About your new role
Weightmans' IT team plays a pivotal role in the firm's innovation strategy, enabling digital transformation across departments.
The Head of Strategic Planning and Governance will ensure the IT function meets the organisation's strategic objectives through the efficient design and delivery of IT projects, programs and BAU services.
This role involves overseeing PMO, governance, architecture practices, testing, business engagement, and third-party provider engagement with a view to ensuring we consistently "do the right thing, in the right way".
This position is part of the IT Senior Management Team (SMT), which includes the IT Director, Head of Service and Service Delivery, Head of Development, Head of Hybrid Platforms, Head of Modern Workplace, and Head of Strategic Planning and Governance. Each member is accountable for the strategy and roadmap within their respective domains, as well as managing resources, tools, budgets, frameworks, methodologies, and delivery in alignment with the overall collaborative IT strategy. The role holder should demonstrate confidence in designing and executing their strategic roadmap, in addition to cultivating and leading a high-performing team.
Key Duties and responsibilities
* Team Management: Oversee a diverse team covering multiple disciplines including project and program management and lifecycle, architecture and design, testing governance, business engagement and vendor management.
* IT Investments: Assist the IT Director in delivering oversight and prioritisation of IT investments and resource, ensuring alignment with business strategic objectives, security posture and risk and compliance.
* Governance Framework: Create a governance framework for the project lifecycle and BAU Operations ensuring robust cost and resource estimation, gated project management phases, strong testing governance, and ongoing effective cost and resource management.
* Vendor Management: Work closely with all teams to ensure our third parties are performing as expected, service reviews regularly take place, and actions are completed, and all third-party roadmaps are understood and factored into our strategy and roadmaps.
* Strategic Leadership: Own, develop and execute a strategy and roadmap for your area of responsibility.
* Team Management: Lead, inspire, and mentor teams. Set clear goals, provide regular feedback, foster professional growth, and create a collaborative and empowered working environment.
* Reporting & Analytics: Develop and present regular reports on service performance, trends, risks, and achievements to senior leadership and stakeholders. Use data to inform decision-making and strategic direction.
* Process Management: Develop and maintain clear documentation, knowledge base, structured processes, and transparent metrics to underpin operational excellence and regulatory compliance.
* Project Management Framework: Ensure IT projects and programs run to time, budget, scope and deliver the expected benefits whilst also being able to move at speed.
* Stakeholder Engagement: Collaborate with legal professionals, IT peers, finance & HR teams, and external vendors to deliver projects and services meeting business and compliance requirements.
* Continuous Improvement: Champion the organisation's drive for operational excellence. Employ quality management methodologies (such as Lean, Six Sigma, ITIL) to streamline processes, reduce costs, and enhance service value.
* Collaborative working: Collaborate closely with other IT teams to ensure stability, performance and security of all IT solutions.
* Facilitate Success: Foster collaboration, outcome driven and high performing teams across IT through the celebration of successes and rapid intervention when needed.
* Risk & Compliance: Ensure all systems and processes meet relevant legal, regulatory, and data security standards.
This list is not intended to be exhaustive, and you will have other duties and responsibilities that fall within the remit of this role.
About You
* Excellent knowledge of the project and program lifecycle including design and technical design and sign off
* Strong understanding of IT business partnering and engagement.
* Evidencable experience of driving third party performance and cost.
* Commitment to excellence and continuous improvement
* Strong business acumen skills including managing budgets and resources.
* Solutions-oriented visionary and strategic thinker.
* Collaborative leader with a passion for team development and mentoring
* Knowledge of risk management, compliance, and data protection
Relevant professional qualifications or demonstratable experience in IT, computer science, or related discipline.
Why work for us
Come and join our award-winning organisation and team. Weightmans has been recognised as a leading employer for the 18th consecutive year at Britain's Top Employers awards 2025, and ranking 5th in the list, the firm has also secured top positions in Chambers UK.
Embark on this journey with Weightmans towards becoming one of the Top 30 UK Law firms.
Why work for us? Take a look: Work for Weightmans: voted a top employer | Weightmans
This information covers Culture, Benefits, D&I, Recruitment Agency PSL/Non PSL and Eligibility to work in the UK information.
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