Senior Tech Lead - UK

Senior Technical Lead – UK At Horizontal Digital, we hold ourselves to one key belief: You’re only as good as your worst customer experience. This mantra is what drives our digital consultancy to think beyond the easy answers and instead create websites, apps, portals and other experiences that solve customer needs for Fortune 500 companies in intuitive and empathetic ways. And we make this lofty standard a reality by fusing strategy, data, design and technology together to arrive at solutions that set the bar higher for everyone. We use these values to fuel superior results: Lock arms We forge relationships that make our impact 1,000x stronger. This means working across departments and engaging both our clients and our communities to deliver the greatest good. Show hustle We’re not ones to sit on our hands and wait. Instead, we anticipate opportunities, collectively roll up our sleeves and find ways to execute the exceptional. Embrace change From new technologies to workplace philosophies, we welcome the unexpected and constantly anticipate what’s next. Elevate empathy We listen before we take action. This means understanding a variety of perspectives and holding ourselves to a higher standard of accountability. Never settle We motivate each other to push past the easy answers and collectively arrive at bigger, more inspiring ideas. But enough about us. Let’s talk about you. We are looking for an experienced Senior Tech Lead with deep expertise in Sitecore and a forward-thinking approach to AI-enabled delivery. In this role, you will architect and lead the technical delivery of enterprise-scale digital experience platforms, embed AI tooling across the development lifecycle, and mentor a team of engineers to do their best work. You will serve as the bridge between client requirements, solution design, and hands-on engineering — ensuring we deliver outcomes that are scalable, performant, and commercially sound. What you’ll do: Technical Leadership & Architecture Lead end-to-end technical architecture and delivery of Sitecore-based digital experience platforms (XM Cloud, SitecoreAI, XP, XM) Define and own technical standards, code quality practices, and architectural patterns across project teams Conduct solution design workshops and translate business requirements into scalable, maintainable technical blueprints Oversee integrations with third-party platforms including CRMs, CDPs, DAMs, search engines, and marketing automation tools Perform and guide technical code reviews, ensuring adherence to best practices and Sitecore conventions Provide high-level and detailed technical solution estimates. Review and consult with HZTL stakeholders on SOWs. Review Briefs and add questions, technical requirements . Refine technical requirements. Responsible for delivery of all technical documentation that is required during discovery. Project Delivery & Estimation Contribute to pre-sales and estimation activities, providing technically accurate and commercially grounded effort estimates Identify and flag technical risks early — including gaps in client-provided inputs that may impact delivery timelines Partner with Project Managers and Solution Architects to ensure estimates remain aligned through proposal, SOW, and discovery phases Drive re-estimation processes when scope or assumptions materially change, with clear stakeholder communication Team & Stakeholder Management Lead, mentor, and grow a team of Sitecore developers, fostering a culture of technical excellence and continuous learning Collaborate with cross-functional teams — UX, strategy, data, and QA — to ensure Technical decisions support broader project goals Act as the primary technical point of contact for clients, presenting solutions clearly and building trust through expertise Facilitate knowledge transfer and ensure delivery decisions are well-documented and accessible to the wider team Road-map and Project Planning Accountable for technical solution planning: Lead and define technology approach and tool-set Facilitate environment setup and configuration efforts in coordination with other disciplines Brain storming and presentation of ideas and possible solutions - Innovations Sitecore AI roadmap Facilitate communication with Delivery Lead and Program Manager Responsible for delivery of all technical documentation that is required during planning Identifying risks and/or important milestones Involvement with Delivery Lead, Dev Director and Client Partner on Strategic Account & Delivery Direction Who you are and what you bring: Sitecore Expertise 10+ years of hands-on Sitecore development experience across Sitecore AI, XM Cloud, XP, and/or XM 3-5 years of experience leading design and implementation of digital technology solutions using Agile/Scrum methodologies. Strong proficiency in Sitecore development patterns: JSS, headless/SXA, serialization (Unicorn / SCS), and multisite configurations Experience with Sitecore CDP, Personalize, Search, Content Hub, Send, or other Sitecore composable DXP products Solid understanding of Sitecore licensing, deployment architecture, and cloud hosting (Azure / AWS) Familiarity with Vercel, Netlify, Next.js, and React in the context of Sitecore headless delivery AI & Modern Development Demonstrated experience integrating AI coding assistants (GitHub Copilot, Cursor, or similar) into a professional development workflow Understanding of LLM capabilities and limitations as applied to code generation, documentation, and test coverage Ability to design structured, AI-readable inputs (design tokens, content schemas, component specs) that enable automation Experience with prompt engineering or building lightweight AI agents or automation pipelines is a strong plus Core Technical Skills .NET / C# — solid backend development fundamentals JavaScript / TypeScript, React or Next.js for headless front-end delivery RESTful and GraphQL API design and integration CI/CD pipeline setup and management (Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions) Performance optimisation, accessibility standards (WCAG 2.1), and SEO best practices Agile / Scrum delivery experience in cross-functional teams Add-ons You are Sitecore MVP and active participation in Sitecore community You enjoy being in front of the client and have professional services experience You are skilled at refining and implementing Sitecore solutions Experience contributing to or reviewing AI-influenced project estimates and delivery models Our UK Benefits include: 22 days holiday 2 floating holiday days 2 volunteering days Defined contribution pension scheme Flexibility + remote working Application Tips To help us review your application as smoothly as possible, we recommend submitting a clear, ATS-friendly CV using a simple format and standard headings such as Experience, Skills, and Education. Avoid complex layouts or graphics so your experience is captured accurately. If you're unsure how to make your CV ATS-friendly, this guide provides helpful practical tips: https://www.myperfectresume.com/career-center/resumes/how-to/ats-friendly The above description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.