Lead IT Engineer

Aurora Energy Research Limited; Oxford; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading energy research firm in Oxford is seeking a Lead IT Engineer to oversee and mentor a team of engineers, focusing on innovative technology solutions. The ideal candidate has a strong background in engineering or solutions architecture with expertise in Microsoft technologies. This role includes managing agile ceremonies and supporting the professional development of team members, offering competitive benefits in a hybrid work environment.

Benefits

Private Medical Insurance

Dental Insurance

Parental Support

Salary-Exchange Pension

Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)

Local Oxford Discounts

Cycle-to-work Scheme

Flu Jabs

Qualifications

• Proven track record leading teams and developing high performance culture.
• Previous hands-on experience as an engineer, consultant or solutions architect.
• Experience implementing competency frameworks and performance metrics.

Responsibilities

• Line manage engineers across the Modern Workplace, Data, and System Specialist teams.
• Take ownership of, run and continuously improve team ceremonies.
• Support engineers with professional development, including coaching and mentorship.

Skills

Excellent people leader

Proven experience in engineering or delivery management

Strong knowledge of Microsoft technologies

Experience running agile ceremonies

Excellent interpersonal skills

Highly organised

Collaborative problem-solving

Tools

Microsoft 365

Azure

CI/CD patterns

DevOps tooling

Job description

Lead IT Engineer

Department: Internal Technology

Employment Type: Permanent - Full Time

Location: Oxford, UK

Description

Based in Oxford, you will join the Internal Technology team as our Lead IT Engineer (Engineering Manager) — a new and pivotal role supporting the Head of Architecture and Engineering. You will lead and develop a talented group of engineers across the Modern Workplace, Data, and System Specialist teams, ensuring that Aurora continues to deliver secure, reliable, and innovative technology solutions that empower our people and operations.

You will focus on people, process, and performance — creating an environment where engineers can thrive, and delivery teams can operate effectively. Acting as a force multiplier for the Head of Architecture and Engineering, you will take ownership of line management, training and delivery ceremonies, while collaborating on strategy and technical direction.

This role will suit someone who has grown from an engineering or solutions architecture background into a leadership position, ideally with experience in the Microsoft ecosystem (M365, Azure, Exchange, Intune, SharePoint, etc) and cloud first environments.

Key Responsibilities

• Line manage engineers across the Modern Workplace, Data, and System Specialist teams
• Take ownership of, run and continuously improve team ceremonies, including sprint planning, stand‑ups, and retrospectives
• Build and maintain competency frameworks and training plans for each discipline
• Work closely with Head of Architecture and Engineering and lead engineers to ensure technical delivery aligns with Aurora’s strategic priorities
• Develop and optimise delivery processes to ensure consistency, scalability, and continuous improvement, within engineering teams and in collaboration with the wider Internal Technology department
• Serve as a trusted point of escalation for people and performance matters
• Partner with the Head of Architecture and Engineering to ensure that the engineering functions operate efficiently, maintaining a strong culture of collaboration and growth alongside the wider Internal Technology department
• Support engineers with professional development, including coaching, mentorship and goal setting
• Support engineers in the delivery of technical solutions, drawing on past hands‑on experience as an engineer or architect. Ensure effective and proactive escalation to the Head of Architecture and Engineering where required

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

Required attributes:

• Excellent people leader with a proven track record leading teams and developing high performance culture
• Proven experience in engineering or delivery management, ideally across multiple technical disciplines
• Previous hands‑on experience as an engineer, consultant or solutions architect
• Strong knowledge of Microsoft technologies, particularly M365 and Azure, to deliver internal IT capabilities
• Experience running agile ceremonies and improving delivery processes
• Excellent interpersonal skills, with the ability to coach, mentor and resolve challenges constructively
• Experience implementing competency frameworks and performance metrics
• Highly organised, delivery‑focused and able to prioritise effectively
• A collaborative and positive approach to problem‑solving

Desirable attributes:

• Experience in consultancy or professional services environments
• Understanding of data engineering practices and business intelligence concepts
• Familiarity with enterprise systems such as Salesforce, SAP or Dynamics 365 F&O
• Experience utilising CI/CD patterns and DevOps tooling to orchestrate configuration across environments
• Experience working with Project Managers to deliver broad impact solutions

What we offer

Some of the benefits we include are:

• Private Medical Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• Parental Support
• Salary‑Exchange Pension
• Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)
• Local Oxford Discounts
• Cycle‑to‑work Scheme
• Flu Jabs

At AER, we are committed to offering flexibility in the way we work. Most of our roles are hybrid with a mix of in‑office/home working and potentially adjustable working hours. Let’s discuss what works for you and AER during the interview process.

The Company is committed to the principle that no employee or job applicant shall receive unfavourable treatment on grounds of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity.

To apply, please submit your résumé / CV, a personal summary, your salary expectations and please inform us of your notice period.

Unfortunately, we are unable to accept applications via email, telephone or social media platforms. To be considered for this position, please submit your application using the link provided. Applications submitted through any other channel will not be reviewed.