At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead customer projects, manage teams, and drive growth in a dynamic environment.
- Company: PurpleSector, an innovative consultancy born from Formula 1 engineering.
- Benefits: 25 days holiday, pension, healthcare, and up to 10% annual bonus.
- Other info: Fast-paced, high-autonomy culture with opportunities for continuous improvement.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by leading high-value projects and shaping AI-enabled consulting.
- Qualifications: Experience in leading technical projects and managing teams; relevant degree preferred.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 75000 € per year.
Who are PurpleSector? Born in the white heat of Formula 1, PurpleSector is an engineering-led, data-driven consultancy that solves complex, high-value challenges. With a team of engineers and data scientists, we use race-derived tools, technologies and techniques to uncover critical insights, prototype and validate solutions, and embed lasting performance improvements. Our mission is to decode complexity, unlock efficiency, and deliver measurable results at race pace – turning challenges into performance gains in weeks, not months.
Location: Thursley, Surrey (Hybrid)
Contract Type: Permanent, Full time
Reporting to: Delivery Lead
Role Overview: We organise around customer-facing teams – small, multidisciplinary units that solve real problems and deliver measurable outcomes. The Team Lead owns a defined but evolving area of our technical offering, combining technical capability and customer/market application. You are accountable for delivering projects for customers, building and leading a high-performing team, growing your domain through opportunity identification and expansion, and shaping repeatable, commercially valuable approaches. These domains evolve as we apply existing technologies in new contexts, expand into new markets, and develop new capabilities. You own outcomes within a domain and how that domain grows over time.
What You’ll do:
- Lead Customer Delivery – own delivery of projects end-to-end (scope, plan, execution, outcomes). Work directly with customers to define problems and shape solutions. Lead proposals, estimates, and delivery planning. Manage risks, dependencies, and commercial performance. Make pragmatic trade-offs between speed, cost, and scalability.
- Manage and develop a multidisciplinary team – line manage up to ~7 people across disciplines, run 1:1s, support development, manage performance, build a high-trust, high-performance environment, and balance delivery, development, and utilisation.
- Drive growth within your domain – identify and develop opportunities within customer engagements, expand successful work across client organisations, act as a clear point of contact for business development, contribute to proposals and commercial development, and improve delivery efficiency over time.
- Own product thinking within your domain – take responsibility for a defined but evolving area of our technical offering, combine technical capability with real-world application to create value, identify where delivery work can become repeatable, scalable approaches, shape these into reusable plays, methods, and assets, assess commercial viability, and collaborate with other teams where capabilities overlap or extend.
- Work with technical leadership – partner with Chief Engineers on solution architecture, work with Technical Community Leads on standards, skills, and capability, and ensure delivery aligns with best practice and evolving capability.
How We Work: Fast iteration and real-world testing over perfect plans. Pragmatic decisions over heavy process. High-trust, high-autonomy teams. Continuous improvement in how we deliver.
AI Mindset: AI is part of how we deliver – not a separate activity. You actively use AI tools in your day-to-day work. You look for ways AI can improve delivery and customer outcomes. You are curious about how AI changes how work is done.
What We’re Looking For:
- Strong experience leading customer-facing technical projects.
- Degree in a relevant discipline (Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related technical discipline) or equivalent industry experience.
- Experience working within a consultancy environment is beneficial.
- Comfortable working across disciplines (engineering, data, software).
- Experience managing and developing people.
- Strong communication – able to simplify complexity.
- Commercial awareness and pragmatic decision-making.
- Ability to identify and shape opportunities with customers.
Why This Role: Lead real, high-impact work with real customers. Own and grow a meaningful domain within the business. Combine delivery, leadership, and product thinking. Help shape how we scale AI-enabled consulting.
This Role May Not Be for You If: You prefer narrow, clearly defined roles. You want to focus only on delivery or only on people. You are uncomfortable with ambiguity and fast iteration. You are not interested in AI as part of how work gets done.
Role Shape: 50-60% delivery leadership. 20-30% people leadership. 10-20% domain growth and product thinking.
Employee Benefits: 25 days holiday. Pension. Life assurance. Healthcare. Income protection. Employee Assistance Scheme. Up to 10% discretionary annual bonus.
Customer Team Lead employer: PurpleSector
At PurpleSector, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer that fosters a high-trust, high-autonomy work culture where innovation thrives. Located in the picturesque Thursley, Surrey, our hybrid working model allows for flexibility while you lead impactful projects and develop your team in a dynamic environment. With a strong focus on employee growth, competitive benefits including 25 days holiday, healthcare, and a discretionary bonus, we empower our team to unlock their potential and drive meaningful change in the consultancy landscape.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Customer Team Lead
✨Tip Number 1
Get to know the company inside out! Research PurpleSector's projects, values, and culture. This will help you tailor your conversations and show that you're genuinely interested in what they do.
✨Tip Number 2
Network like a pro! Connect with current or former employees on LinkedIn. Ask them about their experiences and insights into the role. This can give you a leg up and might even lead to a referral!
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for the interview by practising common questions related to customer delivery and team leadership. Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your answers and highlight your achievements.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to showcase your AI mindset! Be ready to discuss how you've used AI tools in past projects and how you see them enhancing customer outcomes. This aligns perfectly with PurpleSector's approach.
We think you need these skills to ace Customer Team Lead
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Passion:When writing your application, let your enthusiasm for the role shine through! We want to see how excited you are about leading customer-facing teams and tackling complex challenges. Share specific examples of your past experiences that align with our mission at PurpleSector.
Tailor Your CV:Make sure your CV is tailored to highlight your relevant experience in leading technical projects and managing teams. We love seeing how you've combined technical capability with real-world applications, so don’t hold back on those details!
Be Clear and Concise:We appreciate straightforward communication, so keep your application clear and to the point. Use simple language to explain your achievements and how they relate to the role. Remember, we’re looking for someone who can simplify complexity!
Apply Through Our Website:Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensures you’re considered for the role. Plus, it shows you’re keen on joining our team at PurpleSector!
How to prepare for a job interview at PurpleSector
✨Know Your Domain Inside Out
Before the interview, dive deep into the specific area of the technical offering you'll be leading. Understand how it applies to customer needs and be ready to discuss how you can shape solutions that deliver measurable outcomes.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Style
Prepare examples of how you've successfully managed and developed teams in the past. Highlight your approach to building high-trust environments and how you balance delivery with team development.
✨Emphasise Your Pragmatic Decision-Making
Be ready to discuss scenarios where you've made tough trade-offs between speed, cost, and scalability. This will demonstrate your ability to navigate complex challenges while keeping customer satisfaction at the forefront.
✨Get Familiar with AI Tools
Since AI is integral to their delivery process, show your curiosity and experience with AI tools. Discuss how you've used them in previous projects to improve outcomes and efficiency, and be prepared to share ideas on how they can enhance customer delivery.
