Chief Information Officer

Chief Information Officer

The Bar Council

London - Hybrid, with an expectation of three days per week in the office

• Location London - Hybrid, with an expectation of three days per week in the office
• Sector Regulation & Professional Standards, IT
• Client The Bar Council
• Job Type Permanent
• Salary/Remuneration Up to £150,000
• Reference GSe136556
• Closing Date 9am on Monday 2 November 2026

As the legal profession evolves, so too must the services, information and technology that support it. This is an opportunity to play a central role in that evolution. The General Council of the Bar consists of two organisations with distinct purposes, together with a central spine of shared services required to sustain them both.  This role will serve the whole organisation, helping the Bar Council and Bar Standards Board harness digital innovation and the value of their data to understand changing needs, strengthen services and make better-informed decisions. You will support two distinct purposes: representing and supporting the barristers’ profession, and independent regulation in the public interest.

As Chief Information Officer, you will bring the digital, data and technology leadership to help both organisations look ahead with confidence. With strong senior sponsorship and a place on both leadership teams, you will shape modern services, make trusted data more accessible and turn insight into practical improvements for colleagues and those they serve. It is a role that combines strategic influence with tangible impact, helping both parts of the organisation make the most of new opportunities while providing the secure, reliable services they depend on every day.

About the organisations

The Bar Council represents and supports the barristers’ profession through policy, training and membership services. The Bar Standards Board independently regulates barristers in the public interest. Their purposes are distinct, but both benefit from effective digital services and trusted information.

This role offers the opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to both organisations. You will shape shared services around their respective needs, supporting their ambitions while respecting the independence of regulation.

About the role

As a member of both senior leadership teams, you will help shape organisational priorities and connect them with the opportunities offered by digital, data and technology. Building trusted relationships across both organisations, you will bring a clear, practical vision and a shared understanding of how to deliver it.

You will combine strong foundations with an ambitious, achievable programme of improvement. Working closely with colleagues, you will modernise core platforms, simplify processes and lead priorities including a new CRM, making services easier to use and more effective.

Data will be central to your impact. By strengthening its quality, governance and accessibility, you will help colleagues turn information into insight, make confident decisions and free up time for higher-value work. For the Bar Council, this will also mean deepening understanding of what barristers value and helping develop a membership proposition and services that respond to their needs.

Working in partnership with the transformation lead, you will lead the digital, data and technology contribution to the wider change programme. You will work with colleagues to align technology delivery with improvements in processes and ways of working, supporting adoption and translating investment into measurable improvements in efficiency and service quality.

You will lead and nurture a high-performing DDaT team, fostering a supportive culture through coaching, development and clear direction. By empowering colleagues to do their best work, you will strengthen the team’s role as a responsive, enabling partner to both organisations, delivering secure, reliable services and creating opportunities to make the most of digital, data and technology, including AI. You will also build effective supplier relationships and make well-judged investment decisions that deliver value for money.

About you

We are looking for an energetic, collaborative leader who combines a clear sense of direction with the ability to bring people together. You will be comfortable offering constructive challenge, building support for important decisions and turning ambition into results.

You may already be a CIO or be ready for your first appointment at this level. What matters is the strength of your digital, data and technology leadership, the relationships you have built and the measurable outcomes you have personally delivered.

