Head of IT

Job Description

Head of IT, Permanent, Circa £72,000pa, 35 hours per week

It is an exciting time to join the Law Society of Scotland. We have an opportunity to join the Society as our Head of IT. This role leads and manages the IT team to ensure successful delivery of BAU IT services to the Society and its members and plays a wider part in ensuring the successful delivery and implementation of the IT transformation programme.  This is a senior role which contributes to the overall leadership of the directorate and wider society.

The Law Society of Scotland is the professional body for over 13,000 Scottish Solicitors and with over 150 staff members, our primary focus is to support a thriving profession of high quality and trusted Solicitors in Scotland with access to justice for all.

At the centre of our organisation are the values of Respect, Openness, Progress, Inclusion, and Integrity which drive our teams to deliver the best possible service for the legal sector and beyond. 

Key Responsibilities for this role

• Interpret the business strategy and deliverables of the Society and deliver an IT Strategy to meet the Society’s plans
• Lead the Society in all aspects of Cyber Security
• Lead IT to drive innovation and efficiencies throughout the Society
• Be a trusted advisor to colleagues in the use of IT
• Lead and supporting all members of the IT Team
• Be a leading proponent of IT Programme / Project Management methodologies and tools to deliver business solutions
• Deliver and support all aspects of IT, including business systems, on-premise infrastructure, cloud applications and infrastructure, cyber security and learning and development

Provide day-to-day management of IT function

• Provide strong leadership and support to the IT team of 8 people and day to day management of the IT function
• Responsible and accountable for all IT operational and capital expenditure, budgets and forecasts
• Manage, coordinate and cascade objectives to IT team to ensure the successful delivery and a service based culture
• Implement processes to ensure robust management of contracts and third-party suppliers
• Ensure IT equipment/infrastructure replacement programme linked to the long-term IT strategy
• Ensure all policies and processes are documented and up to date
• Lead and drive business continuity and disaster recovery plan
• Develop an in-house IT training function that empowers users to make the best use of the applications and services we provide

Lead and deliver our IT transformation programme

• Fit for the Future IT infrastructure: to provide a stable, secure and resilient technology foundation, with an infrastructure that is ready to meet the needs of the future.
• Core Systems Strategy: implement new core systems and ensure efficient and effective integration
• Digitalisation and Innovation: implement technologies to digitise, automate and streamline our business process and client experience.
• Deliver a long-term IT and digital strategy for the LSS which addresses future use of applications, infrastructure, communication technology, video conferencing, system integration, hosted platforms
• Deliver an implementation programme, including the implementation of new core systems and IT infrastructure
• Lead and advise on end-to-end requirements gathering and tendering process to deliver best practice solutions for an organisation of our size
• Develop and prepare professional business cases for submission to our Finance Sub-Committee, Board and Council for significant investments in new systems and infrastructure
• Lead on contract negotiation
• Lead and manage chosen software partners and consultants to ensure successful delivery of transformation programme on time, on budget and in scope
• Ensure smooth transition of transformative projects to BAU

Key Knowledge, Skills and Experience:

• Educated to a degree level with a computer science/ engineering or similar qualification
• Significant experience of leading the successful implementation of an ERP system or best of breed solutions for medium to large size organisations
• Proven understanding of Cyber Security concepts, accreditations, and trends
• Experience in procurement and implementation of systems, including development of Request for Proposal/tenders, evaluation, contract negotiation and programme/contract management
• Significant experience in a senior management role with demonstrable experience across multiple IT disciplines
• Significant experience of managing an IT team – task/ objective planning & allocation, development of roles and performance management
• Strong interpersonal skills, ability to communicate IT based information to all levels within the organisation
• Proven ability to influence, guide and make key business decisions
• Ability to work under pressure
• Experience of participating in boards, committees and working groups
• Excellent project and time management skills
• Confident self-starter
• Excellent problem solving skills
• Knowledge of best practice IT infrastructure and architecture

What we offer our employees?

We offer a comprehensive benefits package to support our colleague’s professional and personal needs. Some of these include:

• A hybrid working environment.
• Flexible working, to allow you to work around your lifestyle and commitments.
• 30 days holiday plus bank holidays
• A competitive pension provision scheme
• Excellent family friendly benefits
• Learning and Development opportunities to enhance your skills or through programmes leading to professional or academic qualification.
• Private medical insurance
• Various health and wellbeing benefits such as confidential counselling services, bike to work scheme, eyecare, and offers on well-known brands through our Lifestyle savings offering.

The Law Society of Scotland is an equal opportunities employer, and we welcome applications from candidates with diverse backgrounds. We hold an Investors in Diversity Award in recognition of our commitment to advance fairness, respect, equality, diversity, inclusion and engagement within our organisation and the Scottish legal sector. More information can be found on our Equality and Diversity page. 

We are always on the look for new talent to join our incredible workforce. If you are looking for a new opportunity within the society, we would love to hear from you!

If this opportunity sounds like the one for you, click Apply now.

This vacancy will close at 11:30am on 18 October 2024.

We are unable to provide feedback to applicants who are not selected for interviews.