Information Technology Manager

Kilburn & Strode is one of Europe’s pre-eminent intellectual property firms. We act for UK, US and European clients at the forefront of their sectors on their most challenging, business-critical IP matters – from EPO and Unified Patent Court proceedings to M&A due diligence, strategic portfolio management and high-value prosecution. We have offices in the UK, Germany, the Netherlands and the US.

We are a certified B Corporation™ that looks forward, not back. We have a clear five-year strategy and an ambition to be the market leader in premium IP work by 2030. Our values – be curious, think commercially, act collaboratively, take ownership, make a positive impact – are not a poster on a wall. They shape how we work and who we hire.

About the Role

Reporting to the Head of IT, you will be accountable for day-to-day IT service delivery, team performance, operational governance and compliance, and ensuring operations support the firm’s strategy. You will ensure that core platforms, including Microsoft 365, the wider SaaS estate, and AI tools, are secure, scalable, and audit-ready.

This is a broad, highly visible, hands‑on leadership role within a modern cloud‑first environment. It will suit someone who enjoys balancing operational responsibility with technical involvement, while mentoring, managing, and developing an IT team.

You will have the experience of running and managing all aspects of the IT function, including direct line management of other managers within the team. You will bring proven operational maturity from comparable roles, and drive continued improvement in service standards, process discipline, and governance.

You will remain technically hands‑on, comfortable building, configuring, and troubleshooting directly when it adds value, not only managing through the team.

What you will do

Service delivery and operations

• Maintain regular communication with the Head of IT, providing relevant updates and escalating significant issues.
• Lead day‑to‑day IT service delivery, accountable for team performance, operational governance, and compliance.
• Ensure that core platforms, including Microsoft 365 and the wider SaaS estate, are secure, scalable, and audit‑ready.
• Deliver a high‑quality, client‑first IT service to colleagues, with empathy for the urgency and pressures of a fee‑earning environment.
• Manage and maintain office‑based technology, and ensure internal and external events are delivered to a high standard.
• Prioritise work across the team and hold the team to account for delivery against agreed timescales.
• Drive improvements to system performance, reliability, and user experience.
• Take end‑to‑end ownership of major incidents and operational issues, ensuring resolution, root cause identification, and prevention of recurrence.

Team leadership and development

• Build, develop, and retain a high‑performing IT team.
• Provide direct line management of other managers within the team, with mentoring, coaching, and performance management.
• Define ownership across operational domains and set clear standards for delivery.
• Ensure consistency of standards, processes, and delivery across the IT team.

Process and service management

• Develop strong incident, problem, and change management processes.
• Oversee JML processes, ensuring they are controlled, efficient, and auditable.
• Standardise documentation and knowledge management across IT.
• Deliver continuous improvement and maturity across the IT operational disciplines.

Security, compliance, and resilience

• Ensure operational alignment with ISO 27001 controls and the firm's ISMS framework.
• Maintain audit‑ready evidence (patching, access reviews, monitoring, backups).
• Contribute to cyber security, risk management, and business continuity planning, including managing live incidents.
• Ensure platforms, including AI tools, align with firm policy, ISO 27001 controls, and data protection requirements under UK GDPR.

Projects, vendors, and change

• Manage relationships with external IT suppliers and partners, holding them accountable to SLAs and contractual commitments.
• Support the identification, implementation, and transition of new solutions into BAU support.
• Deliver large projects with a customer‑orientated approach: always considering the impact on the colleagues who use the system, not just the technical implementation

Stakeholder engagement and communication

• Work closely with technology and business stakeholders across the firm to improve user experience and operational reliability.
• Translate technical concepts for non‑technical colleagues, and turn business needs into technical requirements.
• Produce clear written communication and reports for senior audiences

About you

We are looking for someone who brings:

• Experience of managing day‑to‑day IT operations, with a track record of improving processes and operational governance.
• A track record of building, developing, and retaining a high‑performing IT team, including direct line management of other managers.
• Able to provide mentoring, guidance, and coaching where required.
• A strong technical background in a modern cloud‑first Microsoft environment (Entra, Intune, Defender, M365). Credible enough to challenge existing approaches and propose new ones.
• Strong project and workload management, including prioritisation.
• Holds the team to account for delivery against agreed timescales.
• Experience delivering large projects with a customer‑orientated approach: always considers the customer impact, not just the technical implementation.
• Practical experience of business continuity and cyber security: planning, day‑to‑day operation, and managing live incidents.
• Commercially aware and financially literate.
• Experienced in vendor management, including holding suppliers to their commitments.
• Excellent customer service skills, focused on delivering a high‑quality, client‑first service.
• Empathetic, understanding of urgency, and clear on who the client is.Translates technical concepts for non‑technical colleagues, and turns business needs into technical requirements.
• Hands‑on technical capability. Builds, configures, and fixes things directly when needed, not just managing through the team.
• Practical experience operating to ISO 27001 controls, including maintaining audit‑ready evidence (patching, access reviews, monitoring, backups).
• Familiar with UK GDPR and its practical implications for the firm.Led implementation or improvement of service management frameworks such as ITIL, including the supporting documentation.
• Strong written communication, and experienced producing reports for senior audiences.
• A professional services background and able to work effectively across business functions.
• A track record in similar roles across more than one organisation, operating at a senior level and contributing to thetechnology strategy.

Kilburn & Strode is committed to diversity and inclusion. We welcome applications from all suitably qualified candidates regardless of race, gender, disability, religion or belief, sexual orientation or age.