OT Technical Lead

Sword is a leading provider of business technology solutions within the Energy, Public and Finance Sectors, driving transformational change within our clients.  We use proven technology, specialist teams and domain expertise to build solid technical foundations across platforms, data, and business applications.  We have a passion for using technology to solve business problems, working in partnership with our clients to help in achieving their goals.

About the role:

Our client is seeking an experienced Technical Lead to provide end‑to‑end technical leadership and assurance across a portfolio of Operational Technology (OT) and infrastructure initiatives. This role plays a pivotal part in enabling safe, predictable delivery within live operational environments by strengthening technical clarity, reducing ambiguity and ensuring alignment with agreed architecture, design and security standards.

Working alongside Project Managers and wider programme teams, you will be accountable for the quality, completeness and readiness of the technical workstream across multiple concurrent initiatives.

• Provide technical leadership across programme‑led delivery, working in partnership with Project Managers who retain accountability for overall delivery.
• Own the end‑to‑end technical workstream across multiple initiatives, ensuring technical outcomes are complete, coherent and ready for implementation.
• Define and maintain clear technical scope, acceptance criteria and required artefacts so delivery partners and operational teams understand what “done” looks like.
• Strengthen design quality through structured scrutiny of designs, specifications and technical documentation, testing assumptions and identifying risks, gaps or ambiguities.
• Work closely with solution architects, security teams and technical stakeholders to ensure architectural intent, design principles and security requirements are correctly interpreted and implemented.
• Define and apply technical readiness gates (e.g. design ready, build/test ready, operationally ready), providing assurance and evidence to support progression through delivery phases.
• Act as a technical integrator across delivery teams, operations and suppliers, driving closure of technical actions, dependencies and cross‑team issues to agreed standards and timelines.
• Maintain delivery and operational context throughout the lifecycle to support smooth transition into operation and reduce delivery and operational risk

Requirements:
• Strong technical background in OT and/or infrastructure environments.
• Proven ability to review, challenge and assure technical designs and documentation within established architectural and security frameworks.
• Experience working in live or operationally critical environments.
• Demonstrable experience supporting delivery through third‑party suppliers and systems integrators.
• Experience operating within programme‑led delivery models.
• Background in regulated or safety‑critical environments is highly desirable.
• Strong stakeholder engagement skills with the confidence to challenge constructively and drive technical alignment.

Benefits:
At Sword, our core values and culture are based on caring about our people, investing in training and career development, and building inclusive teams where we are all encouraged to contribute to achieve success. We offer comprehensive benefits designed to support your professional development and enhance your overall quality of life. In addition to a Competitive Salary, here's what you can expect as part of our benefits package:

• Personalised Career Development: We create a development plan customised to your goals and aspirations, with a range of learning and development opportunities within a culture that encourages growth.
• Flexible working: Flexible work arrangements to support your work-life balance. We can’t promise to always be able to meet every request, however, are keen to discuss your individual preferences to make it work where we can.
• A Fantastic Benefits Package: This includes generous annual leave allowance, enhanced family friendly benefits, pension scheme, access to private health, well-being, and insurance schemes.

At Sword we are dedicated to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace and are proud to be an equal opportunities employer, ensuring that all applicants receive fair and equal consideration for employment, regardless of whether they meet every requirement. If you don’t tick all the boxes but feel you have some of the relevant skills and experience we’re looking for, please do consider applying and highlight your transferable skills and experience. We embrace diversity in all its forms, valuing individuals regardless of age, disability, gender identity or reassignment, marital or civil partner status, pregnancy or maternity status, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation. Your perspective and potential are important to us.