Southern Water
Solution Improvement Manager
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Solutions Improvement Manager
Location
Durrington or Falmer
Salary
Up to £70,000 plus £400 per month car allowance
Hours
37 hours per week
Contract
Permanent
Hybrid Working
Typically 3 days in the office and 2 days working from home
Help shape the future of maintenance at Southern Water
We're transforming the way we maintain the critical assets that supply clean, safe drinking water to millions of customers across the South East.
Our ambition is simple but significant: move from reactive maintenance, where problems are fixed after they occur, to a proactive and predictive approach that uses data, technology and smarter planning to identify issues before they impact customers.
To help make that happen, we're looking for a Solutions Improvement Manager who can bring people, plans and performance together to drive this transformation forward.
Reporting directly to the Head of Maintenance & Standards, you'll sit at the heart of a high-profile improvement programme, working across leadership teams, engineering specialists, operational colleagues and senior stakeholders to ensure change is delivered effectively and consistently.
What will you be doing?
This is a highly visible role where you'll become the driving force behind the planning, governance and coordination of our maintenance transformation roadmap.
You'll:
- Own and maintain the integrated transformation roadmap, ensuring milestones, dependencies and priorities remain on track.
- Coordinate multiple workstreams, from predictive sensing and condition monitoring initiatives through to process, competency and maintenance improvements.
- Run governance activities including steering groups, action tracking, RAID management and leadership reviews.
- Produce clear and meaningful performance and transformation reporting for senior leaders and executive stakeholders.
- Identify emerging risks, challenge assumptions and help teams develop practical solutions to keep delivery moving forward.
- Work closely with operational, engineering and business teams to ensure activities remain aligned and deliver agreed outcomes.
- Champion employee engagement across the function, gathering feedback, identifying themes and ensuring colleague voices are represented.
- Support continuous improvement initiatives that improve efficiency, performance and ways of working across the maintenance function.
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As a Solutions Improvement Manager no two weeks will look the same. One day you could be presenting progress updates to senior leaders, and the next you'll be working alongside operational teams to understand challenges, gather feedback and help remove barriers to delivery.
What are we looking for?
We're looking for someone who thrives in a fast-paced environment and enjoys bringing structure, clarity and momentum to complex programmes of work.
You may currently work in programme management, business management, governance, PMO, transformation or change. What matters most is your ability to coordinate activity, build strong relationships, create clear reporting and help people stay focused on delivering meaningful outcomes.
We're particularly interested in people who can build trusted relationships, provide constructive challenge and bring people together to achieve shared goals.
You'll ideally bring:
- Experience supporting complex transformation, change or business improvement programmes.
- Excellent stakeholder management and relationship-building skills.
- Confidence working with senior leaders and supporting key decision-making.
- Strong organisational skills and the ability to coordinate multiple priorities simultaneously.
- Experience establishing governance frameworks and reporting processes.
- Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret data, identify trends and ask the right questions.
- Experience using Microsoft Office tools, including Excel and PowerPoint.
- The ability to communicate effectively with a wide range of stakeholders, from technical specialists through to senior leaders.
- A collaborative and proactive approach, with the ability to identify opportunities and help teams overcome challenges.
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Experience within utilities, engineering, maintenance, asset management or operational environments would be advantageous but is not essential.
Why join us?
This is an opportunity to play a key role in one of Southern Water's most important transformation programmes.
You'll have direct exposure to senior leadership, the chance to shape how maintenance is delivered in the future, and the opportunity to influence programmes that will improve reliability, efficiency and customer service for years to come.
At Southern Water, we're committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued, respected and able to thrive. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, experiences and perspectives and are happy to discuss flexible working arrangements.
We recognise that not everyone will meet every requirement listed. If you're excited about this opportunity and believe you have the skills and experience to make an impact, we'd encourage you to apply.
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