Technical Strategy Lead

Job title: Technical Strategy Lead

Salary: Up to £85,000.00 (dependant on experience)
Grade: Pay Band 4

Contract type: TfL                                                  Reference: 4932

Team: Technical Strategy & Governance                Directorate: TfL Engineering & TfL Asset Strategy           

Contract details: Permanent                                  Location: Stratford / Southark / Hybrid 

Application closing date: Friday 14th of August at 23:59

All offers of employment are subject to satisfactory right‑to‑work checks.  Candidates must be able to demonstrate their right to work in the UK.  At the present time TfL is unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role. 

*Hybrid working within this role enables a balance of 50 per cent of time split between the office and home over a 4-week period. Hybrid working arrangements can evolve subject to business requirements.

Overview of role

This role is responsible for directing the development of technical strategies across TfL to enhance business performance and inform long-term asset planning. Working in collaboration with subject matter experts, the role sponsors research, development, and technological innovation to address key organisational challenges.

Operating at a strategic level, the post holder defines and coordinates the future technical direction for all TfL assets within the governance of Engineering & Asset Strategy. This includes setting a long-term vision over a 10–50 year horizon, anticipating technological change, and ensuring TfL is positioned to adopt emerging solutions that optimise asset performance, resilience, and value.

Key Accountabilities

• Develop long-term strategies for the next-generation assets (e.g., signalling, power systems, cooling solutions) working closing with Engineering teams and other industries and organisations for best practice in relation to the deployment of innovative technological solutions and asset technical strategies
• Identify and prioritise organisational challenges requiring technical solutions through defining and coordinating the development of future technical strategy for engineering assets ensuring adoption across projects and reducing technical costs year-on-year. 
• Monitor emerging technologies (AI, quantum computing, automation) and carryout external benchmarking against industry best practices (e.g., Network Rail, global rail operators).
• Consolidate input from heads of profession and technical disciplines and articulate technical strategies to the business to secure stakeholder buy-in.
• Build partnerships with third parties for trials and innovation projects and explore joint ventures and commercial collaborations.
• Sponsor research, development and innovation, prioritising strategies that deliver measurable cost, safety, and sustainability benefits. Aligning strategies with capital plans and producing clear benefits profiles for all initiatives. 

Skills, Knowledge & Experience

Skills

• Skilled at engaging senior leaders, technical experts, and external partners to gain buy-in and alignment.
• Strong capability to frame complex challenges, identify options, and drive innovative solutions.
• Ability to bring together diverse inputs from heads of profession, technical disciplines, and external organisations.
• Excellent written and verbal skills to clearly present technical strategies and challenges to non-technical audiences.
• Ability to evaluate emerging technologies, benchmark practices, and assess feasibility of solutions.

Knowledge

• Understanding of transport infrastructure assets (e.g., signalling, power systems, cooling solutions).
• Awareness of emerging technologies such as AI, automation, quantum computing, and their application in transport.
• Familiarity with approaches used by other major transport organisations (e.g., Network Rail, global rail operators).
• High-level understanding of safety, reliability, and compliance requirements in transport engineering.

Experience

• Proven experience in developing and implementing technical or