Ocho Exclusive alert : New FDI in Sports Tech Coming to Belfast!
Exclusive – Technical Site Lead – Sports AI
Ocho are delighted to be partnering exclusively with this client to build out the founding development team for a cutting-edge sports technology company specializing in Generative AI.
This company is dedicated to transforming the sports and entertainment industry, using AI to create immersive, interactive digital experiences that set new standards for engagement and creativity. As they develop both the product and the team from the ground up, we’re looking for passionate, tech-savvy individuals to join the team :
As they continue to scale, they are seeking a Technical Site Lead to establish and grow their Belfast engineering team, driving innovation, architecture, and the strategic technical direction of the platform.
Who We're Looking For:
A Senior hands on Tech Leader capable of building teams where they have had to make strong decisions on architecture and strategy.
Experience with some or all of the following;
C# , Node.js : Next.js , Python
Candidates who thrive in a startup-style environment, love solving complex problems, and want to build something from the ground up using AI.
Anyone that's had experience around similar stacks to Apache Kafka, Kafka Streams, Apache Flink, Databricks, Apache Spark or similar hosted/managed service offerings would be great too!
They’re focused on makers, builders, and doers. Belfast will be largely a greenfield site so lots of scope for innovation and growth .
Role Overview
As Technical Site Lead, you will take ownership of the technical roadmap, ensuring the platform’s scalability, reliability, and data strategy. You’ll lead the development of a modern, Azure-based ecosystem that prioritizes managed services, enabling rapid iteration and high performance.
This role is ideal for a hands-on leader who can guide a growing team while also making architectural decisions—particularly around data ingestion, transformation, and real-time processing. The Belfast team will be mostly greenfield, so there is an exciting opportunity to shape its foundation while also integrating customer insights into the product.
Key Responsibilities
- Develop and execute the technical roadmap, aligning with business objectives.
- Lead and grow the Belfast engineering team, fostering a culture of innovation and excellence.
- Oversee backend and data architecture, ensuring scalability, security, and efficiency.
- Drive data transformation and aggregation from multiple source systems.
- Architect and implement solutions for pull/push data ingestion, in-memory transformations, and SQL-based data consumption.
- Explore and integrate technologies such as Apache Kafka, Kafka Streams, Apache Flink, Databricks, or Apache Spark (or similar managed service offerings).
- Optimize and manage Azure Cloud Services, leveraging Azure Container Apps instead of Kubernetes for operational efficiency.
- Collaborate with Product Leads, the CTO, and cross-functional teams to refine platform capabilities.
- Mentor and develop engineers, promoting technical growth and best practices.
- Engage in customer onboarding and service integration, identifying patterns to enhance product development.
Required Qualifications & Skills
- Proven experience in a senior engineering leadership role.
- Strong expertise in Azure Cloud Services, Node.js, and Next.js.
- Experience with data engineering, including real-time data transformation and aggregation.
- Familiarity with Gen AI and OpenAI technologies.
- Demonstrated ability to lead teams, set technical direction, and mentor engineers.
- Excellent problem-solving, decision-making, and stakeholder management skills.
Preferred Qualifications & Skills
- Experience in the sports technology industry.
- Knowledge of natural language processing (NLP) and AI-driven analytics.
- Experience with Python in a data engineering or machine learning context.
- Advanced degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.
📌 What You’ll Be Doing:
Architecting and building our clients secure data ingestion, ETL, and data layer to handle complex sports data.
Developing the core of an AI-driven sports performance platform that will disrupt traditional tools.
Working in a highly collaborative, fast-moving environment where you'll play a key role in shaping the product.
Bonus points if you have :
• Experience in the sports or entertainment industries.
• Familiarity with cloud platforms and AI services (e.g., AWS, Azure AI, Google AI).
📍 Location & Work Setup:
On-site in Belfast for the first 4-6 months to establish team culture and collaboration.
Flexible hours—no rigid 9-5!
🎯 Interviews Happening Next Week in Belfast city centre ! Plans are to build this team to circa 25 over the coming months so very exciting growth plans
Our clients technical team will be in Belfast for the next two weeks, so we’re moving fast! If you're interested (or know someone who would be a great fit), let’s talk ASAP.
Why Join Us?
- Be part of a pioneering company at the cutting edge of AI in sports.
- Shape a brand-new team in Belfast and define the technical direction.
- Work with cutting-edge cloud, AI, and data technologies.
- Competitive salary and benefits package with stock
- Join a talented and passionate team dedicated to building game-changing solutions.
If you think you'd be a fit for this role:
Please apply via this link or reach out to Phil Gamble directly for an informal chat via LinkedIn or WhatsApp.
Phil has proudly worked in the Tech recruitment industry for over 20 years, successfully delivering on challenging IT recruitment campaigns in global IT software companies in the US, UK, and Ireland. If you would like a discussion on how we can support your career or hiring needs, please get in touch.
