Osborne Clarke are seeking an experienced Head of IT Strategy & Architecture to join our growing IT department in either our Bristol or London office.

This newly created position will play a crucial role in translating the firm's vision and strategy into tangible IT deliverables, aligning technologies with business initiatives by developing the IT strategy, defining architecture principles and standards and overseeing the design and implementation of IT solutions.

This a permanent position offering hybrid working.

The role

The Head of IT Strategy & Architecture will lead the governance of strategy & architecture across the IT function, defining strategies and mapping architectural design to ensure technology solutions are aligned to business goals.

Other key responsibilities include:

IT Architecture Design: Defining and maintaining the IT architecture framework, ensuring scalability, reliability, and security of systems. Developing technology roadmaps and standards to guide technology investments and implementations

Business Alignment: Collaborating with business leaders to understand their needs, identifying opportunities for technology-driven solutions, and ensuring IT initiatives support business objectives

Innovation and Emerging Technologies: Staying updated on emerging technologies, assessing their potential impact on the organisation, and making recommendations for adoption or integration to drive innovation and competitive advantage

IT Governance: Establishing and enforcing IT governance processes, policies, and standards to ensure effective decision-making, risk management, and compliance with regulations and industry best practices

Vendor Management: Evaluating and selecting technology vendors, negotiate contracts, and manage vendor relationships to ensure the delivery of high-quality products and services

Team Leadership: Leading and managing the IT strategy and architecture team, providing guidance, mentoring, and fostering a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement

Stakeholder Engagement: Engaging with key stakeholders, including senior executives, department heads, and external partners, to understand their requirements, gain buy-in, and ensuring effective communication and collaboration

Budgeting and Resource Management: Developing and managing the IT strategy and architecture budget, ensuring optimal utilisation of resources and cost-effective technology investments

Performance Monitoring and Reporting: Establishing metrics and performance indicators to monitor the effectiveness of IT strategy and architecture initiatives. Providing regular reports and updates to senior management on progress, risks, and opportunities.

We are looking for

• Experience in IT strategy development, enterprise architecture, and technology planning.
• Strong knowledge of emerging technologies, industry trends, and best practices in IT strategy and architecture, including emerging legal technology trends, such as artificial intelligence (AI) in legal research, contract analysis, and predictive analytics.
• Excellent leadership and people management skills, with the ability to inspire and motivate teams
• Strong business acumen and the ability to align IT initiatives with organisational goals
• Exceptional communication and stakeholder management skills
• Proven experience in vendor management, contract negotiation, and relationship building
• Strategic thinking and problem-solving abilities
• Project management skills and the ability to drive multiple initiatives simultaneously
• Knowledge of IT governance frameworks and regulatory compliance
• Relevant qualifications and certifications in IT strategy, enterprise architecture, or related fields

Technical Skills

• Familiarity with legal-specific software and solutions such as document management systems, e-discovery tools, case management systems, contract management platforms, and legal research databases
• Knowledge of legal compliance requirements specific to the legal industry, including data protection regulations (e.g., GDPR), confidentiality, and client data management
• Understanding of process automation tools and workflow management systems to streamline legal processes, improve efficiency, and reduce manual work
• Proficiency in using legal research databases and resources to support legal professionals in conducting legal research, case analysis, and precedent identification.
• Expertise in implementing robust information security measures tailored to the legal industry, including secure client communication, secure file sharing, and protection of sensitive legal documents
• Knowledge of project management methodologies and tools specifically applied to legal projects, including matter management, budgeting, and resource allocation
• Understanding of electronic court filing systems and processes to facilitate electronic submission of legal documents and compliance with court requirements.
• Ability to leverage legal analytics tools and reporting platforms to extract insights, track legal performance metrics, and support data-driven decision-making.
• Legal Industry Regulations: Familiarity with regulations specific to the legal industry, such as legal professional privilege, data retention requirements, and conflict of interest rules.

Salary and benefits

We offer competitive salaries and generous benefits

For more information or to apply

We would very much welcome your application using the link provided. Should you have any questions about the role, or would like to find out more about the firm, please contact Dan Jones at dan.jones@osborneclarke.com.

At Osborne Clarke we value difference and encourage applicants from all social backgrounds, ethnicities, disabilities, gender identities, and sexual or romantic orientations. We want everyone to feel that OC is a place where you can be yourself and where you belong, and our range of interest groups and diversity networks - not to mention our great teams - are a part of making that a reality.

Being an inclusive employer is important to us and we are committed to ensuring every applicant's recruitment experience is free from unnecessary barriers. We have made a number of external commitments such as the Race Fairness Commitment and Women in Law Pledge, and are working with organisations like Stonewall to become a more inclusive employer. We want you to be able to show us your best during the recruitment process. If you require any adjustments to be made during the application, interview process or when working with us, please let us know.

If you have a dis/ability+, to include physical disability, hidden disability, long-term health condition or neurodivergence and meet the requirements listed in this job advert, we would be delighted to offer you a guaranteed interview. We want you to be able to show us your best during the recruitment process.

We support working families via a range of family and caring friendly policies and will accommodate flexible working where we can. We value the health and wellbeing of our people: for example, we're signatories to the Mindful Business Charter, have an active network of mental health champions and offer free initiatives and flexible benefits to all our people.

Although we include closing dates for our roles as a guide, we review and progress applications on a rolling basis.

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