Head of IT

Mewburn Ellis is the forward-looking IP firm. We work with organisations building the brands and technologies that will define tomorrow. We help them use their intellectual property to navigate that journey, to imagine, plan, nurture, protect and deliver their innovations to market. We strive for quality in everything we do, this includes fostering high-quality careers for our people. We want all colleagues to have long-lasting careers, that will stretch, challenge and reward them. We have a culture that is open, inclusive and centred on learning and our goal is to help every individual reach their potential.

There has never been a more exciting time to work for a firm like Mewburn Ellis. We are an ambitious and growing firm that put our people at the heart of what we do which was recognised in 2024 when we were officially named as a Great Place To Work™ a recognition that we have maintained since. We are also proud to have been awarded the prestigious EcoVadis Platinum Medal in 2024. Mewburn Ellis is the world’s first Intellectual Property firm to receive this medal, which is the highest rating you can earn in sustainable business practices. We have offices across the UK in Bristol, Cambridge, London and Manchester and our European office is in Munich.

The role involves leading the secure, compliant and reliable operation of Mewburn’s technology environment and delivering high-quality IT services to colleagues across the firm. Reporting to the Chief Technology Officer (CTO), the role translates technology strategy and standards into reliable and high-quality day-to-day services that enable colleagues to work efficiently and serve clients effectively. You will lead a team of ten people with three direct reports covering the IT department service delivery, operations and project management functions. The role has operational accountability for IT service delivery, training, cyber security, technology compliance, infrastructure and operational resilience. The Head of IT also manages suppliers and ensures that incidents, risks, controls and service performance are managed effectively. In addition, the role leads the IT project management function, ensuring that technology projects are effectively governed, appropriately resourced and delivered successfully into operational service.

Working closely with the CTO and senior stakeholders, the Head of IT ensures that new technology is successfully transitioned into service and provides clear assurance on service quality, security, compliance and operational risk. Your relationship with the CTO will be highly collaborative and you will have input into shaping the technology roadmap of the firm. This is a hybrid role, requiring office attendance in Bristol for 50% of your time over a two-week period.

What’s in it for you? We have an excellent benefit package which includes:

• Competitive salary
• 30 days leave (exc. Bank Holidays)
• Generous pension scheme
• Enhanced family leave
• Firmwide discretionary bonus
• Paid day off for charitable endeavours
• Healthcare Cash Plan Scheme
• Discount Voucher Scheme
• Workplace ISA
• Care concierge

Our successful growth story is down to our people. And we take the wellbeing of our people seriously offering a huge suite of initiatives to de-stress, engage and enthuse. We care about wider society too and the communities in which we operate, read about our Forward Community Programme to find out more about how we're giving back.

About you: You are an accomplished and energetic IT leader with significant experience in professional services, ideally gained within the legal sector working under a partnership model. You understand the demands of a regulated, client-focused environment and have successfully led service delivery, compliance and technology operations. You are driven to deliver the highest standard of quality in both your work and that of your team. You are a collaborative leader with a can-do attitude who makes things happen. You spot problems early, develop practical solutions and drive actions through to completion. Comfortable setting direction as well as getting close to delivery, you bring pace, structure and sound judgement without creating unnecessary bureaucracy. You are confident leading teams, managing suppliers and influencing senior stakeholders. You remain calm during incidents, communicate clearly and create a culture in which people take responsibility for delivering secure, reliable and consistently high-quality IT services.

Skills and Experience:

• Significant IT leadership experience within a regulated professional services and client-focused organisation.
• Proven experience leading IT operations, infrastructure and service delivery, with accountability for high quality and reliable business-critical technology services.
• Demonstrable experience working within an ISO 27001-certified or aligned environment, including operating its policies, controls, risk processes, audit requirements and continual improvement activities.
• A strong record of developing IT teams, managing suppliers and communicating effectively with senior stakeholders.
• A proactive, commercially aware and results-focused approach, with evidence of identifying improvements and driving them through to completion.
• Proven experience overseeing the delivery of multiple IT projects, with responsibility for project governance, scope, plans, budgets, resources, risks, dependencies and stakeholder reporting.

We’re committed to equal opportunities and welcome a broad diversity of talent to apply. We reserve the right to cease advertising should we receive a high number of applicants.

Your privacy: As part of our recruitment process, Mewburn Ellis collects and processes personal data relating to job applicants. Read our Job Applicant Privacy Policy for more details.

Note for agencies: Mewburn Ellis work with a select number of agencies to support our recruitment. CVs will only be accepted from agencies who have been briefed specifically on this vacancy. We ask that you do not to send speculative CVs, or candidate details, for this vacancy. We will reach out directly if we require additional support with this role.