"IT increasingly plays a critical role in not only shaping our organisation, but ensuring we deliver an outstanding service to our clients. Investing in this programme signals our commitment to developing the IT leaders of the future"
- Laura Yeates, Head of Graduate Talent
You might have studied computer science, taught yourself to code in the evenings or be developing an app on the side of your history degree. The only thing you must have is a passion and affinity for the transformational power of technology.
We're offering two opportunities for you to join us either as an IT End User Engineer or as an IT Infrastructure and Network Engineer. Our two-year rotational development programme is designed specifically for those with a passion and aptitude for IT who are keen to be at the forefront of shaping our business, using state of the art technology.
Your development won't just come from working with, and learning from, our market leading team of experts. Through hands on experience and responsibility, our programme is designed to give you the breadth of experience you need to emerge as a confident IT engineer.
You'll be involved in strategic, complex, global projects from day 1. You'll be working with a team shaped by diverse experience across multiple sectors and jurisdictions. If you're fascinated by IT, want to work collaboratively with industry experts and are determined to make a difference with your career, our programme could be perfect for you.
The two-year programme is just the start of your journey. When you roll-off the programme you'll have the opportunity to secure a permanent role within the team.
Your first 6 months will be within the Access and Identity Management team. You will then rotate into End User Technology, which focuses on End user device and infrastructure to support this followed by the Unified Communications and Collaboration teams which covers everything from Email through to telephony.
What you will be responsible for;
You will show a clear passion and affinity for technology. This passion will translate as a willingness to quickly learn and develop new skills and understanding across multiple disciplines. You will show a keenness to understand how the many different facets of Infrastructure Engineering contribute to the success of an organisation.
"The development of our new IT Engineer graduate programme will place these exceptional individuals at the very heart of driving business transformation using cutting edge technology" - Steve Kennedy, Head of End User Services
Working within the Infrastructure Engineering teams, you will provide support for operational issues along with actively contributing to developing the technologies in these areas through projects and design improvements.
Your first 12 months will be within the Network Engineering and Security team. You will then rotate between the Systems Engineering and Storage, UNIX and Backup team for the final 12 months of the programme.
What you will be responsible for;
You will show a clear passion and affinity towards the various infrastructure technologies that are used to support and drive our organisation, including networks, network security, systems engineering, cloud and storage. This passion will translate as a willingness to quickly learn and develop new skills and understanding across multiple disciplines, and to a keenness to understand how the many different facets of Infrastructure Engineering contribute to the success of our organisation.
"IT Infrastructure is the beating heart of the technology that supports every facet of our business. This IT graduate programme offers a unique opportunity to work across multiple disciplines of IT Infrastructure and the potential to ultimately develop into a specialist role from which to build a versatile and hugely marketable career from"- Ian Llewellyn, Head of Infrastructure Engineering
We are committed to your professional development. As such, our two-year rotational programme will provide you not only with the technical knowledge you'll need to thrive in your future career, but also continued professional development through our Clifford Chance Academy and externally recognised training and qualifications.
Your career development will be overseen by one of our Graduate Development Specialists who will work in partnership with you over the two years to tailor a development plan specific to your professional goals and aspirations.
We also recognise the importance of peer support and senior stakeholder champions in ensuring you reach your fullest potential. As such you will be assigned an individual supervisor, fee-earner trainee buddy and a mentor from the wider Business Professional population.
You will commence your graduate programme at the same time as our legal trainees commence their Training Contract, allowing you to complete our award-winning three-day induction. This will be followed by function specific induction programmes.
This three-day programme has been designed with essential input from key stakeholders in the firm – from the London Managing Partner, Michael Bates, to trainees who have been through the learning process themselves.
Our induction provides a combination of essential training and interactive learning designed not only to develop key skills and working practices, but also to give you a clear idea as to how your role fits into the London office and the wider Clifford Chance strategy. It combines practical learning, insight and skills in a safe and supportive environment before you transition into your first rotation.
Our trainee induction was named 'Best Graduate Onboarding and Induction Programme' at the 2019 Institute of Student Employers Awards and recognised as the 'Best Onboarding Experience' at the 2020 TARGETjobs Awards.
Applications close: 18th November 2021 at 23:59
Assessment day: 2nd December 2021
Commencement of Programme: 28th February 2022
Selection process: Online application form and an assessment day. You will be notified as to the outcome of your application on w/c 29th November. The assessment day is comprised of two interviews. A competency-based interview and an interview with a case study element. You will have the option to interview in-person or remotely. This will be dependent on Covid-19 regulations and our office policies relating to this, at the time.
