Desktop Application Developer Jobs in Illinois (NOW HIRING)

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.

Ropes & Gray is an equal opportunity employer.

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.

This role requires advanced and continuously updated expertise in the entire Microsoft stack, with deep knowledge of how Teams, Outlook (including Outlook New and plugins), OneDrive, and the Microsoft Office web apps interact and integrate. The Engineer must proactively evaluate new features, releases, and integrations, leading the adoption and configuration of technologies that maximize attorney productivity, workflow efficiency, and security.

The Senior Modern Desktop Application Engineer will partner closely with Desktop Engineering, Security, Application Support, and the Training team, providing technical leadership, strategic guidance, and comprehensive documentation. This role communicates complex technical concepts in clear, actionable terms to both technical and non-technical stakeholders, supporting the training team and other groups in developing effective user enablement strategies.

The Senior Modern Desktop Application Engineer is expected to lead continuous improvement initiatives, drive the adoption of modern workplace technologies, and ensure the firm's productivity environment remains at the forefront of industry best practices. The individual must demonstrate strong leadership, collaboration, and customer service skills, operating independently and as part of cross-functional teams.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• 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.

ESSENTIAL CAPABILITIES

• Ability to design and optimize complex, integrated Microsoft 365 environments (excluding SharePoint) to support business needs and legal workflows.
• Strong leadership, collaboration, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence and guide cross-functional teams.
• Flexibility and resilience in a rapidly evolving technology landscape, with a commitment to innovation and continuous improvement.
• Strong customer service mindset with a focus on attorney and staff productivity.
• Commitment to maintaining strict confidentiality and data security.
• Ability to both provide and accept constructive feedback and foster a culture of continuous learning.
• Ability to work effectively in a multi-office, globally distributed environment and build strong working relationships across teams.

EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE, AND SKILLS REQUIRED

• 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.
• Deep 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.

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. The actual offered rate for this position will be determined based on job-related, non-discriminatory factors, including qualifications and experience, geographic location, education, external market data and consideration of internal equity.

• Boston, Chicago, Washington, D.C.: $134,700 - $205,450
• New York: $145,800 - $222,350
• San Francisco, Silicon Valley: $151,900 - $231,650

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.

This list of duties and responsibilities is not intended to be all-inclusive and may be expanded to include other duties or responsibilities that management may deem necessary from time to time