We are building an AI centre of excellence internally whilst re-architecting parts of our technology estate away from legacy systems toward a modern, event-driven microservices architecture on Azure. As part of this growth, we are looking to hire a newly created Head of Development role to work alongside our Head of IT in driving the next phase of our technology strategy.
- Location: Altrincham, WA14 5UW – hybrid. We also have an office in Liverpool and would be happy for the successful candidate to split their office time between Liverpool and Altrincham if they’d prefer.
- Hours: Full-time, Mon-Fri, 9:00-17:00
- Salary: £70-85k p/a DOE
About PLS Solicitors
PLS Solicitors is a well-established and growing law firm with a strong reputation within the conveyancing industry and significant ongoing investment in technology, AI, and platform modernisation.
Why this role is different
This is an opportunity to join at a genuinely formative stage of the journey, helping to deliver the future direction of technology within the business.
You’ll lead development across multiple workstreams including our Web team, Proclaim team (our case management system), and newly formed AI team, whilst working closely with the Head of IT and wider leadership team on platform modernisation, AI adoption, engineering standards, and long-term technology direction.
We are looking for someone technically credible, commercially pragmatic, and hands-on enough to lead effectively – someone comfortable improving delivery, supporting developers, modernising platforms, and helping turn architectural direction into scalable execution.
The environment here suits somebody who enjoys autonomy, ownership, pace, and solving complex technical problems without heavy corporate bureaucracy.
What You’ll Be Doing:
- Leading development teams across multiple technical domains and workstreams
- Managing sprint planning, delivery cadence and engineering standards
- Working closely with the Head of IT on platform re-architecture and modernisation initiatives
- Driving adoption and governance of AI-assisted development tooling including Claude Code
- Supporting the ongoing evolution from legacy monolithic systems toward Azure-based microservices architecture
- Overseeing development quality, code reviews and technical troubleshooting
- Mentoring developers and supporting the growth of the newly launched AI Graduate Programme
- Collaborating with both UK and offshore teams to maintain delivery momentum and architectural consistency
- Contributing to architectural discussions whilst remaining hands-on where needed
What We’re Looking For:
We’re open to candidates already operating at Head of Development level, as well as strong Development Managers / Technical Leads looking to step into a broader leadership role. Most importantly, we’re looking for someone with strong technical foundations, sound judgement, good interpersonal skills, and a genuine enthusiasm for modern engineering practices and AI tooling. We’d expect to see experience in areas such as:
Essential:
- Leading development teams in a commercial environment
- Managing multiple development workstreams, teams or technical functions
- Modern cloud environments (Azure preferred, AWS/GCP considered)
- CI/CD, delivery planning and engineering governance
- SQL in production environments
- Hands-on technical capability – able to review code, troubleshoot issues and challenge technical decisions where needed
- People management experience with strong communication and stakeholder management skills
- Experience working with AI development tools such as Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, Cursor or similar
Desirable:
- Microservices or platform modernisation experience
- Experience managing offshore teams
- Exposure to Node.js, TypeScript, PHP or Python environments
- Event-driven architecture experience
- Legal or regulated industry experience
- Experience introducing AI-assisted development practices into engineering teams
What You’ll Get in Return:
- A newly created leadership role at the centre of our AI and engineering strategy.
- A modern, collaborative environment with strong backing from the CEO and COO, where ideas are heard and hierarchy doesn’t get in the way of good thinking
- Join a growing, tech-driven law firm with a genuine focus on innovation.
- Long-term development opportunities including study support options (employer-funded after 12- months).
- 25 days AL + Bank Holidays, with buy/carry over options
- Employee benefits: death in service, healthcare plan, EAP, counselling, and salary sacrifice
- Extras: free conveyancing, mortgage advice, staff discounts
If you’re ready to take ownership of a newly created Head of Development role at the heart of our AI and platform modernisation journey, apply now to join PLS Solicitors and help shape the future of our technology strategy.
Please note: We do not accept unsolicited CVs from agencies. We are not bound by any terms and conditions in relation to unsolicited profiles submitted without prior agreement