Head of Oxford & Cambridge

Location

Cambridge or Oxford with frequent travel across both locations and London

The Role

As the Head of Oxford and Cambridge, you will be the primary architect and leader for the firm's expansion across the "Golden Triangle." Your mission is to unify our presence in two of the world's most significant innovation ecosystems, transforming them from separate entities into a single, dominant powerhouse. Reporting directly to the Board and working closely with the senior leadership in Oxford and Cambridge and Department Chairs, you will lead the strategic shift toward owning the early-stage innovation economy and unlocking proximate private capital.

Duties And Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership & Growth: Drive the V2030 vision to "own" the Oxford-Cambridge Arc. Scale the Cambridge office to double its size in 3 years and establish the Oxford office with at least 8 partners in key Innovation and Private disciplines within 2 years.
• Ecosystem Integration : Bridge the gap between Oxford, Cambridge, and London. Position the firm as the undeniably leading practice in the UK's three primary innovation hubs to attract global foreign capital.
• Convening Power & Policy: In collaboration with the Academy, lead high-profile initiatives to research and deliver solutions for university and town ecosystems. Act as a primary "opinion former" with policy makers and relevant media.
• Business Development & Market Share: Aggressively increase market share in the innovation sector. Identify and secure "share of wallet" from private capital and high-growth innovation clients.
• Brand Stewardship: Build deep brand association with "unimpeachable excellence" in both locations, leveraging the global prestige of Oxford and Cambridge to sell our services internationally.
• People & Culture: Lead, mentor, and incentivise a high-performing team. Drive a culture of "thoughtful, inspirational leadership" that overcomes the status quo and encourages cross-practice collaboration.

Skills

Skills and Experience

• Proven Leadership: Significant experience leading a major practice group or regional office within a top-tier law or professional services firm.
• Strategic Vision: Demonstrated ability to execute complex, multi-year growth strategies (such as V2030) and manage significant investment budgets.
• Innovation Expertise : Deep understanding of the early-stage innovation economy, private capital markets, and the unique legal needs of high-growth tech and life sciences sectors.
• Network & Influence: Exceptional convening power with the ability to influence policy makers, academic leaders, and institutional investors.
• Commercial Acumen: A track record of delivering measurable revenue growth and increasing Profit per Equity Partner (PSEP).
• Location Flexibility: Ability to work seamlessly across Oxford and Cambridge, with frequent travel to London to maintain the "Arc" narrative.

Please note that this job profile is not an exhaustive list of duties but merely an outline of the key components of the role. You may be required by your line manager to take on additional responsibilities when requested.

About

About The Mishcon de Reya Group

The Mishcon de Reya Group is an independent, international professional services business with law at its heart, employing over 1400 people with over 650 lawyers. It includes the law firm Mishcon de Reya LLP and a collection of leading consultancy businesses that complement the firm's legal services.

Mishcon de Reya LLP is based in London, Oxford, Cambridge, Singapore, Hong Kong and UAE. The firm services an international community of clients and provides advice in situations where the constraints of geography often do not apply. The work the firm undertakes is cross-border, multi-jurisdictional and complex, centred around three increasingly entwined and connected sectors: the Innovation Economy, Private Wealth and Capital, and Real Estate. The firm is known as a disputes powerhouse with a formidable capacity firmwide for dispute resolution.

The Mishcon de Reya Group includes consultancy businesses MDR Discover , MDR Mayfair (in London, Singapore and Dubai), MDR ONE , and MDRi (in Hong Kong). The Group also includes MDR Lab , which invests in the most promising early stage legaltech companies as well as the Mishcon Academy, its in-house place of learning and platform for thought leadership.

In 2024, the Group announced its first strategic acquisition in the alternative legal services market, flexible legal resourcing business Flex Legal. It also acquired a majority stake in Somos, a global group actions management business.

We strive to create a fully diverse and inclusive workplace where all our people are empowered to fulfil their potential. We are proud of our agile working culture and are always happy to talk flexible working.