Robert Half Technology are assisting a leading UK legal firm to recruit a Chief Technology Officer (CTO) on a contract basis. Outside IR35. UK-based remote working with occasional stakeholder sessions.
Role
* The CTO will lead the assessment, design, and implementation of the firm's cloud and data platforms.
* Provide Board-ready recommendations on cloud strategy (Azure vs GCP) and data architecture.
* Design and implement a modern cloud data platform with Databricks as the core analytics and AI layer.
* Build a production-ready lakehouse architecture optimised for analyst-led use.
* Implement secure, scalable ingestion pipelines for structured, unstructured, text-based, and geospatial data.
* Balance performance, security, cost, and operational simplicity across the platform.
* Provide knowledge transfer, documentation, and guidance to enable internal teams to operate and extend the platform.
Profile
* Proven hands-on experience delivering cloud-based analytics platforms end to end.
* Strong expertise in Azure and GCP, including Databricks implementation.
* Deep understanding of lakehouse architectures, data engineering, and analytics design.
* Experience with large datasets, NLP/AI workloads, and geospatial data.
* Strong security, governance, and access control design experience.
* Excellent communication skills with the ability to produce clear technical documentation and senior stakeholder recommendations.
Company
* Leading UK legal firm
* Remote-first with occasional onsite or virtual stakeholder sessions
Salary & Benefits
The day rate / contract value is dependent upon experience, qualifications, and engagement structure.
Robert Half Ltd acts as an employment business for temporary positions and an employment agency for permanent positions. Robert Half is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion. Suitable candidates with equivalent qualifications and more or less experience can apply. Rates of pay and salary ranges are dependent upon your experience, qualifications and training. If you wish to apply, please read our Privacy Notice describing how we may process, disclose and store your personal data: roberthalf.com/gb/en/privacy-notice.