Infrastructure Operations Manager

Slaughter & May LLP; City of London; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A prestigious law firm in London is seeking an experienced Infrastructure Operations Manager to lead their IT Infrastructure team. The candidate will manage a high-performing team, ensuring reliable operation and continuous improvement of IT systems. This role requires a strong background in IT operations, excellent leadership skills, and the ability to foster stakeholder engagement. The position offers a comprehensive package and is aligned with the firm's growth objectives.

Qualifications

• Proven leadership with a capability to align IT outcomes to business goals.
• Experience in IT operations with a focus on standardization and improvement.
• Strong stakeholder engagement skills with senior management.

Responsibilities

• Lead the 24/7 operational support function for IT systems.
• Deliver the operational elements of the IT roadmap.
• Build and develop a high‑performing operations team.

Skills

Leadership and team management

IT operations and service management

Stakeholder engagement

Financial management

Technical understanding of enterprise infrastructure

Vendor and partner management

Excellent communication skills

Experience in high-availability environments

Agile methodologies

Tools

Microsoft Defender

Nessus

SolarWinds

Riverbed Aternity

Job description

We are seeking an experienced Infrastructure Operations Manager to join the IT Infrastructure team within our Technology Department, based at the firm’s London head office.

The team supports our London headquarters together with offices in Europe, Hong Kong, and mainland China, delivering a secure, high-performance infrastructure platform that underpins business operations across all locations.

Reporting to the Head of Infrastructure and Service Delivery, you will lead the Infrastructure Operations function, managing a team of nine specialists and working closely with the Infrastructure Engineering team. You will ensure that networks, platforms, and applications operate reliably, meet performance and availability targets, and evolve to support business growth.

You will drive operational excellence and continuous improvement through measurable management, proactive monitoring, and a focus on automation, observability, and digital‑experience monitoring. In addition, you will develop and empower your team, providing the technical leadership, tools, and standard approaches needed to deliver consistent value to the business.

This role requires deep knowledge of infrastructure implementation, review, and lifecycle management across physical, virtual, and cloud environments, together with the ability to interface effectively with business stakeholders, optimise vendor relationships, and contribute to the delivery of the firm’s technology strategy.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

The key responsibilities of this role are set out below and there may be others which are not listed. You may be required on occasion to work outside our normal working hours of 9:30am to 5:30pm.

• Lead the 24/7 operational support function, providing strategic oversight of the firm’s IT systems and ensuring services remain cost-effective, resilient, and aligned with business priorities.
• Deliver the operational elements of the IT roadmap, embedding continual improvement, managing performance, budgets, and expenditure across operating and capital lines.
• Build and develop a high‑performing operations team, working with HR and Procurement to optimise workforce capability, vendor performance, and service partner engagement.
• Drive proactive monitoring, observability, and digital‑experience (DEX) practices to detect and prevent issues, lead problem resolution, and oversee post‑incident reviews.
• Maintain accountability for third‑party service delivery, ensuring supplier SLAs and KPIs are met and taking corrective action where required.
• Ensure compliance with security, patching, and configuration standards, including Cyber Essentials Plus, and deliver defined availability targets (e.g. 99.99%).
• Apply ITIL, DevOps, and SRE principles to manage major incidents, lead service restoration, and strengthen operational resilience.

OUR TECHNOLOGY ENVIRONMENT INCLUDES

• Windows 11 workstations running Microsoft Office, iManage DMS and legal applications.
• Windows Server and VMware‑based server infrastructure on HPE/Nutanix platforms, complemented by Citrix Universal Hybrid Multi‑Cloud for secure application and desktop delivery.
• Cisco and Meraki network infrastructure, a global MPLS WAN connecting two data centres and three regional offices, secured by Check Point firewalls, Zscaler cloud protection and Absolute Secure Access (NetMotion) VPN for remote access.
• Monitoring and observability via SolarWinds and Riverbed Aternity supporting infrastructure, network and user‑experience monitoring.
• Advanced cybersecurity systems and managed services delivering ISO 27001, ISO 22301 and Cyber Essentials Plus compliance.
• Lifecycle and vendor support arrangements including Citrix ADC maintenance, NetApp post‑warranty support, AdminStudio (Flexera), Cisco ISE identity services and Microsoft Unified Support. The role will drive further evolution of this landscape with greater automation, cloud‑adaptation and efficiency.

CANDIDATE PROFILE

Candidates for this position must have:

• Proven leadership and team‑management capability, with the ability to define and deliver an operational vision that aligns IT outcomes to business goals.
• Extensive experience in IT operations and service management, with a record of driving process standardisation, automation, and continual improvement (ITIL, DevOps).
• Strong stakeholder engagement skills, demonstrating credibility with senior management and the ability to influence outcomes across business and technology teams.
• Sound financial management, including budget planning, cost control, and optimisation across complex IT environments.
• Broad technical understanding of enterprise infrastructure, including networks, data centres, cloud platforms, and operational tooling.
• Effective vendor and partner management, ensuring third‑party services align with business objectives and performance standards.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, capable of conveying complex technical matters to non‑technical audiences.
• Experience leading operations in dynamic, high‑availability environments delivering 24/7 enterprise support.
• Proficient in Agile methodologies (Kanban, Scrum) and vulnerability management tools such as Microsoft Defender and Nessus.
• Collaborative, structured, and outcome‑focused, with a pragmatic, service‑oriented approach to delivery.

We welcome applications irrespective of race, colour, ethnic or national origin, disability, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, religion, belief or marital status.

Seniority level

Mid‑Senior level

Employment type

Full‑time

Job function

Information Technology

Industries

Law Practice