Senior Modern Desktop Application Engineer

About Ropes & Gray

Ropes & Gray is a preeminent global law firm. The firm has been ranked in the top three on The American Lawyer's prestigious A-List for eight consecutive years and #1 on Law.com's UK A-List twice in the past three years—rankings that honor the "best of the best" law firms. The firm has approximately 2,500 lawyers and professionals serving clients in major centers of business, finance, technology, and government in Boston, Chicago, Dublin, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, Milan, New York, Paris, San Francisco, Seoul, Shanghai, Silicon Valley, Singapore, Tokyo and Washington, D.C. The firm has consistently been recognized for its leading practices in many areas, including asset management, private equity, M&A, finance, real estate, tax, antitrust, life sciences, health care, intellectual property, litigation & enforcement, privacy & cybersecurity, and business restructuring.

Overview

The Senior Modern Desktop Application Engineer is the firm’s highest-level technical authority for the design, integration, and lifecycle management of the Microsoft productivity ecosystem, including the full Microsoft 365 stack (Office, Teams, Outlook—including Outlook New and plugins—OneDrive, and related web and desktop apps), Litera solutions, and all Microsoft-integrated products except SharePoint. This position is responsible for designing, implementing, and continuously optimizing the firm’s desktop and web-based productivity environment, ensuring seamless interoperability, security, and user experience across all platforms.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and maintain the firm’s Microsoft 365 environment, including Office (desktop and web), Teams, Outlook (including Outlook New and plugins), OneDrive, and related applications.
• Serve as the subject matter expert on the integration and interoperability of Microsoft 365 applications (excluding SharePoint), Litera solutions, and other Microsoft-integrated products.
• Lead the evaluation, adoption, and configuration of new Microsoft features, updates, and integrations, with a focus on maximizing productivity, security, and workflow efficiency.
• Develop and enforce standards for configuration, deployment, and lifecycle management of Microsoft and Litera products across the firm’s desktop and web environments.
• Oversee the creation, maintenance, and version control of configuration and settings files for all Microsoft 365 and integrated applications.
• Lead technical planning, testing, and execution of major upgrades, migrations, and feature rollouts, including impact analysis, rollback planning, and user acceptance testing (UAT).
• Advise on and implement best practices for Teams collaboration, Outlook workflows (including Outlook New and plugin management), document management, and cross-platform integration.
• Act as the escalation point for complex technical issues related to the Microsoft stack, Litera, and integrated products, providing expert troubleshooting and remediation.
• Collaborate with Security, Infrastructure, and Application teams to ensure compliance, data protection, and optimal performance across all Microsoft platforms (excluding SharePoint).
• Produce clear, comprehensive technical and business documentation to support training, support, and ongoing operations.
• Communicate configuration changes, impacts, and best practices to User Support, IT Training, and other IS stakeholders.
• Support the training team by providing technical expertise, documentation, and guidance on new features, integrations, and configuration changes.
• Participate in Desktop Engineering ticket queues and on-call rotation, addressing escalated incidents and service requests.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives, staying current with emerging trends and technologies in the Microsoft ecosystem and legal technology.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or related field; advanced degree or relevant certifications (e.g., Microsoft Certified: Enterprise Administrator Expert, Teams Administrator, Messaging Administrator) preferred.
• 5+ years of hands-on experience designing, engineering, and supporting the full Microsoft 365 stack (Office, Teams, Outlook, OneDrive, web apps, and plugins) in an enterprise or legal environment.
• Advanced technical expertise in Microsoft Teams (including governance, integration, and advanced features), Outlook (including Outlook New, plugin management, and workflow optimization), OneDrive, and Office web applications.
• Demonstrated experience designing and managing complex integrations between Microsoft 365, Litera, and other third-party solutions.
• Advanced knowledge of legal document workflows, formatting standards, version comparison, and document management best practices.
• Proficiency in scripting, automation, and configuration management (e.g., PowerShell, Group Policy, Intune, Azure AD).
• Experience with application packaging, deployment, and lifecycle management in a distributed enterprise environment.
• Strong analytical, troubleshooting, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to resolve complex cross-platform issues.
• Business Analyst–level skills, including requirements gathering, process documentation, and stakeholder communication.
• Manual testing and UAT experience, with the ability to lead pilot programs and user feedback initiatives.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Proven ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced, multi-office, global environment.
• Strong project management, time management, and organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deliverables.
• Demonstrated commitment to continuous learning and professional development in Microsoft and legal technology.

Compensation And Total Rewards Package

Ropes & Gray is proud to offer a comprehensive Total Rewards package to our business support team members. The firm also offers comprehensive health and well-being benefits, personal and professional development, career growth opportunities and a collegial and supportive culture. The anticipated pay range for this role is listed below and represents our good faith and reasonable estimate of the starting salary range at the time of posting. In addition, this role is eligible for a discretionary bonus based on performance.

Working Conditions

This position requires hybrid on-site presence as an essential function of the role. Consistent and predictable on-site presence is required for ongoing business continuity, professional development and effective collaboration with colleagues and management. Standard office environment; flexibility to work hours necessary to fulfill position responsibilities.