Director of Change & Transformation

This is an opportunity for a commercially minded, forward-thinking leader who combines strategic ambition with the ability to turn ideas into action. Working with executive leaders, partners and colleagues across our international organisation, you will challenge existing ways of working and lead transformation that delivers measurable improvements in client service, colleague experience, operational efficiency and business performance.

The role is based in our Bristol or London office on a hybrid basis, with regular travel and working across our UK offices as required, with international travel as needed.

The role

Reporting to the Chief Transformation & Technology Officer, and as a member of the UK and International Operations Boards, you will translate our strategic ambitions into meaningful, measurable business outcomes.

You will lead our established Change & Transformation function, setting the direction for our capabilities and ensuring we have the priorities, skills, governance and ways of working needed to deliver lasting change across people, processes, technology and operating models.

Strategy and business transformation

• Work with executive leaders, partners and business stakeholders to shape the transformation roadmap, aligning priorities with business value, strategic objectives, organisational readiness and delivery capacity.
• Lead and influence the design and implementation of future operating models, creating a more efficient, scalable and internationally aligned firm.
• Build partnerships with National Business leadership teams to develop common objectives, processes, standards and shared capabilities, while recognising local business and regulatory requirements.
• Partner with technology, data and innovation leaders to realise opportunities in AI, automation and digital ways of working, focusing on end-to-end process improvement and measurable outcomes rather than technology implementation alone.

Portfolio leadership and delivery

• Retain overall accountability for the transformation portfolio, ensuring programmes achieve their intended outcomes and that risks, resources, budgets and timelines are effectively managed.
• Support the Head of Portfolio and Delivery in strengthening the Portfolio Management Office and delivery capability, with proportionate governance, standards and assurance.
• Provide evidence-based recommendations on where to invest, accelerate, redesign, defer or stop initiatives, balancing strategic transformation with essential operational requirements.
• Work with business and operational leaders to identify and deliver business-as-usual and ‘preserve’ projects that maintain essential systems, services and processes.

Client service and business value

• Embed internal and external client needs in the design, prioritisation and delivery of change, protecting service continuity throughout implementation.
• Ensure initiatives have credible business cases, clear commercial and operational outcomes, and measurable success criteria.
• Work with accountable business owners to realise improvements in profitability, productivity, fee-earner capacity, client experience and operational performance.
• Provide timely, accurate and insightful reporting to the relevant Boards and senior leaders on progress, financial performance, risks, dependencies and benefits realisation.

Change, adoption and continuous improvement

• Support the Head of Change Management in securing stakeholder engagement, building business readiness and driving sustained adoption.
• Oversee coordinated implementation across teams, offices and jurisdictions, including effective transition into business-as-usual operations.
• Use successful delivery, visible benefits and lessons learned to build confidence in change and strengthen collaboration, adaptability and continuous improvement.

People and functional leadership

• Lead and develop the Change & Transformation department across Programme and Project Management, Change Management, Business Analysis and the Portfolio Office.
• Provide strategic direction, coaching and constructive challenge to the Head of Change Management and Head of Portfolio and Delivery, empowering them with clear accountability and appropriate autonomy.
• Develop departmental business and resourcing plans, building the capabilities and capacity needed to meet the firm’s annual and longer-term goals.
• Foster an inclusive, high-performing environment that supports wellbeing, learning and talent development, encourages constructive challenge, and contributes to diversity and inclusion and OC for Good activities.

Strategic influence and firm-wide impact

• Act as a trusted strategic adviser to the CTTO, executive leadership and senior partners, bringing commercial insight and constructive challenge to the transformation agenda.
• Contribute actively to the UK and International Operations Boards, advising on how transformation can strengthen the firm’s competitive position and support sustainable growth.
• Champion compliance and risk management across the department, ensuring initiatives meet relevant regulatory, legal and risk requirements.
• Work across teams, functions and jurisdictions to avoid duplication, share capabilities and improve firm-wide outcomes.

We are looking for

• Proven experience leading significant business and organisational transformation at executive level, delivering measurable commercial, operational and strategic outcomes.
• Strong strategic and commercial acumen, with the ability to translate business ambitions into transformation priorities, challenge investment decisions and demonstrate tangible value.
• Experience shaping and implementing future operating models across people, processes, technology and organisational structures.
• Exceptional stakeholder engagement and influencing skills, with the credibility to advise, challenge and build trusted relationships with executive leaders, senior partners and Boards.
• Significant experience leading complex, cross-functional transformation within international or similarly complex matrix organisations, balancing enterprise-wide ambitions with local requirements.
• A track record of building and leading high-performing multidisciplinary teams and effective transformation capabilities.
• A strong understanding of technology-enabled business transformation, including the opportunities presented by AI, automation and data.
• Experience driving organisational adoption, cultural change and sustainable improvements in business performance.
• Sound understanding of portfolio governance, investment prioritisation and complex programme delivery, with the judgement to balance ambition with realistic execution.
• Experience within an international professional services organisation, partnership or similarly complex regulated environment.
• Experience of international operating model alignment, shared services, business process standardisation or organisational redesign.
• Relevant professional qualifications in transformation, change management, programme management or equivalent disciplines.

We offer competitive salaries and generous benefits. We value the health and wellbeing of our people and our wide range of initiatives and benefits support this.

Our recruitment process

Please note that although we include closing dates for our roles as a guide, we review and progress applications on a rolling basis. At Osborne Clarke we do not make any recruitment decisions using automated decision-making.

We are committed to providing an environment where you can perform to the best of your abilities at every stage of your recruitment experience and beyond. If you require any adjustments to be made during the application stage, interview process, or when working with us, please let us know in confidence.