Infrastructure Operations Manager

ROLE OVERVIEW //

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, document management systems and legal applications.
  • Windows Server and virtualisation platform-based server infrastructure on enterprise-grade hardware, complemented by secure application and desktop delivery solutions.
  • Enterprise network infrastructure (e.g., Cisco, Juniper), a global WAN connecting multiple data centres and regional offices, secured by network security appliances, cloud-based security solutions, and remote access VPN technologies.
  • Monitoring and observability via infrastructure and user-experience monitoring solutions.
  • Advanced cybersecurity systems and managed services delivering compliance with appropriate industry controls and standards.
  • Lifecycle and vendor support arrangements including application delivery controller maintenance, storage platform support, software packaging solutions, identity services, and unified support arrangements. 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.

Job Details

Company
Slaughter and May
Location
Slough, Berkshire, UK
Employment Type
Full-time
Posted