OT Technical Manager in Reading

What you'll do as an OT Technical Manager

OT Technical Leadership & Operational Performance

• Act as a senior operational technical authority for Thames Water’s OT technology estate and associated digital services.
• Lead the teams responsible for IT network operations, enterprise network security, cyber compliance, OT compute, active directory and identity services.
• Ensure the integrity, security, availability, resilience and supportability of OT systems across Thames Water’s operational sites.
• Provide expert technical leadership, escalation and decision making across OT infrastructure, connectivity, compute, security and identity services.
• Maintain effective oversight of the live OT estate, ensuring that critical services remain reliable, secure and fit for purpose.

Digital Network Roadmaps

• Own the implementation of the approved Digital (IT/OT) network roadmaps.
• Translate agreed technical roadmaps into prioritised and deliverable operational plans.
• Coordinate resources, suppliers, dependencies, and change activity to deliver roadmap commitments effectively.
• Identify and elevate conflicts, risks, dependencies, and required deviations through the appropriate engineering governance routes.
• Ensure operational delivery remains aligned with approved architectures, standards, regulatory requirements, and business priorities.

Networks, Connectivity & Security Operations

• Lead the operation and continual improvement of IT and OT connectivity services supporting connected people and operational assets.
• Oversee network operations delivered through a combination of internal resources and third party managed services.
• Monitor and improve network service health, capacity, performance, resilience and lifecycle.
• Lead the enterprise network security services within the role’s remit, including firewalls, VPN and remote access services, WAN and SD-WAN security controls, and network security monitoring.
• Ensure cyber compliance activities are operated effectively, supported by appropriate evidence and subject to continual improvement.
• Identify and manage network security risks, vulnerabilities, control gaps and technical dependencies.

OT Compute, Directory & Identity Services

• Lead the reliable and secure operation of OT hosting and compute platforms.
• Oversee OT Active Directory, the OT tenant and Entra ID services.
• Ensure effective identity lifecycle management, privileged access controls, platform health, backup, recovery and technical support.
• Manage technical risks and improvement opportunities across OT compute, directory and identity services.
• Ensure platforms remain resilient, supportable and capable of meeting current and future operational requirements.
• Manage the routine operation, maintenance and continual improvement of OT systems and associated processes.
• Ensure operational issues, recurring faults, performance constraints and capacity risks are identified, prioritised and addressed.
• Apply effective incident, problem, change, capacity and service improvement practices across the live estate.
• Establish meaningful operational KPIs and service measures covering performance, resilience, supportability and improvement.
• Ensure lessons learned from incidents, operational events and service reviews are translated into practical improvements.

Operational Resilience, Compliance & Business Continuity

• Own operational resilience, business continuity and disaster recovery arrangements for the services within the role’s remit.
• Ensure critical services are appropriately backed up, recoverable and supported by effective recovery capabilities.
• Maintain, test and continually improve recovery documentation and disaster recovery arrangements.
• Coordinate technical response and service restoration during major incidents, operational events and service disruptions.
• Ensure operational compliance with approved company policies, engineering standards, cyber security requirements and relevant regulatory obligations.
• Maintain remediation plans and provide timely assurance and evidence to internal stakeholders and relevant regulatory bodies.

Leadership, Stakeholder & Commercial Management

• Lead a high performing and improvement focused technical organisation, setting clear priorities, objectives and performance expectations across internal teams and strategic partners.
• Balance operational support with risk reduction, resilience, compliance, lifecycle activity and roadmap delivery, allocating resources to the areas of greatest business and operational need.
• Act as the senior operational technical authority and escalation point, providing clear, practical and commercially balanced advice to senior stakeholders.
• Build effective relationships across Technology, Engineering, Operations, Cybersecurity, Finance, Procurement and Health and Safety, as well as with regulators and external partners.
• Manage key contracts, suppliers and service relationships, holding partners accountable for service performance, security, resilience, commercial outcomes and agreed improvements.
• Support Capex and Opex planning while managing supplier risks, dependencies and commercial constraints.
• Develop team capability, succession and professional growth while promoting health, safety, wellbeing, accountability and operational excellence.

Working pattern - Full-time, Monday to Friday

What you should bring to the role

• Experience working within water industry Operational Technology (OT), with extensive understanding of the technology and operational environments that support critical water and wastewater services.
• Strong knowledge and practical experience of OT methodologies, principles, frameworks, systems, and architectures within a complex operational environment.
• Demonstrable experience leading operational technology services across infrastructure, networks, security, compute, identity, and associated digital services.
• Proven experience managing internal technical teams and significant third-party delivery, managed service, offshore, and outsourced partners within a matrix organisation.
• Demonstrable understanding of the use of OT within the utility industry, including the operational, resilience, security, safety, and regulatory considerations associated with critical infrastructure.
• Proven experience managing technical risks, incidents, problems, service performance, business continuity, disaster recovery, and continual service improvement across a live operational estate.
• Strong experience working with senior stakeholders across technology, engineering, operations, cybersecurity, compliance, commercial, and business functions.
• Proven ability to translate complex technical problems into simple, practical, and deliverable solutions.
• Demonstrable experience making balanced decisions that consider commercial, operational, customer, security, resilience, and regulatory requirements.
• Experience managing technical suppliers, service providers, communications partners, and system integrators, with accountability for service performance and contractual outcomes.
• Strong understanding and practical experience of LAN and WAN network technologies within complex operational environments.

Essential Technical Skills & Qualifications

• Higher education qualification, or equivalent demonstrable experience, within an engineering discipline.
• Strong technical knowledge of OT systems and architecture, including the infrastructure and supporting services required to operate critical operational environments.
• Strong understanding of OT networks, LAN, WAN, connectivity, and associated operational technologies.
• Practical knowledge of enterprise network security technologies, including firewalls, VPN, remote access, WAN and SD-WAN security controls, and network security monitoring.
• Strong understanding of OT compute platforms, Active Directory, Entra ID, identity lifecycle management, privileged access, backup, recovery, and platform resilience.
• Strong knowledge of OT cybersecurity principles, cyber compliance requirements, operational security controls, risk management, and vulnerability remediation.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to communicate effectively with technical and non-technical audiences.
• Strong decision-making and judgement, with the ability to assess complex operational, technical, commercial, security, and customer considerations.
• Demonstrable leadership capability, including leading internal teams, matrix resources, and third-party delivery partners.
• Strong personal accountability and resilience, with the ability to deliver results under pressure in a critical operational environment.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence senior stakeholders and establish effective relationships across organisational boundaries.

What's in it for you?

• Competitive up to £90,000 per annum depending on experience
• Annual Leave: 26 days holiday per year, increasing to 30 with the length of service. (plus bank holidays).
• Performance-related pay plan directly linked to company performance measures and targets.
• Generous Pension Scheme through AON.
• Access to lots of benefits to help you take care of you and your family's health and wellbeing, and your finances - from annual health MOTs and access to physiotherapy and counselling, to Cycle to Work schemes, shopping vouchers and life assurance.