Position: IT System Manager — Legal Systems

Location: Bengaluru, India (Remote)

Duration: Full Time

Purpose / Summary

Accountable for managing the full lifecycle of Legal department IT systems to ensure they meet business requirements, maintain compliance with internal controls, and support critical legal operations including litigation support, intellectual property management, contract lifecycle management, and regulatory compliance. This role focuses on ensuring system availability, data integrity, information security, and effective supplier management for legal technology platforms used across the global organization.

Core Responsibilities

System Lifecycle Management: Manage the complete lifecycle of assigned Legal IT systems from requirements gathering through implementation, operation, and eventual retirement. Ensure all systems remain fit for intended use and aligned with business needs throughout their lifecycle.
IT Risk Management: Conduct and maintain IT risk assessments (ITRA) for all Legal systems. Identify, document, and implement appropriate risk controls related to information security, data integrity, and personal data protection. Ensure risk mitigation strategies are effective and regularly reviewed.
Requirements & Design Management: Oversee the capture, documentation, and approval of user requirements. Ensure requirements are traceable to design specifications and verification activities. Lead design reviews and secure stakeholder approval before proceeding to implementation.
Vendor & Supplier Management: Manage relationships with Legal technology vendors including DocuSign, Exterro, and other SaaS providers. Assess supplier capabilities, negotiate and manage contracts, monitor service level agreements (SLAs), track KPIs, and conduct regular supplier performance reviews.
Implementation Planning & Execution: Define and maintain implementation plans scaled to system complexity and risk. Coordinate development, configuration, and testing activities. Ensure proper documentation and evidence retention throughout the implementation process.
Verification & Release Management: Oversee acceptance verification activities proportionate to system criticality. Ensure systems undergo appropriate testing (functional, integration, user acceptance) before release to production. Handle deviations according to established procedures.
Operational Management: Establish and maintain Operation & Maintenance (O&M) documentation. Ensure operational controls are in place including user access management, incident/problem handling, backup and recovery procedures, system monitoring, and access reviews.
Change & Configuration Management: Manage IT changes through established change control processes using ServiceNow ITSM, Azure DevOps, or GitHub. Ensure changes are properly classified, assessed, tested, and documented. Maintain configuration management records.
Compliance & Security: Ensure Legal systems comply with information security policies, data protection regulations (including personal data protection), and internal corporate standards. Coordinate with IT Security/InfoSec teams on security requirements and periodic security assessments.
Continuous Improvement: Drive periodic system evaluations to assess system health, performance, and risk posture. Identify opportunities for optimization, automation, and enhancement. Support initiatives to improve user experience and operational efficiency.

Key Tasks Mapped to Process Activities

Register and manage all Legal systems in ServiceNow ITOM with accurate system information, ownership, and lifecycle status.
Perform and document IT risk assessments (ITRA) for each system; implement and maintain appropriate risk mitigations and controls.
Prepare comprehensive implementation plans including supplier documentation processes, testing strategies, and rollout schedules.
Approve design reviews ensuring traceability between requirements, design specifications, and verification artifacts.
Execute development verification activities proportionate to risk and complexity (unit/integration/system testing where applicable).
Ensure O&M descriptions are created before system release and maintained throughout the system lifecycle.
Update operational documentation and ServiceNow records following system changes, upgrades, or configuration modifications.
Conduct periodic system evaluations, user access reviews, and supplier performance assessments according to established schedules.
Coordinate with Legal department stakeholders to understand evolving business needs and translate them into system requirements.
Support user training initiatives and maintain current system documentation for end users.

Required Skills & Experience

Experience: 5-8 years of experience managing business-critical IT systems in enterprise environments, preferably within pharmaceutical, life sciences, or other regulated industries. Experience with Legal technology systems strongly preferred.
System Management: Proven track record managing SaaS applications, desktop applications, and hybrid systems. Experience with electronic signature platforms, intellectual property management systems, or legal document management solutions highly valued.
Vendor Management: Strong experience with IT supplier management including contract negotiations, SLA monitoring, KPI tracking, and vendor performance management. Ability to build and maintain effective vendor relationships.
Risk & Compliance: Solid understanding of IT risk management principles, information security requirements, and data protection regulations. Experience conducting risk assessments and implementing appropriate controls.
Technical Tools: Hands-on experience with ITSM platforms (ServiceNow preferred), Application Lifecycle Management tools (Azure DevOps, GitHub), and documentation/tracking systems.
Stakeholder Management: Excellent stakeholder engagement skills with ability to work effectively with Legal department personnel, IT teams, procurement, security, and external vendors. Proven ability to translate business needs into technical requirements.
Communication: Strong written and verbal communication skills in English. Ability to document procedures, create implementation reports, and communicate technical concepts to non-technical audiences.
Remote Work Capability: Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a remote environment via Managed Services model. Self-motivated, organized, and capable of managing time across different time zones (coordination with US East Coast required).

Desirable Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Business Information Systems, or related field. Advanced degree or relevant professional certifications are a plus.
Certifications: ITIL Foundation or higher, Project Management Professional (PMP), Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), or relevant vendor certifications (e.g., DocuSign Certified Administrator, ServiceNow Certified System Administrator).
Legal Domain Knowledge: Familiarity with legal department operations, intellectual property processes, litigation support, contract management workflows, or regulatory compliance requirements in pharmaceutical industry.
Specialized Tools: Experience with Vault Quality, TIMS (Test Information Management System), ServiceNow ITOM, or pharmaceutical industry-specific applications.
Data Protection: Knowledge of GDPR, CCPA, or other data protection frameworks. Experience with personal data governance and privacy by design principles.

IT Systems Manager