Head of Knowledge & Innovation in Cheltenham

Are you keen to find an exciting new role where you will be part of a dynamic, forward‐thinking, agile team? If so, come and join us on the journey.

We are a dynamic and growing law firm with a current turnover of approximately £65m, serving a diverse client base across multiple practice areas and with an ambition to achieve significant growth within the next five years. Our focus is on delivering exceptional value and innovative solutions to clients while maintaining sustainable profitability.

Our strategy, Destination 2030, is all about helping our clients to navigate change to find a positive future. We work best with clients who thrive on change, who see risk as an opportunity, and are ambitious and brave. Our values of being collaborative, commercial and creative mean that you will be joining a firm with a strong commitment to innovation, inclusion, and professional development.

As our clients' needs change and evolve, so do we. Our business services teams are continuously looking for ways to innovate and attract and retain the best clients and the brightest people. Central to our culture is our nurturing, friendly and flexible environment which genuinely allows our people to grow and flourish, both professionally and personally. We really care about what we stand for and want to move forward together.

This is a newly created role, and the successful individual will be pivotal in shaping how the firm leverages knowledge, AI and technology to help achieve our ambitious growth targets and deliver an exceptional client experience. You will be instrumental in driving innovation in our legal service delivery, fostering a culture of curiosity and knowledge sharing, and ensuring that the firm remains competitive through smart adoption of AI and tech.

The role will lead and develop the Knowledge & Information Services team, building capability, resilience and succession over time. You will be responsible for establishing clear firm‐wide governance, standards and policies across knowledge content, systems and ways of working, ensuring consistency, quality and appropriate risk management.

You will own and manage the Knowledge & Innovation budget, aligning investment decisions to strategic priorities and demonstrating value and impact, while also overseeing key supplier and vendor relationships to ensure high‐quality service and value for money. You will work closely with other Business Services leaders to deliver a new era of integrated, practice‐aligned support across the firm.

We take a flexible, agile approach to working patterns. As a team we agree together on the best working arrangements that will enable each of us to provide exceptional client service, to collaborate and connect with colleagues, and to achieve the right home/work balance. We pride ourselves on our high‐performance culture whilst offering a good work/life balance.

As a Firm we are committed to supporting our people across all levels to achieve the balance they need. We are open to talking about flexible working and empower any candidate to put forward a flexible working pattern to meet their needs.

We are looking for somebody who will understand our values and will thrive in our culture. The role could be based from any of our offices (Bristol, Cheltenham, Exeter or London) and the ideal candidate will:

• Be a qualified lawyer (typically 5+ PQE) or equivalent senior KM/innovation leader with experience in a Top 100 or comparable commercial law firm or professional services firm.
• Have a deep understanding of knowledge management in a legal context, including content, culture, technology and governance.
• Have a strong awareness of legal technology, AI and data‐enabled service delivery, with the credibility to engage partners and senior stakeholders.
• Demonstrate proven experience leading teams and delivering complex change programmes.
• Have a commercial mindset with the ability to translate strategy into practical, high‐impact outcomes.
• Possess excellent influencing, communication and stakeholder management skills.

This is a great opportunity to join a Firm which believes potential, inspiration, and teamwork should be valued and nurtured. We work hard to create and sustain an open and collaborative environment. We embrace change and constantly evolve to meet our people's diverse needs, in the same way that we help our clients to navigate and stay ahead of developments, to move forward together.

To apply please click below or if you would like to talk to someone about the role, please contact Lisa Gater, Recruitment Business Partner on 07355 677986.

Michelmores LLP is an Equal Opportunities Employer. We do not discriminate on grounds of race, gender, marital status, age, religion, colour, nationality, ethnic origin, disability or sexual orientation in the selection, recruitment, and treatment of our staff.

As part of our recruitment policy our candidates are subject to pre‐employment screening checks. The Employee Screening Process includes DBS screening, adverse media checks, financial screening, and will also involve verification of employment history, your right to work in the UK and any relevant qualifications and memberships.