The application process shouldn't be taken lightly. It's your chance to demonstrate what you can bring to Clifford Chance.
It's important to present how unique you are as a candidate, so make sure to prepare by thinking about what makes you stand out. Put thought into your answers. Our application process is rigorous: and with good reason. We've designed it to be as fair as possible without compromising on standards.
The application form is your chance to shine, so think about how you can differentiate yourself from the other applicants. Include only the strongest and clearest examples to illustrate your answers and make every word count.
We're looking for people who are genuinely interested and motivated by a career in IT within a commercial law firm. We receive a lot of strong applications, so it is essential that your passion and personality come through.
We'll take any mitigating circumstances relating to your academic record into consideration only if they've been submitted and approved by your exam board or relevant body. Please give full details in the relevant section at the end of the application form.
We'll also ask for proof in writing from your exam board and verification by a third party such as your doctor or tutor. This information will usually need to be returned within 24 hours of our request.
Screening of the application forms is handled with great professionalism and we consider each and every application carefully. We're proud to be the first Firm to adopt contextual recruitment within our selection process.
We do not operate on a rolling recruitment basis so you'll only be notified of the outcome of your application after the deadline. Once you have submitted your application, you will not be able to make any further amendments to your submission. We will only review your original application.
On applying, you will be asked to upload a CV and covering letter – this is a mandatory system requirement but is not reviewed for any graduate roles. Anything you upload here will not be read by the graduate team.
Watch our video here for advice on your application.
Our assessment day consists of two interviews. Your competency interview will be focused on learning more about you, your skills and experiences and your motivations for applying for the programme. Your case study interview will be more practical and will focus on your responses to a case study scenario. This will include a presentational element.
Assessment date: 2nd December 2021
You will be notified whether you have been invited to interview w/c : 22nd November 2021
Offers to be made w/c: 6th December 2021
Commencement of Programme: 28th February 2022
Our interviews will be completely paperless and managed via a digital assessment day platform. This is part of our commitment to contributing to a greener way of recruiting and in line with signatory status of the Sustainable Recruitment Alliance.
February 2022 intake
Recent graduates. Any degree discipline.
February 2023 intake
Final year students. Any degree discipline.
There are no minimum A level grade or degree classification requirements for this programme. We're looking for individuals with a diverse set of interests and skills outside of your university studies. It's important to demonstrate an;
We are particularly interested in female candidates and candidates from Black and minority ethnic backgrounds.
We don't, it must be noted, recruit on a rolling basis, but look at all applications after the closing date. Before you apply, have you visited our Live and On Demand pages? Here you'll find opportunities to equip you with the skills, knowledge and networks to succeed no matter where you are on your journey.
Diversity and inclusiveness are at the heart of our culture.
We can make reasonable adjustments within our application process to ensure that you have the best chance of success. We understand that there’s not a “one size fits all” approach to adjustments so our team will work with you individually to understand what your lived experience and any support you need.
We understand that it can be difficult to share your lived experience around a disability (visible or non-visible), long term health condition or injury, however it is beneficial for you to share your lived experience so that we can assist you through the process and ensure you have the right level of support. Any conversations we have will be confidential.
Example requests that can be accommodated are;
First-year graduate: £38,000
Second-year graduate: £40,000
You can also expect to enjoy a comprehensive benefits package – one that includes;
MEET THE TEAM
You will have the opportunity to chat directly with programme champions Ian Llewellyn (Head of Infrastructure Engineering) and Steve Kennedy (Head of End User Services) to find out more about why we set up our new graduate IT Engineering programme and why this function is so critical to the future of our business. You'll also chat directly with Toby Horner (Graduate Recruitment Team Manager) to hear more about what we're looking for from candidates. You can ask questions directly to our programme supervisors Marie Lawrence and Vishnu Chudasama and find out everything you need to know about a career in IT Engineering.
Date: Wednesday 3rd November 2021
Time: 5-6pm
At Clifford Chance, we embrace a learning culture, where individuals are supported in their pursuit of opportunities for their professional and personal development. The Clifford Chance Global Academy provides classroom and online training for all of our people.
