Senior Manager, Research Services

BCLP; Greater London; On-site; GBP 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

BCLP is seeking a Senior Manager, Research Services to lead the Research, Information & Intelligence (RII) team for the UK, Europe and Middle East and to shape departmental strategy with senior staff and global teams.

Based in London, you will oversee legal and business research outputs, mentor award-winning researchers, and drive adoption of AI-enabled research tools while ensuring copyright and licensing compliance across offices.

Qualifications

• Honours degree (any subject) and Master’s degree in Librarianship/Information Studies or Honours degree in Librarianship/Information Studies
• Experience managing research and administrative staff
• Detailed, practical knowledge of legal and business research resources
• Effective use of research ticket management processes
• Excellent IT skills, including AI utilisation
• Experience dealing with vendors
• Knowledge of copyright law and database licences
• Experience evaluating databases and supervising trials of new products
• Active involvement in law library professional groups
• Excellent communications and presentation skills, written and verbal
• Attention to detail and ability to work under pressure

Responsibilities

• Manage the RII team’s research output for London and EME offices
• Provide strategic direction to research librarians delivering business and legal research outputs
• Lead staff development, training and performance reviews with AI literacy focus
• Oversee copyright/licence compliance and education across staff
• Collaborate with Research Operations on processes and licensing

Skills

Research management

AI in research

Legal research

Vendor management

Copyright knowledge

Education

Honours degree + Master’s in Librarianship/Information Studies

Honours degree in Librarianship/Information Studies

Tools

Enquiry management system

AI-enabled research tools

Job description

At BCLP, we’ve built our firm on the foundations of thinking differently. Curious, inquisitive and unbound by tradition, we’re building change within our sector and beyond.

It starts with our people, which is why we need a Senior Manager, Research Services to join our team and manage the Research, Information & Intelligence (RII) team’s offering for the UK, Europe and Middle Eastern offices, as well as work with the senior staff and global team on departmental strategy, short term and long term projects.

Based in the firm’s London office managing a team of researchers, you will be responsible for the provision of both legal and business research output for the firm’s UK and EME offices. Reporting to the Senior Director for RII, this position works closely with other senior RII managers in a strategic capacity, as well as with members of the global RII team, Innovation and AI Systems team, Knowledge & Innovation lawyers and the firm’s practice groups.

The Research, Information & Intelligence team has a very strong reputation across the firm for the quality of its research and training, and recently won the 2026 Thomson Reuters’ award for Legal Tech Excellence. In addition to delivering research, the role helps to guides research skills training and will be active in exploring the effective integration of AI technologies into research outputs.

You’ll be responsible for:

• Managing, overseeing and contributing to the RII team’s research output for the London and EME offices;
• Guiding and providing strategic direction to an award winning team of research librarians in the delivery of business and legal research, ensuring outputs are delivered efficiently using the firm’s enquiry management system
• Leading staff development, training and performance review processes, ensuring the team builds the skills, confidence and capability to use AI effectively in support of departmental objectives;
• Ad hoc additional line management responsibilities;
• Working in conjunction with the Research Operations team, ensure copyright and licence terms are observed; answer queries on copyright / licencing and take proactive role in educating staff.

Training

• Working with the Research Technology team to lead the strategic development and delivery of the EME’s legal and business research training programme, ensuring lawyers and business services teams build the skills, confidence and judgement required to use AI-driven research tools effectively and to future-proof the firm’s research capability;
• Delivering the firm’s introduction to research services and resources for new trainee intake;
• Ensuring training for trainees each 6 months takes place on resources relevant to their departments, keeping sessions relevant and current in line with a fast moving industry;
• Collaborating with Knowledge colleagues in delivering one-to-one induction training for new lawyers and marketing staff joining the firm;
• Leading and instigating change in the delivery of ongoing research training across the EME offices, including practice group refreshers and targeted upskilling on AI literacy in conjunction with the firm’s LEAP initiative to demonstrate emerging research technologies and fast-changing legal and business research products.

Research Services

• Working with the Senior Manager, Research Services in the USA, oversee provision of research to the firm;
• Championing new and effective ways to deliver research outputs through innovative uses of AI;
• Acting as an ambassador for the RII department, promoting and collaborating with Marketing & Business Development and firm partners to ensure business research meets requirements of the firm;
• Ensuring RII staff are equipped to leverage the firm’s full range of legal, business and AI-enabled research resources effectively, embedding consistent best practice and maximising the value of the firm’s research investments;
• Carrying out legal, company and market research to a high skill level, capable of handling large, complex requests with competing deadlines;
• Advising and guiding lawyers on sources and search strategies;
• Maintaining a strong understanding of developments across the legal research industry, including changes in research platforms, emerging technologies and AI-enabled tools, and apply that market knowledge to shape internal research services, workflows and resource decisions.
• Pursuing professional learning opportunities including developing understanding of relevant legal systems and areas of law, with a view to being seen as a senior member of the profession.
• Other duties as assigned.

Skills and Experience required:

• Either Honours degree (any subject) and Master’s degree in Librarianship/Information Studies or Honours degree in Librarianship/Information Studies;
• Experience of managing research and administrative staff, inspiring and encouraging work to the highest standards;
• Detailed, practical knowledge of legal and business research and resources;
• Effective use of research ticket management processes;
• Excellent IT skills, including demonstrated experience of effective AI utilisation;
• Experience of dealing with vendors;
• Knowledge of copyright law and database licence issues;
• Experience of evaluating databases and supervising trials of new products;
• Active involvement in law library professional groups;
• Excellent communications and presentation skills, written and verbal;
• Excellent attention to detail;
• Ability to work under pressure;
• Display diligence and autonomy in the role;
• Ability to work well with people at all levels within an organisation;

At BCLP we understand the value of a workforce with diverse perspectives and experiences, and we believe people perform at their best when they can truly be themselves at work. We aim to create an inclusive environment where all our employees are valued, motivated and able to be themselves. In order to provide the best possible service to our robust client base, we are committed to recruiting, retaining, rewarding and developing our people with regard to their abilities and contributions and without reference to their background, gender, gender identity or expression, ethnic origin, age, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, political belief, disability or any other applicable protected characteristic.