Telecoms Engineering Lead

Location: Reading (Office-based with occasional home working opportunities)
Hours: Full-time, 37.5 hours per week
Start Date: ASAP (Ideally September/October)
Contract Duration: 12 months, with potential for extension
Salary: £84,200 - £114,000 per annum (negotiable for exceptional candidates)

About the Role

We are looking for an experienced Telecoms Engineering Lead to provide technical leadership on a major project, overseeing the design, assurance, and delivery of telecommunications systems from concept through to operational handover.

This role is responsible for ensuring telecoms infrastructure is designed and implemented to the highest standards of performance, reliability, scalability, security, and compliance. You will play a critical role in setting project standards, guiding engineering teams and contractors, and ensuring telecommunications systems support the wider digital strategy throughout the project lifecycle.

Key Responsibilities

Technical Leadership & Governance

• Lead the assurance of telecommunications system design and engineering activities across all project phases.
• Develop and maintain project telecoms standards, ensuring alignment with regulatory, industry, and cybersecurity requirements.
• Optimise technical standards and design concepts to deliver efficient, scalable, and cost-effective solutions.
• Identify and resolve telecommunications design challenges during the early stages of project development, including Pre-FEED and FEED phases.

Design Assurance & Compliance

• Review critical engineering deliverables, technical calculations, and documentation to ensure compliance with project, regulatory, and industry standards.
• Apply a risk-based approach when evaluating proposed deviations from standards and provide expert guidance on implementation.
• Ensure telecoms systems are designed to meet operational, performance, reliability, and security requirements.

Contractor & Vendor Management

• Provide technical oversight and direction for contractor-led telecoms design and engineering activities.
• Participate in technical bid evaluations and vendor selection processes.
• Ensure quality assurance measures are applied throughout the design, procurement, and delivery stages.
• Collaborate closely with multidisciplinary teams to resolve issues and identify opportunities for value enhancement.

Telecommunications Systems & Integration

• Provide expertise across a broad range of telecommunications technologies, including:
  • Communication systems
  • Fibre optic networks
  • Wireless networks
  • Network monitoring solutions
  • Associated telecommunications infrastructure and equipment
• Ensure telecoms systems are effectively integrated with project digital strategies and prepared for operational handover.
• Identify opportunities to adopt emerging technologies, tools, and methodologies to improve system performance, resilience, and reliability.
• Support the integration of new and existing telecoms infrastructure to achieve seamless operational capability.

Risk Management & System Optimisation

• Assess existing telecoms systems and infrastructure to determine the feasibility of integration and upgrade plans.
• Apply sound risk management principles to technical decision-making and project planning.
• Support system simulation, monitoring, troubleshooting, and performance optimisation activities.
• Identify critical telecoms assets and prioritise engineering efforts to maximise operational reliability and efficiency.
• Develop surveillance, optimisation, and technology deployment strategies to support long-term system performance.

About You

To be successful in this role, you will bring:

• Extensive experience in telecommunications engineering within large-scale industrial, infrastructure, engineering, energy, or capital project environments.
• Strong technical knowledge of telecommunications infrastructure, including fibre optic and wireless communications systems.
• Experience developing technical specifications, engineering standards, and scopes of work.
• Understanding of telecommunications security, network monitoring, and relevant regulatory requirements.
• Proven experience providing technical assurance and governance throughout project lifecycles.
• Strong contractor and vendor management experience, including technical bid evaluations.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to assess technical and commercial risk.
• Experience supporting projects through Pre-FEED, FEED, detailed design, and delivery phases.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills with the ability to work collaboratively across multidisciplinary teams.

What's on Offer

• Competitive salary of £84,200 to £114,000 per annum, with flexibility for exceptional candidates.
• Opportunity to work on complex and strategically important projects.
• Exposure to innovative telecommunications technologies and digital transformation initiatives.
• Potential for contract extension beyond the initial 12-month assignment.
• Flexible working arrangements, including occasional home working opportunities.

If you are an accomplished telecommunications professional looking for a leadership role where you can influence major project outcomes and drive engineering excellence, we'd love to hear from you. Join us and help deliver resilient, future-ready telecommunications solutions.