IT Systems Engineer Lead

IT Systems Engineering Lead - Major Energy/Petrochemical Project

Location: Reading, UK (On-Site)Hours: 37.5 per weekContract Length: 12 Months, start date ASAP

Pay Rate Banding: PAYE - £43-17ph - £58.46ph / Umbrella - £56.91ph - £75.31phIR35:Inside of IR35

About the Opportunity

Our Client is delivering a large-scale petrochemical and refinery upgrade programme aimed at modernising existing assets, integrating new world-scale facilities, and significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

As part of this major long-term project, they are seeking an experienced IT Systems Engineering Lead to join their Project Management Team based in Reading.

This is a senior technical leadership role, supporting the pre-FEED and FEED phases of a complex integrated refinery and petrochemicals development. You will represent Our Client in guiding contractors, shaping engineering standards, driving IT/OT system integration, and ensuring robust, secure, and cost-effective digital infrastructure across all project scopes.

Key Responsibilities

As IT Systems Engineering Lead, you will:

Technical Leadership & Governance

• Provide IT and digital systems expertise to align with project objectives and technical strategies.
• Lead development and optimisation of engineering philosophies, standards, procedures, and specifications relating to IT systems.
• Ensure technical maturity meets expectations across pre-FEED and FEED stages.

Contractor & Vendor Oversight

• Oversee contractor design deliverables, ensuring alignment with Our Client's IT standards, cybersecurity requirements, and regulatory obligations.

IT/OT Integration & System Architecture

• Define and steward requirements for enterprise IT, industrial networks, OT interfaces, cloud/on-premise architectures, and data management frameworks.
• Ensure secure, reliable interaction between operational technology systems, control networks, historian platforms, and digital applications.
• Review proposals for network architecture, server/storage design, virtualisation, cloud strategy, and disaster recovery.

Risk, Compliance & Surveillance

• Ensure adherence to cybersecurity standards, regional data protection regulations, and internal engineering governance.
• Develop and execute an engineering surveillance programme to ensure design integrity and compliance.

Experience & Background

The ideal candidate will demonstrate:

• 15+ years' relevant experience in IT systems engineering within large-scale industrial, petrochemical, or refining environments.
• Strong technical expertise across networks, cybersecurity, enterprise/OT architecture, applications, and digital system integration.
• Proven ability to work across owner/operator and contractor environments.
• Experience with major energy, refining or chemicals projects-knowledge of Middle Eastern project environments beneficial.
• Understanding of heavy oil upgrading, hydroprocessing, ethylene cracking, offsites/utilities, or similar downstream operations (an advantage).

If you think this could be a new and exciting career opportunity for you and you would like to learn more or just for an initial, no-obligation conversation please contact me on or you can apply directly by following the Easy Apply link and I will contact you as soon as I receive your contact details.

This vacancy is being advertised by Belcan