Our courses help our people develop consistently excellent legal, business and commercial skills, which will assist us as a firm in meeting our goals, and be of life-long benefit to the individuals who participate in them. Courses are highly interactive and practical, delivered by expert trainers and specifically tailored to Clifford Chance.
We attach great importance to high-quality technical training for our lawyers, but our legal perspectives must be married with a sharp business focus. This depends on developing stronger understanding of clients' operating environments, so we have expanded programmes that support relationship-building, business development, management and sector focus workshops, as well as supporting your personal growth through leadership development and self-management skills.
'The IT industry is constantly changing so my advice would be to understand how your work helps achieve the companies' strategy and be willing to adapt quickly.'
I have worked on many projects over the years but the one I am most proud of is implementing a new auditing and monitoring solution for security and compliance to help maintain our data security. I had no previous experience of coordinating such a project so to plan, test and install the agent on 50+ Domain Controllers and 30+ Exchange servers within a tight deadline was a huge challenge.
This was a big responsibility but one I was able to succeed in and now I continue to be the Subject Matter Expert which is a real personal achievement and career highlight.
'Come ready to listen and be challenged in your ideas but more importantly bring your own experience to the table. Your perspective will always add value to the conversation.'
As an international law firm, we often receive specific requests from different jurisdictions which can bring many challenges. However, it is exciting to collaborate with colleagues from different offices as we keep innovating in our solutions to meet local and global requirements. The pace of the evolution in technology can quickly render a stable solution into an outdated proposition so I love to be part of the process of finding new solutions and helping to improve the users' experiences.
If you love learning and like to solve problems in an ever-evolving environment, then this field will keep you entertained for many years to come. You'll also have the privilege to work with a very passionate, creative, and intelligent group of individuals.
'I love that my role requires me to be innovative and to come up with new solutions that best suit the needs of the firm'
There is a lot of variety in my work but a typical day for me might look something like the below:
'What I love most is being able to work with a vast group of diverse people with different cultural backgrounds, both nationally and internationally. This makes me feel like I am making a difference to the day-to-day operation of the firm'
I am responsible for the firm's IT systems and application access for all its employees globally. This means that within my role, I am the gatekeeper of the firm's IT systems access and as such I am audited and responsible for the compliance of user accounts and network access.
As I have a global role a career highlight has been the opportunity to travel across the globe to the Far East, US and Europe in order to gain a better understanding of the needs of our different offices. Experiencing other cultures and growing my internal network has been invaluable in helping me to deliver an exceptional service to our stakeholders.
'I have been at Clifford Chance for 11 years and no day is the same. I have a global role so every day I am designing solutions alongside colleagues from all over the world.'
My role as Principal Network Engineer is to design, implement and lead network projects which could include a new office build, new wireless solution or troubleshooting complex issues with other teams.
The most complicated aspect to my job is quickly learning the new technologies that we need to engineer, whilst maintaining knowledge on the existing solutions.
A particular career highlight was moving our data centre from our headquarters in London to an offsite data centre which took six months from beginning to end and involved many teams and stakeholders. It was hard work, involving lots of out of hours work, but was hugely rewarding to see the end result with almost no impact to the business. I am proud of this project as it could not have been completed without superb teamwork and dedication.
'I particularly enjoy collaborating with other teams and meeting Vendors to understand how new products can be adapted to meet the requirements of the firm'
The most complicated part of my role is balancing how we meet client requirements whilst still providing the tools and platforms for people to carry out their work and have a good experience. This is sometimes difficult due to the global footprint of the firm and the different requirements regionally. I would say that my ability to remain calm when experiencing challenges and my analytical approach helps me provide a great service to various teams when discussing solutions to difficult issues.
A project that I'm most proud of is migrating the firm's document management system to a cloud-based platform whilst 90% of the firm were working from home. We had very few issues and were able to migrate 8500 machines globally to the new system over 7 months. Most importantly people were able to seamlessly access documents so there was minimal disruption to the end-user.
'IT has offered me a very lively and challenging career where I have been able to evolve in the field and climb the ladder'
As an international business we have multiple IT teams who work collaboratively to provide a seamless service. The most exciting part of my role is the opportunity to share skills and knowledge with these diverse teams, and I get a lot of satisfaction from identifying solutions and solving very challenging problems.
For recent graduates seeking a career in IT I would say that IT offers plenty of opportunities and paths to progress in line with your interests and passions. Since graduating I have had lots of training and successfully managed multiple different projects – and most importantly, I enjoy what I do!
