IT Systems Engineering Lead - Major Energy/Petrochemical Project


Location: Reading, UK (On-Site)
Hours: 37.5 per week
Contract Length: 12 Months, start date ASAP
Pay Rate Banding: PAYE - £43-17ph - £58.46ph / Umbrella - £56.91ph - £75.31ph
IR35: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