Essential criteria

• Strategic digital, data and technology leadership: A strong track record of leadership across digital, data and technology, shaping and delivering strategies that support organisational ambitions. Experience of translating business needs into clear priorities, balancing service improvement, innovation and secure, reliable operations.
• Data and insight: Experience of improving how an organisation manages and uses its data, strengthening quality, governance and accessibility. Evidence of working with colleagues to turn information into meaningful insight that supports better decisions, more effective services and a clearer understanding of user needs.
• Service and user focus: Experience of understanding the needs of internal colleagues and external users, building trusted partnerships and shaping responsive services around those needs. Evidence of making digital services easier to use and improving the experience of those who rely on them.
• Technology and resilience: Sound judgement across enterprise platforms, architecture and cyber security, with experience of modernising core systems and maintaining secure, reliable services. The ability to balance effective protection with practical access to the tools and information colleagues need.
• Delivery and commercial judgement: Experience of delivering digital, data and technology programmes and projects, working with business colleagues and delivery partners to achieve agreed outcomes. Evidence of managing budgets, suppliers and investment decisions to secure value for money and demonstrable benefits.
• People and stakeholder leadership: Experience of leading, coaching and developing high-performing teams, creating a supportive culture that empowers colleagues and encourages continuous improvement. The ability to build trust with senior stakeholders, communicate clearly, navigate differing priorities and offer constructive challenge with integrity.

Legal-sector experience is not essential. We welcome candidates from membership organisations and other complex stakeholder environments who can bring relevant experience and fresh perspectives.

To arrange an informal, confidential discussion, please contact Sarah Luxford, Partner or Martyn Brereton, Senior Researcher at GatenbySanderson, at barcouncilcio@gatenbysanderson.com. To access the candidate pack and apply, please click the apply link below.

To view the job description and person specification, please scroll to the bottom of the page, tick to agree to the privacy policy, then click 'Continue to full details'.

Recruitment Timetable

Closing Date - Strictly
9am on Monday 2 November 2026

Shortlist Meeting
Friday 6 November 2026

First Stage Panel Interviews
w/c Monday 9 and w/c Monday 16 November 2026

Final Panel Interview
w/c Monday 23 November 2026

How to Apply

Registering and creating an account

Sign in to your GatenbySanderson account, or create an account if you do not already have one. Keep your account details safe so that you can access your application and messages throughout the process.

Follow the online instructions to begin your application. Please allow sufficient time to complete the process and check all documents before submitting.

Please submit:

• Your CV: A current account of your career, responsibilities and relevant achievements.
• A supporting statement: No more than two pages, setting out why you are interested in this role and how you meet the person specification, with particular focus on the six essential criteria on page 11 under “What you will bring”.
• Contact details: Your daytime and/or mobile telephone number and personal email address, to be used with discretion.
• Diversity monitoring: Complete the online monitoring form as part of the process. Answers to individual questions are optional and you may select “prefer not to say”. [1]

Your statement should explain what you personally led, the scale of the work, the decisions you made and the business results achieved.

Submission and support

Submit your application by the deadline shown above. Check that you receive an immediate acknowledgement and, if it does not arrive, check your spam folder and contact the campaign coordinator.

If you have difficulty using the system, contact emma.clark@gatenbysanderson.com before the closing deadline.

Reasonable adjustments

Please tell the campaign team if you need an adjustment or an alternative format to help you apply or participate in selection. Contact emma.clark@gatenbysanderson.com so that your requirements can be discussed.

1 Personal Information

1.1 We take your privacy seriously and this privacy statement (Privacy Statement) sets out how we will handle your personal data securely and in accordance with your rights.

1.2 GatenbySanderson Limited (we, us, our) is a registered data controller under the terms of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Details of our notification to the data protection regulator may be found in the Information Commissioner’s Office Public Register of Data Controllers at ico.org.uk under registration number Z9032296. Our registered office address is at 14 King Street, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS1 2HL.

1.3 Our Data Protection Officer is: Nathan Tittensor.

2 General Information

2.1 This Privacy Statement explains what information we collect about you when you:

(a) visit our websites at:

(i) www.gatenbysanderson.com (our Main Website); or

(ii) apply.gatenbysanderson.com (our Application Process Website);

(together, the Websites);
(b) register an account with us on our Main Website (Your Account); and/or
(c) apply for job vacancies advertised on the Websites,
and how we handle your information in respect of our agreement with you to provide recruitment services (together, our Services) to ensure that we protect your rights.

2.2 Please read this Privacy Statement carefully to understand how we will treat your personal data. In this Privacy Statement, references to you or your shall mean you as a user of the Websites and/or our Services.

