Lead Technologist

Luton Borough; Luton; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Luton Borough is seeking a Lead Technologist to own the technical direction of our innovation product portfolio, guiding real-time data processing, predictive analytics, and production ML/AI systems in a live operational setting.

You will collaborate with operation, data science, and commercial teams to translate complex needs into production-ready architectures, APIs, and integrations that enhance safety, efficiency, and guest experience.

Qualifications

• Proven delivery track record shipping production data/AI systems in operational, regulated, or high-stakes environments.
• Systems integration experience with legacy enterprise systems and managing complex data flows.
• Active leadership and initiative, not just coding.
• Outstanding communication translating complex technical concepts for operational teams and senior stakeholders.
• Stakeholder management across operations, safety, and commercial teams.
• Coaching mindset, building capability and conducting technical workshops.
• Commercial and operational awareness balancing speed, risk, and business value.
• Proactive problem-solving in ambiguous, fast-moving environments.

Responsibilities

• Drive technical architecture across the product pipeline from real-time data processing to automated operations.
• Lead production ML/AI systems deployment with data science and operational teams.
• Own integrations with enterprise systems ensuring reliable data flows and interoperability.
• Run technical discovery and proof-of-concept validation with cross-functional stakeholders.
• Coach and develop internal technical capability and onboarding processes.
• Balance rapid experimentation with production-grade engineering."
• Create and pitch technical proposals with clear business cases.
• Support recruitment and team growth with technical assessments and onboarding.
• Manage vendor relationships and technical partnerships meeting security requirements.
• Contribute to guest experience by delivering accurate, efficient work and upholding standards.

Job description

The following content displays a map of the jobs location - London Luton Airport

Salary:£70,000 - £75,000 a year
Hours: 42 hours a week
Contract type: Permanent

JOB PURPOSE SUMMARY

As Lead Technologist you'll own the technical direction for our innovation product portfolio, leading development of operational intelligence systems, real-time monitoring tools, decision - support platforms and customer-facing experiences . Working embedded with operational, data science, and commercial stakeholders, you'll translate complex requirements into production-ready systems that drive efficiency, safety, and service quality in a live operational environment.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND ACCOUNTABILITIES

• Drive technical architecture across the product pipeline - from real-time data processing and predictive analytics through to automated operations and intelligent alerting.
• Lead delivery of production ML/AI systems, working closely with data science and operational teams to deploy models that create measurable business value.
• Own integrations with operational and enterprise systems, ensuring reliable data flows and system interoperability across complex environments.
• Run technical discovery and proof-of-concept validation for new capabilities, scoping feasibility and defining delivery roadmaps with cross-functional stakeholders.
• Coach and develop internal technical capability, setting engineering standards and building a culture of quality, rigour, and continuous improvement.
• Balance rapid experimentation with production-grade engineering - shipping reliable, maintainable systems while operating in a high-stakes operational context.
• Create and pitch technical proposals, writing clear business cases that balance speed, risk, and value.
• Support recruitment and team growth, providing technical assessment, knowledge transfer, and structured onboarding.
• Manage vendor relationships and technical partnerships, ensuring integrations meet operational and security requirements.
• Contribute to delivering a great guest experience by performing your role with accuracy and efficiency. Recognising that every task whether guest facing or behind the scenes contributes to supporting the company’s overall LLA Way Strategy and service standards .
• Proactively and positively promote the LLA Way initiatives and projects with all employees and the wider airport community.

OUR TECH STACK

You’ll be hands-on across technical architecture, proof-of-concept development, and production deployment. Meaningful experience with a subset of these technologies is essential:

• Azure (cloud services, serverless functions, managed services)
• Real-time data processing and event- driven architectures
• APIs & integrations (REST, GraphQL, third-party connectivity)
• CI/CD pipelines and automated deployment

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

• Proven delivery track record - you've shipped production data/AI systems in operational, regulated, or high-stakes environments (transport, logistics, utilities, healthcare, or similar).
• Systems integration experience - comfortable working with legacy enterprise systems and managing complex data flows across multiple sources.
• Active leadership and initiative - you identify opportunities, shape strategy, and drive outcomes. You don't wait to be told what to do. This is not just a heads-down coding role.
• Outstanding communication - you translate complex technical concepts for operational teams, present to senior stakeholders, and write clear proposals that get buy‑in. You're as comfortable in the boardroom as you are in the codebase.
• Stakeholder management - experience working embedded with non-technical teams (operations, safety, commercial) and building trust across the organisation . You understand their world and can bridge the gap between technical possibility and operational need.
• Coaching mindset - comfortable building capability in others, running technical workshops, and operating as both IC and team lead . You raise the bar for everyone around you.
• Commercial and operational awareness - you understand trade-offs between speed, risk, and business value. You bring a pragmatic lens to scope decisions and project economics.
• Proactive problem‑solving - you anticipate blockers, see around corners, and shape solutions before issues evolve. You thrive in ambiguity and take ownership of outcomes.
• Comfortable operating in a fast-moving environment with evolving priorities while maintaining technical rigour and quality standards.