Deputy CIO & IT Operations Leader for a Global Law Firm

Barnes & Thornburg LLP; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 250,000 - 350,000; Full time

Job summary

Barnes & Thornburg LLP is seeking a Deputy Chief Information Officer to lead day-to-day IT operations across 26 offices for roughly 1,800 users. You will act as CIO in their absence and drive standardization, security, and performance metrics across the technology stack.

The ideal candidate brings 20+ years in IT leadership within AmLaw 100/200 or comparable firms, with strong finance and executive communication skills, and readiness to work 4–5 days on-site in Chicago.

Qualifications

• 20+ years of progressive IT leadership, with at least 5 years in a senior director or deputy CIO role.
• Experience in AmLaw 100 or 200 law firm or large professional services firm with comparable tech complexity.
• Hands-on familiarity with iManage, Elite 3E and related integrations.
• Proven track record managing multi-site, enterprise-scale IT operations (25+ locations).
• Experience directly managing directors or senior managers across heterogeneous technology disciplines.
• Strong financial acumen with experience owning multi-million-dollar technology budgets.
• Excellent executive communication skills—able to translate technical complexity for attorneys and firm leadership.
• Deep understanding of cybersecurity principles and legal industry compliance.
• This role requires 4-5 days in office.

Responsibilities

• Exercise independent authority over IT operations across all firm offices, ensuring reliable technology services for ~1,800 users.
• Act as acting CIO in CIO’s absence, maintaining decision-making continuity.
• Establish and enforce operational standards, SLAs, and performance metrics.
• Drive IT incident response, business continuity planning, and disaster recovery.
• Provide leadership and performance management to four directors.
• Foster a high-performance IT culture aligned with service expectations.
• Partner with HR on workforce planning and talent acquisition.
• Oversee the firm’s legal tech ecosystem and integrations.
• Manage platform lifecycles, upgrades, and vendor relationships.
• Coordinate with Information Security on client security requirements.
• Collaborate with Knowledge Management & AI to integrate AI tools.
• Communicate IT performance and risk to leadership.
• Represent IT at management meetings and industry forums.

Skills

IT leadership

Budget management

Executive communication

Cybersecurity

Strategic awareness

People leadership

Education

PMP Certification

ITIL Certification

CISSP Certification

Tools

iManage Cloud

Intapp

Elite 3E

Job description

Barnes & Thornburg LLP is seeking a Deputy Chief Information Officer to lead day-to-day IT operations across 26 offices for roughly 1,800 users. You will act as CIO in their absence and drive standardization, security, and performance metrics across the technology stack.

The ideal candidate brings 20+ years in IT leadership within AmLaw 100/200 or comparable firms, with strong finance and executive communication skills, and readiness to work 4–5 days on-site in Chicago.