Chief Information Officer (CIO)

Job Description

Chief Information Officer | Eversheds Sutherland

The Tone:
This is a hybrid role at Eversheds Sutherland, requiring on-site presence 3 days per week within the firm’s US offices. Eversheds Sutherland is a global law firm that aims to redefine legal services delivery through advanced technology and innovation. This role is crucial for establishing and executing the firm’s technology, innovation, and information governance strategy. The CIO will advance the firm’s vision by leveraging AI and emerging technologies to enhance client service, increase efficiency, and drive competitive advantage.

The TL;DR
• Role: Full Time
• Type: Hybrid
• Location: Hybrid (US Offices)
• Pay: $575000–$750000 yearly
• Team: Reports to the Chief Operating Officer, leads IT and Innovation functions.
• Mission: Establishes and executes the firm’s technology, innovation, and information governance strategy, aligning technology with business objectives and client expectations.
• Tech Stack: Azure, iManage, Interaction, Aderant, Microsoft Applications, Harvey, Copilot, Claude, Legora, Westlaw, Lexis+, vLex, data lake, API integrations, business intelligence tooling.

What You’ll Actually Do
• Strategic Vision: Develops and executes an integrated technology and innovation strategy that aligns with the firm’s business objectives, client service priorities, and long-term growth goals.
• AI & Innovation Leadership: Leads the firm’s Innovation function, overseeing AI strategy, legal-specific tool deployment, and the full lifecycle of technology evaluation, piloting, and adoption across practice groups.
• Operational Excellence: Oversees the design, delivery, and reliability of the firm’s comprehensive IT organization, including LAN, WAN, cloud platforms, enterprise applications, and end-user services.
• Risk & Security Management: Provides strategic oversight of the firm’s information security function through the CISO, ensuring the highest standards of client data confidentiality, integrity, and regulatory compliance.
• Talent & Team Development: Builds, leads, and retains a high-performing team spanning IT operations and Innovation, fostering a culture of accountability, curiosity, and service excellence across multiple geographies.

The Must-Haves
• Background: Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, or a related field; 15+ years of progressive technology leadership experience, including at least 5 years in a senior executive technology role such as CIO, Deputy CIO, or CTO.
• Experience: Demonstrated success leading both enterprise IT operations and innovation functions within a legal, professional services, or similarly complex client-service environment, with AmLaw 100 experience strongly preferred. Deep expertise in enterprise infrastructure, Azure cloud technologies, endpoint management, and business-critical applications. Proven ability to deploy and scale AI technologies responsibly while balancing innovation, security, privacy, and governance requirements.
• Skills: Strong financial acumen with experience managing multimillion-dollar technology budgets and complex vendor portfolios. Exceptional communication and influencing skills, engaging executive leadership, boards, and partnership organizations. Deep understanding of the unique regulatory, ethical, and competitive dynamics of a global law firm.
• Bonus: Experience with iManage, Aderant/Elite, Microsoft 365 at enterprise scale. Hands-on experience with legal AI platforms (Harvey, Copilot, Claude, Legora) and legal research tools (Westlaw, Lexis+, vLex). Experience designing data lake architectures and managing data integration programs. Familiarity with legal analytics and international IT challenges. MBA or advanced degree, and relevant certifications (CISSP, CISM, ITIL, PMP) are a plus.