2.3 This Privacy Statement should be read together with the Websites terms of use policy in place from time to time (Web Policy) and our cookies policy (Cookie Policy) which together apply to your use of the Websites and our Services.

2.4 By using the Websites and/or our Services you will be regarded as having accepted the terms of this Privacy Statement. Please do not use the Websites or our Services if you do not agree to the terms of this Privacy Statement.

2.5 We recognise that in some circumstance (for example, because you are on holiday) you may authorise one of our consultants to register Your Account on our Main Website and / or to apply for job vacancies on your behalf. In such cases, we will still require you to provide us with your consent to us processing your personal data in accordance with this Privacy Statement. We will contact you by email, attaching a link to a copy of this Privacy Statement and we will ask you to confirm by return email that you agree to our processing of your personal data in accordance with this Privacy Statement. Please note that our consultants will not be able to register Your Account on our Main Website, apply for job vacancies on your behalf or process your application any further until we have received your consent by return email.

3 What information do we collect?

3.1 When you use the Websites and / or our Services we may ask you to provide certain information such as, your name, date of birth and contact details (including your address, email address, and contact telephone number).

3.2 When you register Your Account with us on our Main Website or wish to apply for job vacancies listed, we may also ask you to provide certain information including:

(a) details of your employment history, career experience and skills;
(b) copies of your CV, job application, a covering letter and supporting statements; and / or
(c) suitable references from your employer or other third party referees.
3.3 We may also collect information on an ongoing basis about what pages you access or visit on the Websites and information about your use of the Websites including, for example, the job vacancies, sectors and locations you have viewed and any changes you make to information you supply to us, including by use of cookies (please see our Cookies Policy, set out in paragraph 9, below).

Sensitive personal information

3.4 In order to provide you with our Services we may also need to collect personal data which the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA 2018) and the UK GDPR regards as sensitive or special categories of personal data, such as information relating to your racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership, physical or mental health or sexual orientation (Background Information) and/or information relating to any criminal convictions you have or offences you may have committed (Criminal Records Information) (Background Information and Criminal Records Information, together, being Sensitive Data).

3.5 By completing our equal opportunities form (Equal Opportunities Form) which forms part of our online application process (in respect of your Background Information) and/or by providing us with any Criminal Records Information requested for the purposes of providing our Services you will signify your explicit consent to such Sensitive Data being processed by us.

3.6 Please note that answers to all questions on our Equal Opportunities Form are optional and you can always provide a “prefer not to say” response. However, we may be required to obtain Criminal Records Information from you in order to assess your suitability for certain job roles; if you do not wish to provide your Criminal Records Information then we may be unable to process your application (including dealing with any in-flight applications) any further.

4 What do we use your information for?

4.1 You have the right to be told the legal basis and purposes for the processing of your personal data. We are relying on your explicit consent to the processing of your personal data (including any Sensitive Data, as defined above). This means that if you exercise your right to withdraw your consent (please see paragraph 8 below) we will no longer be able to process your data (including dealing with any in-flight applications). Please note we may retain a copy of your data in accordance with our data retention policy.

4.2 We may use your information for the following purposes:

(a) to:
(i) manage Your Account, process any information provided by you to us and to store your personal data in our databases;

(ii) process any applications made by you for job vacancies advertised on the Websites and manage the recruitment process, including contacting and liaising with employers in relation to your applications;

(iii) assess your suitability for any job vacancies for which you have applied via our Websites or for which we think you may be suitable;

(iv) allow us to analyse your employment preferences and personalise our recruitment services to you;

(v) as part of our due diligence process, to validate the information provided by you (and, in some cases, match it against information that has been collected by a third party, including background checks such as bankruptcy and insolvency registers, disqualified company director registers, Criminal Records Bureau / Disclosure and Barring Service checks, social media and for proof of eligibility to work in the UK) and to check that the data we hold about you is accurate, consistent and up to date;

