Interim IT Manager

Chroma Recruitment; Lancashire; Hybrid; GBP 74,000 - 129,000; Part time

Job summary

Chroma Recruitment seeks an Interim IT Manager for a respected law firm in the North West. The role covers day-to-day IT operations, staff leadership, and infrastructure oversight during a defined interim period.

You will lead a small IT team, manage external providers, and ensure cyber security and compliance, with a clear handover to the permanent IT Manager on arrival. Hybrid working available, ASAP start.

Qualifications

• Proven experience as an IT Manager or IT lead in a professional environment.
• Strong hands-on knowledge of Microsoft 365 administration, Intune, Entra ID and conditional access.
• Networking, systems and infrastructure experience (connectivity, telephony, servers, backups).
• Line management experience and confidence leading a team.
• Experience managing external IT service providers.
• Good grasp of cyber security, risk management and data protection.
• Available to start at short notice.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day IT operations and service delivery with minimal downtime.
• Manage, support and coach the IT support team with coverage across working hours.
• Act as escalation point for complex technical issues.
• Oversee infrastructure, cloud services, connectivity, telephony, servers and backups.
• Manage supplier and third-party IT provider relationships.
• Maintain cyber security, risk and data protection standards.
• Keep IT projects and changes moving with minimal business disruption.
• Attend Operations Board meetings and report IT performance.
• Prepare a clear handover for the incoming permanent IT Manager.

Skills

IT leadership

Microsoft 365 admin

Intune

Entra ID

Conditional access

Networking & infrastructure

Server administration

Cyber security

Data protection

Vendor management

Team leadership

Tools

Microsoft 365

Intune

Entra ID

ITIL/ITSM tooling

Job description

Interim IT Manager - Legal Sector / M365 / Infrastructure

Location: North West, hybrid
Contract: 3-4 months, Inside IR35 (through to late February 2027)
Day rate: Competitive. The client is open on rate and experience level.
Start Date: ASAP

Overview
Are you an experienced IT Manager who can step in, take the reins and keep a busy IT function running smoothly? This is a short, well-defined interim role covering the gap until a permanent IT Manager joins in February.

We're working with a well-established, award-winning law firm in the North West that needs an Interim IT Manager to lead day-to-day IT operations, manage the support team, look after suppliers and infrastructure, and hand over a stable, well-documented environment to the incoming permanent hire. The client is open on rate and experience level, so we'd like to hear from interims at a range of levels.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day IT operations and service delivery with minimal downtime.
• Manage, support and coach the IT support team, making sure cover is in place across working hours.
• Act as the escalation point for complex technical issues.
• Oversee infrastructure, cloud services, connectivity, telephony, servers and backups.
• Manage supplier and third-party IT provider relationships.
• Keep cyber security, risk and data protection standards on track.
• Keep in-flight IT projects and changes moving with minimal business disruption.
• Attend Operations Board meetings as required and report on IT performance.
• Prepare a clear handover for the incoming permanent IT Manager.

Requirements

• Proven experience as an IT Manager or IT lead, ideally in professional services.
• Strong hands-on knowledge of Microsoft 365 administration, Intune, Entra ID and conditional access.
• Networking, systems and infrastructure experience (connectivity, telephony, servers, backups).
• Line management experience and confidence leading a team.
• Experience managing external IT service providers.
• A good grasp of cyber security, risk management and data protection.
• Available to start at short notice.

Desirable

• Legal sector experience.
• ITIL or ITSM environment experience.
• Cloud migration experience.
• Project or change management experience or qualification.

Why Join?

• A clear, defined interim brief with a known end date.
• An award-winning, people-focused firm with a supportive culture.
• A genuine leadership role with board-level exposure.
• Hybrid working.