Job Description

This is an opportunity to take ownership of IT for a growing, multi-site regional law firm and help shape how technology supports the business as it develops.

We’re working with an established regional law firm with a strong presence across Yorkshire and Lancashire to recruit its first dedicated Head of IT.

The firm has reached the point where IT can’t continue to sit between operations, a junior internal resource and an outsourced MSP. They need somebody experienced enough to take ownership, work out what’s good and what isn’t, create structure, manage suppliers properly and start driving the technology agenda at leadership level – while remaining practical and close to the people using the systems.

This is a newly created role reporting directly to the Managing Director and sitting on the Senior Leadership Team. You’ll have the autonomy to decide what needs improving and the backing to make those changes happen.

One of your first priorities will be the firm’s recently implemented practice management system. It’s fully live, but it hasn’t yet delivered everything the business expected. You’ll take ownership of the relationship with the supplier and other stakeholders, understand where the issues sit and drive the improvements needed.

You’ll also take responsibility for the outsourced MSP, develop the junior member of the internal IT team and bring greater structure to IT across the business.

Longer term, they want somebody who’ll give technology a proper voice at leadership level – particularly around security, automation, AI and making better use of systems across the firm.

What we’re looking for

You could already be a Head of IT, or an experienced IT Manager ready to take full ownership of a technology function.

You’ll ideally bring:

• Experience working within a law firm or supporting legal-sector clients, with a good understanding of how technology supports fee earners and legal operations.
• Experience owning or administering a legal practice or case management system.
• Strong Microsoft 365 experience, including administration, security and cloud environments.
• A good understanding of Entra ID, identity and access management, MFA and Conditional Access.
• Experience managing and challenging an outsourced MSP or other technology suppliers.
• The technical confidence to assess recommendations, identify risks and make informed decisions rather than simply relying on external providers.
• Experience managing or developing more junior IT colleagues.
• The confidence to work directly with directors and contribute at Senior Leadership Team level.
• A practical approach. This isn’t a role for somebody who wants to sit above the day-to-day operation of IT.

You’ll need to be comfortable operating autonomously - someone who can investigate an issue, form a view and decide what happens next.

The technology environment

The business is fully cloud-based and you’ll be working across:

• Microsoft 365
• Entra ID
• Exchange Online
• SharePoint and Teams
• Actionstep
• Microsoft Graph and APIs
• PowerShell
• Git and GitHub
• GitHub Actions
• Existing PHP-based applications and integrations
• Cloud-based desktop and business systems
• Security, backup, resilience and business continuity

We’re not expecting somebody to be an expert in every part of that stack. What matters is that you have enough technical depth to understand the environment, work effectively with specialists and take ownership of what needs to happen.

The kind of environment you’ll be joining

This is a relatively non-hierarchical business where heads of department are trusted to run their areas.

You’ll have plenty of freedom, but you’ll also need to get involved. Particularly in the early stages, you’ll spend time across the business understanding how people work, where the frustrations are and what needs fixing.

You’ll also be introducing change into a busy professional-services environment. Being technically corect isn’t enough; you’ll need to explain why something matters, influence people and bring them with you.

Salary and benefits

• £55,000–£65,000 depending on experience
• Up to two days working from home each week
• 23 days’ annual leave plus bank holidays
• Paid Christmas closure
• Additional day off for your birthday
• Holiday entitlement increasing with service
• Option to purchase additional annual leave
• Healthcare cash plan
• Employer pension contribution
• Employee Assistance Programme and private/remote GP support
• Life assurance
• Perkbox employee benefits
• Paid volunteering day
• Discounted legal services
• Corporate gym discount

The role is Monday to Friday, 9am–5pm with an hour for lunch. Your main office can be flexible, although regular travel between the firm’s offices will be required.

If you want the opportunity to take ownership of an IT function, improve what’s already there and become the person driving technology forward across the business, we’d like to hear from you.

Equal Opportunity: Humnize represents clients that are equal opportunity employers and do not discriminate based on race, nationality, gender, religion, age, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, or any other protected category. We and our clients celebrate diversity and are committed to creating inclusive environments for all employees.

Please note: in line with the UK employment law, candidates must be eligible to live and work in the UK, and upon offer, proof of eligibility will be required.