(vi) pre-populate fields on our Main Website and on application forms where you are applying for a vacancy that is advertised on our Websites to make it easier for you to provide information when you return to our Websites (but you may remove pre-populated data before submitting the application); and

(vii) discuss with our client contacts your suitability for job roles in which we think you may be interested or suitable, on the basis that such processing is necessary in order to perform our Services;
(b) for our own market intelligence gathering purposes, to enable us to understand the recruitment market and prepare demographic, analytical, statistical or market information (which may include aggregating your data with, and benchmarking it against, data received from other individuals, clients and employers) and to improve our services (all on the basis that your personal data will be completely anonymised and you will not be capable of being identified from such information if we share it externally);
(c) to contact third parties such as your employer/referees whom you have nominated to verify information about yourself. By providing us with your employer/referee details when registering Your Account and/or when applying for job vacancies advertised on the Websites, you are deemed to have provided us with your consent to us contacting such employer/referees;
(d) for such purposes as are reasonably necessary to comply with any legal obligations to which we are subject in the performance of our Services; and
(e) to communicate with you, including sending you information about job vacancies which we think may be of interest to you and to send you event invites, newsletters and updates on the basis that you have given your consent to such processing by opting-in to receiving marketing information from us on the My Account page on Your Account. You will be able to opt-out of such communications at any time by contacting us using the contact details in paragraph 11, below, or by opting-out of receiving marketing information from us via the “My Account” page on Your Account.
4.3 Please note that we may also use your personal data to prepare, use and disclose statistical and demographic information regarding use of the Websites for the purposes of improving the Websites (in pursuit of the legitimate interests of improving the Websites for the benefit of you and our other clients to whom we provide our Services) and for our marketing purposes (in no circumstances will you be capable of being identified from such statistical and demographic information).

4.4 We shall periodically check that the personal data we store for you is accurate. If you would like to update the personal data we hold about you, please contact us with your request using the contact details at paragraph 11, below or by logging-in to Your Account and updating your personal details on the My Account page.

4.5 In connection with any job vacancies for which you apply using our Websites, we may ask you to complete a diagnostic assessment in order to assess your suitability for such vacancy and in order to provide our Services (Assessment). Employment-focused diagnostic Assessments are a way of assessing your interests, values, motivations and behavioural styles and cognitive abilities in connection with any prospective employment role you apply for and may take a variety of forms, including personality questionnaires, reasoning tests, surveys and behavioural simulation exercises. Where we ask you to participate in one of our Assessments, we will separately require you to enter into our Assessment Privacy Statement in relation to any of your personal data which we process in relation to such Assessment.

5 Who do we share your information with?

5.1 As part of using our Services, we may share your personal information with the following parties:

(a) our data hosting/support service providers who process and store data on our behalf;
(b) our professional advisors and consultants;
(c) third party data providers for the purposes of validating the information provided by you and to check that the data we hold about you is accurate, consistent and up to date (including for the purposes of performing background/verification checks of the type referred to in paragraph 4.2(a)(v) above);
(d) your current employer and/or any other individuals who you nominate as referees to verify certain information;
(e) any of our group companies, including any companies which may be added to our group from time to time;
(f) any of our business partners, employers and their stakeholders with whom we share information for the purposes of identifying suitable job vacancies in which we think you may be interested and assessing your suitability for any such role; and
(g) our trusted third-party emailing service provider whom we use to upload and send email communications with you.
5.2 We may also share your personal information with third parties:

(a) in the event that we or any of our group companies, our business, or substantially all of its assets are acquired by a third party (in which case personal information about customers will be one of the transferred assets);
(b) if we are under a duty to disclose or share your personal data in order to comply with any legal obligation, or in order to enforce or apply any contract with you or to protect our rights, property, or safety of our employees, customers, or others. This includes exchanging information with other companies and organisations for the purposes of fraud protection and credit risk reduction; or
(c) if such disclosure is necessary in connection with any law (including any investigation or complaint regarding your use of the Websites).

