Deputy Chief Information Officer
- Compensation
- $285K–$300K / yr
- Location
- Indianapolis
- Work setup
- Onsite
- Seniority
- C level
- Employment
- Contract
- Experience
- 5+ years
- Category
- Not specified
- Posted
Skills
Must have
- 20+ years of progressive IT leadership experience, with at least 5 years in a senior director, deputy CIO, or equivalent operational leadership role.
- Demonstrated experience in an AmLaw 100 or 200 law firm, or a large professional services firm with comparable technology complexity.
- Hands-on familiarity with core legal technology platforms, including iManage or comparable DMS, Elite 3E or similar financial management systems, and supporting integrations.
- Proven track record managing multi-site, enterprise-scale IT operations (25+ locations preferred).
- Experience directly managing a team of 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, firm leadership, and non-technical stakeholders.
- Deep understanding of cybersecurity principles and legal industry-specific compliance requirements.
- This role requires 4-5 days in office.
Nice to have
- Experience operating in an environment where IT has a formal AI or digital transformation initiative underway.
- Familiarity with AI-adjacent operational challenges, including data governance, model deployment infrastructure, and AI tool evaluation frameworks.
- Relevant certifications such as PMP, ITIL, CISSP, or equivalent.
- Experience with iManage Cloud, Intapp, or other leading legal SaaS platforms.
- Prior exposure to legal industry groups such as ILTA (International Legal Technology Association).
Full description
Summary:
The Deputy Chief Information Officer (Deputy CIO) serves as the operational anchor of the firm's Information Technology organization. Working in close partnership with the Chief Information Officer, this leader assumes responsibility over day-to-day technology operations, enabling the CIO to focus on artificial intelligence, technology strategy, knowledge management, innovation, and firm-wide digital transformation.
This is an externally visible, high-accountability role for a seasoned technology executive who brings both the operational discipline to run a complex, geographically distributed IT environment and the strategic acumen to position the firm for continued growth. The Deputy CIO directly leads the day-to-day operations of the firm and serves as the CIO's principal delegate across vendor relationships, budgeting, compliance, and staff development.
The ideal candidate has deep experience in legal technology environments and is energized by the unique operational demands of a top-tier AmLaw 100 firm — where speed, confidentiality, and service excellence are not optional.
Responsibilities:Operational Leadership & Execution
- Exercise independent authority over IT operations across all 26 firm offices, ensuring consistent, reliable, and secure technology services for approximately 1,800 users.
- Serve as acting CIO in the CIO's absence, maintaining decision-making continuity across all IT functions.
- Establish and enforce operational standards, SLAs, and performance metrics across all four director-led teams.
- Drive IT incident response, business continuity planning, and disaster recovery across the firm's global footprint.
People & Director Leadership
- Provide direct leadership, mentorship, and performance management to four directors:
- Director, Software Services — enterprise application portfolio including practice management, billing, and legal-specific platforms
- Director, Systems — infrastructure, systems architecture, and integration services
- Director, End User Support — helpdesk and deskside support across all offices
- Director, Project Management Office — portfolio governance, project delivery, and resource planning
- Foster a high-performance, collaborative IT culture aligned with the firm's service expectations and professional standards.
- Partner with HR on workforce planning, succession planning, and talent acquisition across the IT organization.
Legal Technology Stewardship
- Oversee the firm's legal technology ecosystem, including but not limited to iManage (document management), Elite 3E (financial management), and related integration layers.