Sector Construction and Building Services Role Manager Contract Type Permanent Hours Full Time
About the Role
At National Energy System Operator (NESO), we're looking for an excellent addition to our Architecture Team as a Lead Architect, Control Centre Ops. The Lead Architect - Control Centre Operations is responsible for defining and driving the architectural strategy, target state, and multi year roadmap for systems that are critical to the safe, secure, and reliable operation of NESO's nationwide electricity control centre operations.
This role provides technical and strategic leadership across a complex landscape of bespoke operational systems and third party, off the shelf platforms, ensuring they evolve into a cohesive, resilient, and future ready operational ecosystem that supports a modern, decarbonised energy system. It can be based from Wokingham, Warwick, or Glasgow, and we continue to offer hybrid working from office and home as well as flexible working arrangements. The role is designated as requiring a National Security Vetting (NSV) clearance. You will usually need to have been a resident in the UK for the last five years to apply for the required level of clearance.
Key Accountabilities Architectural Strategy & Roadmap
- Define and own the end to end architectural vision for Control Centre Operations systems.
- Develop and maintain a clear, pragmatic architecture roadmap.
- Lead architectural decision making across legacy and future platforms.
Operational Systems Leadership
- Provide architectural oversight for mission critical operational systems including SCADA.
- Ensure systems meet stringent availability, resilience, security, and safety requirements.
- Guide integration of bespoke systems with vendor solutions.
Stakeholder Engagement & Influence
- Act as a trusted technical advisor to senior leaders and partners.
- Collaborate across technology, cyber, infrastructure, and operations teams.
- Engage with external suppliers to influence solution design and roadmaps.
Technical Governance & Assurance
- Establish and uphold architecture standards and principles.
- Provide architectural assurance for major change initiatives.
Leadership, Coaching & Capability Building
- Provide technical leadership and mentoring.
- Foster a culture of collaboration and architectural excellence.
About You Key Skills & Experience
- Strong strategic thinking and direction setting capability.
- Proven stakeholder engagement and influence at senior levels.
- Ability to coach and mentor technical teams.
- Experience with control centre or operational technology environments.
- Knowledge of SCADA systems and real time operational platforms.
- Experience with Red Hat OpenShift and container platforms.
- Strong infrastructure and networking knowledge.
- Experience with cloud platforms, particularly Microsoft Azure.
- Integration of bespoke systems with third party vendor solutions.
Desirable Experience
- Experience within electricity system operations, utilities, or critical national infrastructure.
- Exposure to hybrid IT/OT architectures and legacy modernisation.
- Understanding of regulatory and safety requirements.
Qualifications
- Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related discipline, or equivalent experience.
- Architecture or cloud certifications (e.g. Azure, TOGAF) are advantageous.
What You'll Get
- A competitive salary of £75,000 - £85,000 dependent on experience and capability.
- Bonus of up to 15% of your salary for stretch performance.
- 28 days annual leave as standard.
- Competitive contributory pension scheme where we double match your contribution to a maximum company contribution of 12%.
- Flexible Bank Holidays & Holiday Trading.
- Additional Birthday Day Off.
- Cycle to Work Scheme, Retail & Gym Discounts.
- Private Medical Insurance, Critical Illness Insurance & Personal Accident Insurance.
About Us
At NESO, we play a vital role in tackling climate change and securing Great Britain's energy future. We already operate the world's fastest decarbonising electricity system and are working towards running it carbon free for short periods while the market supplies electricity exclusively from renewable sources. NESO is fully licensed and regulated by Ofgem and operates independently and transparently, always acting in the best interests of all energy users.
More Information
This role closes at 23:59 on the day before the date shown above. We encourage candidates to submit their application as early as possible.