6 Transfers of personal data outside of the United Kingdom and the EEA

6.1 If you are registering Your Account, applying for job vacancies on our Websites and/or using our Services from:

(a) within the United Kingdom and the European Economic Area (EEA), then we will not transfer your personal data outside of the United Kingdom and the EEA, unless for due diligence checks; or
(b) outside of the United Kingdom and the EEA, then we may transfer your personal data outside of the United Kingdom and the EEA solely for the purposes of corresponding with you in relation to our Services.
6.2 We shall ensure that any such transfers outside of the United Kingdom and the EEA are lawful and with an adequate level of protection and that your personal is kept secure in accordance with the DPA 2018.

7 How long do we store your personal data for?

7.1 We only store your personal information for as long as necessary for the purposes listed in paragraph 4. This data is retained for a period of four years.

8 What are your rights?

8.1 You may exercise your rights below by contacting us using the contact details in paragraph 11 of this Privacy Statement.

8.2 Access to your personal data: You may request access to a copy of your personal data by contacting us using the contact details in paragraph 11.

8.3 Right to withdraw: You may withdraw your consent to us processing your personal data at any time. Please contact us using the details located at paragraph 11 if you would like to withdraw your consent and we will delete your data in line with your right to erasure at paragraph 8.5 below. Please note that in the event that you wish to exercise your rights under this paragraph 8.3, we may be unable to process your application any further (including any in-flight applications) or continue to provide our Services to you.

8.4 Rectification: You may ask us to rectify inaccurate information held about you. If you would like to update the data we hold about you, please contact us using the details in paragraph 11 or by logging-in to Your Account and updating your information on the “My Account” page accordingly.

8.5 Erasure: You may ask us to delete your personal data. If you would like us to delete the personal data we hold about you, please contact us using the contact details in paragraph 11 and specify why you would like us to delete your personal data. Please note that in the event that you wish to exercise your rights under this paragraph 8.5, we may be unable to process your application any further (including any in-flight applications) or continue to provide our Services to you.

8.6 Portability: You may ask us to provide you with the personal information that we hold about you in a structured, commonly used, machine readable form, or ask for us to send such personal data to another data controller by contacting us using the contact details in paragraph 11.

8.7 Right to object: You may object to our processing of your personal data pursuant to this Privacy Statement. Please contact us using the details in paragraph 11, providing details of your objection. Please note that in the event that you wish to exercise your rights under this paragraph 8.7, we may be unable to process your application any further (including any in-flight applications) or continue to provide our Services to you.

8.8 Make a complaint: You may make a complaint about our data processing activities to a supervisory authority, for the UK this is the Information Commissioner’s Office, at ico.org.uk.

9 Security and Data Storage

9.1 We will treat all of your information in strict confidence and we will endeavour to take all reasonable steps to keep your personal data secure once it has been transferred to our systems. We adopt and ensure any third party suppliers providing services on our behalf adopt appropriate data collection, storage and processing practices and security measures to protect against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure or destruction of your personal information, and data stored on the Websites and associated databases.

9.2 Please note that the internet is not a secure medium and we cannot guarantee the security of any data you disclose online. You accept the inherent security risks of providing information and dealing online over the internet and will not hold us liable for any breaches of your data protection rights attributable to the transmission of your personal data over the internet.

10 Changes to this Privacy Statement

10.1 We may modify this Privacy Statement from time to time, so please review it regularly.

10.2 If we change this Privacy Statement we shall notify you by means of notice on our Main Website homepage and/or by notifying you through Your Account.

10.3 This Privacy Statement was last amended on 20th March 2023.

11 Contact

11.1 If you have any queries relating to this Privacy Statement or our use of your personal data or you wish to exercise any of your rights under this Privacy Statement please contact:

(a) our privacy team at privacy@gatenbysanderson.com (or such other email address as may be displayed on the “Contact Us” section of any of the Websites from time to time); or
(b) our Data Protection Officer by post at GatenbySanderson Limited, 14 King Street, Leeds. West Yorkshire, LS1 2HL.

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