Chief Technology Officer

Build the technology that will shape the future of infrastructure.

Our client is a growing, technology-led business operating in the infrastructure sector in the West Midlands, with an ambitious vision for how technology can improve safety, efficiency and the way real-world problems are solved.

They are seeking a Chief Technology & Innovation Officer to turn ambitious ideas into technology, products and solutions that solve genuine customer problems.

This is not a traditional CTO role. The position is not about managing an IT function, overseeing a large technology department, or delivering another multi-year transformation programme.

The successful candidate will be a commercially minded technologist and builder who is energised by difficult problems, identifies opportunities others might miss, and knows how to take an idea from concept through to prototype, deployed solution and scalable product.

The CTIO will work closely with the CEO, customers, operational teams and the wider leadership group to help shape the next stage of the business's development.

Key Accountabilities

1. Technology & Innovation Strategy Own and translate the business's technology and innovation vision into a clear, prioritised roadmap. Stay ahead of emerging technologies and identify where the business can apply them to create genuine competitive advantage. Success measures: a clear, rolling three-year Technology & Innovation Roadmap; ideas progressing efficiently from concept through evaluation to decision; the business building the capabilities the industry will require in future.

2. Innovation & Problem-Solving Work alongside customers, operational teams and the Growth function to identify major infrastructure problems that technology can solve, then lead those ideas through prototype, pilot, product and scale. Success measures: two to three meaningful pilots or prototypes delivered per year; the business increasingly recognised as a technology-led problem solver rather than solely a service provider.

3. Product & IP Leadership Lead the technology and product strategy for the business's existing and future digital products, while identifying opportunities to create valuable proprietary technology, data and intellectual property. Success measures: technology assets making an increasing contribution to Group enterprise value; solutions that are repeatable and scalable rather than one-off, bespoke projects.

4. Operational Transformation Use AI, automation, data and digital systems to improve how the Group operates. Guiding principle: evaluating how technology can make operations simpler, faster, safer and more efficient.

5. Team & Ecosystem Building Build the people, partnerships and ecosystem required to deliver the business's technology ambitions, without assuming every capability needs to be developed internally. Success measures: strong build/buy/partner discipline; technology capability that scales without dependence on any one individual, including the CTIO.

Underlying measure of success across all accountabilities: whether the work solves a genuine problem, creates measurable value, and can be scaled.

Person Specification

A commercially minded technologist and builder with strong strategic vision, a genuine interest in solving difficult, real-world problems, and the leadership ability to turn ambitious ideas into solutions that work, scale and generate commercial value.

Background

• Previous CTO experience is not essential
• Experience in physical-world technology is preferred over a background limited to SaaS: drones, robotics, sensors, AI, geospatial, data, software, physical infrastructure
• Relevant sectors include defence, aerospace, utilities, energy, autonomous vehicles, surveying/geospatial, construction technology, advanced manufacturing and robotics
• Approximately 10-20 years of relevant experience; candidates outside this range will still be considered on merit
• Demonstrable experience taking ideas from initial concept through to scaled delivery
• Experience managing external development partners and specialists, as the business does not intend to build a large internal engineering function

Technical Breadth

Sufficient depth to engage credibly with specialists and evaluate technical claims, without needing to be the leading technical expert in any single area:

• Data: architecture, APIs, cloud platforms, databases, analytics, governance
• Software/product development: how platforms are designed, developed, tested, deployed and scaled
• Robotics/autonomy: sufficient to evaluate opportunities and technical feasibility
• UAVs/remote sensing: RGB, LiDAR, thermal, hyperspectral and related technologies
• Geospatial technology: GIS, point clouds, imagery, positioning and spatial datasets
• IoT/sensors: collection of physical-world asset information
• Cyber security: sufficient to set standards and constructively challenge specialists

Commercial Acumen A strong commercial mindset is essential. The successful candidate will be fluent in revenue, margin, return on investment, risk, intellectual property, scalability and enterprise value, and comfortable proposing low-cost, rapid ways to validate ideas before committing significant investment. Confidence and credibility in front of customers is also required, including the ability to identify a better solution to an operational problem in real time.

Working Style

• Operates initially as a player-coach, building small, high-calibre teams and extending capability through partnerships
• Supports and accelerates good ideas while being willing to challenge ideas that do not stand up to scrutiny
• Comfortable operating with ambiguity and identifying a practical path to clarity
• Able to take high-level direction from the CEO and return with defined options, a recommendation, an estimated cost and a proof-of-concept timeline
• Confident in constructively challenging the CEO when appropriate, supported by a well-reasoned alternative

Values:

Curious. Restless. Pragmatic. Humble. Commercial. Brave. Collaborative. Hands-on. Future-focused. Low ego. High ownership. A genuine alignment with the business's mission to keep people safe.

Desirable:

a personal track record of experimenting with robotics platforms, AI models or sensor technology independently of formal employment.