resources which meet business needs cost effectively.  This is achieved by:

• Sourcing and delivering a range of services and systems which facilitate timely access to and retrieval of relevant and current information.
• Training clients so they have the expertise to research efficiently using the services and systems provided.
• Promoting what is available to raise awareness of knowledge and information resources.
• Continuous development of the service in alignment with Firm strategy. 

Who you will work with

The Knowledge and Information Officer (KIO) is part of the  Corporate Information team which comprises a Manager and two Knowledge and Information Officers.  The team works closely with the group's Knowledge Lawyers, as well as collaborating with Knowledge and Information colleagues across the network, to deliver the highest level of service to the Firm and support strategic objectives.

What you will be responsible for

The KIO has responsibility for the day-to-day delivery of the service and will proactively contribute to its development in conjunction with other team members.  The KIO will primarily be required to:

• Act as primary contact for specific practice groups and products within Corporate.
• Develop and maintain knowledge and information resources.
• Raise awareness and deliver training on knowledge and information resources.
• Proactively drive knowledge culture
• Contribute to and occasionally lead projects.
• Undertake enquiry work

What you will do

Act as primary contact for specific practice groups or products

• Develop effective working relationships within the practice groups and ensure their information requirements are developed and met.
• Regularly undertake feedback exercises across the groups regarding their resources and act upon results.
• Engage with lawyers at all levels to encourage knowledge sharing.

Develop and maintain knowledge and information resources

• Capture and organise knowledge and information for inclusion in internal knowledge systems.
• Develop and maintain practice group intranet pages to ensure accessibility to relevant resources.
• Develop and maintain additional knowledge and information resources in response to feedback as required.

Raise awareness and deliver training on knowledge and information resources

• Ensure internal clients are aware of relevant internal and external knowledge and information resources eg the knowledge bank (knowhow, templates, precedents and bound volumes), Corporate knowledge collections and databases (Lexis+ and Westlaw).
• Identify training opportunities for existing clients and new joiners and contribute to their development and delivery e.g. one-to-one, group presentations, online and hardcopy guides.
• Participate in the assessment of subscription databases and make recommendations based on an understanding of internal client needs.

Proactively drive knowledge culture

• Raise awareness of the importance and relevance of knowledge capture.
• Use training to and deal reviews to reinforce the importance.
• Identify opportunities to embed and increase Knowledge Culture.
• Act as a Knowledge Champion

Contribute to and lead on projects

• Represent the team on various projects and committees across the Knowledge & Information (K&I) community.
• Contribute to, identify and (when required) lead projects.

Undertake enquiry work

• Respond to information enquiries from the practice area and beyond, which range in subject matter and complexity, to established service levels.

These illustrate specific responsibilities required to fulfill the scope of Role and are subject to change in response to business needs.

Your Experience

• You will have the ability to develop a good understanding of the work of the practice areas to appreciate internal clients' information needs.
• Able to deliver tailored training to meet identified needs.
• You will have information work experience, gained preferably in a Knowledge/Research/Library/Information Services department within a Legal or Professional Services firm.
• You will have experience of Excel, iManage, SharePoint Online, and intranets.
• Experience of online database research and managing and developing knowledge collections and resources is preferred.

Qualifications:             

• Educated to degree level or equivalent. Knowledge Management, Information Management, Information Sciences, or related discipline is preferred.

Skills:

Interaction      

• You will have excellent communication skills to confidently build relationships with internal clients at all levels in the Firm.  You will be able to communicate effectively with external third parties to maintain effective relationships to benefit the Firm.
• Proactively meet with internal clients on a regular basis, keeping the practice area informed of developments and obtaining feedback.  Ability to review feedback to provide solutions.
• Convey technical and general information clearly and concisely to a non-technical audience, thus establishing trust and credibility in ability to provide appropriate solutions as a trusted advisor.
• Build effective working relationships within the allocated practice area, across different practice area K&I teams and third party providers, through networking and use of personal influence. 
• Liaise and collaborate with the Knowledge Lawyers in the practice area to update and maintain information resources.
• External interactions may consist of attending networking events with other K&I professionals, such as those held by recognised professional bodies, to build a network that could benefit the firm.

Decision Making

• You will make decisions within clear guidelines about the types of issues that should be resolved independently and those that should be escalated, demonstrating sound judgment.
• Interpret existing policies and practices and input into the development of new or amended procedures.
• Understand that decisions will impact the effectiveness and perception of the service.
• Effectively prioritise workload.

Problem Solving          

• You will display initiative and a proactive approach to resolving problems, often requiring lateral thinking.
• Handle a range of challenging enquiries; draw upon past experience and expertise to quickly identify and interpret the nature of any problem.
• Seek clarification or assistance from other members of the team or the wider K&I community, as well as the line manager when appropriate.
• May be required to identify technical solutions to problems.  This may entail liaison with internal and/or external third parties .
• Take ownership of tasks.

Leadership     

• Maintain the confidentiality of the firm and its clients at all times.
• Lead by example and act as a mentor for less experienced team members.
• Be a primary point of contact for internal clients with information needs.
• May also be required to lead activities/projects in the team e.g. rolling out a new online subscription; promoting a new knowledge product; give regular progress reports to their line manager.

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.

Equal Opportunities

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.

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 here.

Work pattern

09:30 – 5:30, Monday to Friday.

Hybrid working (at least 50% office attendance over any two-week period) subject to business requirements