Director of Information Technology

Eversheds Sutherland•Washington, DC

12d•Onsite

About The Position

The Director of Information Technology leads the Firm’s day-to-day end-user technology operations and is accountable for providing a secure, reliable, service-focused technology experience to attorneys, business professionals, and clients. Reporting to the Chief Information Officer, the Director oversees end-user computing, the Service Desk, onsite and remote support, conference room audiovisual technology, document management, IT project management, legal and business application integration, and endpoint asset and vendor management. The Director works with Information Security, Innovation, Technology Engineering & Operations, and practice leadership to evaluate and adopt technologies, including AI, that improve client service and Firm efficiency. This is an in-office leadership role. The Director is expected to be visibly present in the office, lead the IT team in person, and foster excellence, responsiveness, and accountability across the department. The role also leads IT strategy, staffing, service delivery, legal and business application support, AI adoption, cybersecurity and compliance efforts, budgeting, vendor relationships, and asset management.

Requirements

At least 10 years of progressive IT experience, including at least 5 years in an IT leadership role managing managers and technical teams.
Hands-on experience with Microsoft 365, Azure, Intune, and enterprise networking.
Experience supporting legal applications such as document management, financial and practice management, and conflicts and intake systems.
Demonstrated experience leading enterprise technology projects, such as cloud migration, endpoint modernization, or application upgrades.
Experience managing IT budgets, vendor contracts, and IT asset management.
Experience supporting client security audits and security and compliance frameworks.
Executive presence and ability to build trusted relationships with partners and Firm leadership.
Strong service orientation and commitment to excellence.
Working knowledge of generative AI tools, their risks, and practical uses in a law firm.
Sound understanding of cybersecurity principles and controls.
Excellent project management, organizational, and prioritization skills.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain technical topics to non-technical audiences.
Strong negotiation, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
Ability to manage conflict and maintain a positive, high-performance team environment.
Ability to work under pressure, meet tight deadlines, and handle competing priorities.
Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related field; equivalent experience is considered.

Nice To Haves

Law firm or professional services experience; Am Law 200 experience preferred.
ITIL 4 Foundation certification.
Microsoft 365 or Azure certification, such as Enterprise Administrator or Azure Administrator.
PMP certification.

Responsibilities

Partner with the Chief Information Officer and senior IT leadership to develop and execute the Firm’s IT strategy, multi-year technology roadmap, and annual operating and capital budgets.
Lead, hire, develop, and retain IT staff across the Service Desk, onsite technical and AV support, Desktop Engineering, Project Management, and Applications; set goals, conduct performance reviews, and develop succession and career paths.
Establish and report service-level and performance indicators to the CIO and Firm leadership.
Build a culture of high-touch client service, accountability, and continuous improvement.
Partner with IT leadership on governance, project intake and prioritization, change management, and ITIL-aligned service management.
Oversee the Service Desk and onsite support across all offices, including high-touch support for partners and executives and after-hours and on-call coverage.
Direct endpoint and mobile device management, including device standards, imaging, patching, encryption, and hardware refresh cycles.
Ensure reliable conference room, hybrid meeting, trial, and courtroom technology support.
Oversee technology onboarding and offboarding for new hires and lateral partners, as well as end-user training and documentation.
Oversee support, integration, and optimization of core legal platforms, including document management, financial and practice management, time entry, conflicts and intake, CRM, e-billing, and litigation support tools.
Manage the application lifecycle, including requirements, evaluation, testing, deployment, upgrades, integration, and retirement.
Partner with Innovation, Finance, and practice groups to deliver technology that improves attorney efficiency and client service.
Partner with Innovation, Information Security, the Office of the General Counsel, and Risk Management on secure deployment, adoption, and support of generative AI and legal technology tools.
Support AI governance, including acceptable-use standards, data protection practices, vendor reviews, and measurement of adoption and value.
Identify opportunities for automation and process improvement.
Partner with Information Security to implement and maintain security controls, including multifactor authentication, endpoint detection and response, vulnerability and patch management, privileged access management, and data loss prevention.
Support client security audits and questionnaires, outside counsel guideline requirements, cyber insurance requirements, and alignment with ISO 27001, SOC 2, and NIST frameworks.
Participate in incident response and ensure IT practices comply with Firm policies, privacy and data protection requirements, records retention, and legal hold obligations.
Manage IT budgets and forecasts with fiscal discipline.
Partner with the Senior IT Business Manager to negotiate and manage technology vendor and service-provider contracts, licensing, service levels, and vendor risk assessments.
Maintain hardware and software asset inventories, license compliance, and lifecycle management.
Maintain documentation, runbooks, and knowledge base content, and communicate technology changes to attorneys and staff.
Perform other duties as assigned.