Head of Technical Services (Critical Systems)
Wokingham / Reading (with future national scope)
Mitie | NESO Contract
The Role
Mitie is looking for a highly capable Head of Technical Services (Critical Systems) to join our NESO (National Energy System Operator) contract.
Working alongside the Head of Operations and reporting to the Account Manager, you'll act as the technical authority across the account, ensuring all engineering activity is safe, compliant, and future-focused.
This is not a purely strategic role — we're looking for someone who can combine deep technical knowledge with a proactive, hands-on approach, spotting risks before they materialise and driving improvements across critical systems.
You'll be based primarily across sites in Wokingham and Reading, with occasional travel as the contract evolves.
About the Contract
The NESO contract supports the UK's National Energy System Operator, responsible for balancing electricity supply and demand across the country.
Mitie delivers a total facilities management solution across key operational sites, including critical control environments, infrastructure and associated systems. These sites operate in a highly resilient, always-on environment, where maintaining service continuity is essential.
This role operates at the heart of that environment, ensuring that all critical engineering systems continue to perform to the highest standards.
Key ResponsibilitiesTechnical Assurance & Compliance
Lead on Safe Systems of Work, SOPs, EOPs and electrical compliance
Oversee the performance, maintenance and reliability of critical M&E infrastructure
Ensure compliance with statutory, regulatory and client standards
Conduct audits, reviews and continuous improvement of engineering processes
Engineering Leadership
Act as the SME for technical excellence across the contract
Provide guidance on maintenance strategy, asset lifecycle and system optimisation
Identify risks and opportunities across plant, systems and infrastructure
Drive a culture of consistency, best practice and operational excellence
Critical Systems Oversight
Maintain resilience of key infrastructure including: High and low voltage systems
UPS, generators and backup power systems
Cooling and environmental controls
Proactively identify upgrades or changes required to maintain uptime and resilience
Risk & Safety
Lead on engineering risk management and mitigation
Support incident investigations and root cause analysis
Ensure a strong health, safety and compliance culture across all activities
Client & Stakeholder Engagement
Build strong relationships with the NESO client team
Present technical recommendations and challenge where required
Provide clear, confident and evidence-based reporting on system performance and risk
Team Support & Development
Support the development, capability and compliance of engineering teams
Ensure all engineers are appropriately trained, qualified and authorised
Act as a technical mentor and escalation point for complex issues
About You
We're looking for someone who combines technical credibility with strong presence and foresight — someone who can influence, challenge and lead from the front.
Essential
Professionally qualified Engineer (e.g. IET, CIBSE)
Strong HV/LV electrical background with Authorised Person (AP) experience
Experience working in critical environments (e.g. data centres, CNI, control rooms)
Deep understanding of compliance, safety standards and engineering governance
Ability to be proactive — identifying issues before they arise and driving solutions
Confident communicator, able to engage and influence senior stakeholders
Highly Desirable
Experience as or working towards Authorising Engineer (AE)
Chartered Engineer (CEng) status
Data centre or Uptime Institute / critical systems exposure
Broader mechanical knowledge alongside electrical expertise
