Strategic Risk Management

• Identify long-term risks in:
  • Land use sustainability
  • Water quality impacts
  • Regulatory compliance
  • Community acceptance
  • Environmental resilience & visitor pressure shifts
• Develop and embed mitigation strategies across business planning.

Supporting Delivery & Organisational Change

• Partner with local implementation teams to ensure strategies are:
  • Practical, cost-effective, and operationalisable
• Provide frameworks and principles for consistent land programme delivery.
• Support cultural shifts in land management practices where required.

Maximising Strategic Commercial Opportunities

• Lead the identification, assessment, and prioritisation of high-value commercial assets on UU land, including:
  • Battery energy storage systems (BESS)
  • Onshore wind
  • Solar PV farms
  • Hydrogen/emerging energy hubs
  • Data centres, digital, telecoms infrastructure
  • Mast expansions
  • Grid connections and substations
  • EV charging hubs and mobility sites
• Evaluate commercial arrangements:
  • Leases, revenue sharing, partnerships
  • Long-term licence frameworks
• Conduct:
  • Land constraints mapping
  • Feasibility assessments
  • Due diligence review
• Collaborate with:
  • Property, Energy Teams
  • Legal & Finance Departments
• Secure the growth of strategic land assets while preserving:
  • Water resources
  • Environmental objectives
  • Community benefits
• Prioritise and response to developer enquiries, ensuring proactive versus reactive outcomes.
• Construct a pipeline of commercial opportunities aligned to the Optimise pillar of the Land Strategy.

Requirements

Essential

• Strong background in:
  • Strategic land development
  • Rural estate management
  • Environmental planning
  • Land policy formulation
• Experience in:
  • Developing complex land programmes or use strategies
  • Creating business cases for land assets
• Analytical expertise in:
  • Spatial, environmental, commercial, and regulatory data
• Proven ability to:
  • Influence senior executives and external stakeholders
• Experience with:
  • Land law & access rights
  • Planning frameworks & approvals
  • Agricultural and environmental regulation
• Working effectively:
  • Across large multidisciplinary teams and varied stakeholder groups
• Exquisite communication skills:
  • High-quality strategy documents
  • Clear, structured verbal presentation of plans

Desirable

• Background in:
  • Regenerative farming or agricultural transformation
  • Large-scale renewable energy/battery storage projects
  • Land-agent or rural-policy roles
• Knowledge of:
  • Natural capital valuation methodologies
  • Carbon markets & ecosystem services
  • Biodiversity-friendly land use models
• Experience with:
  • National Parks, AONBs, protected landscapes or heritage estates
  • Water industry regulatory cycles (ASP/PR framework)
• Familiarity with water-sector remuneration cycles (AMP/PR): Compliance expertise with Ofwat/ASEA guidance

Personal Attributes

• Visionary strategist with long-term thinking and strong decision-making.
• Detail-oriented and analytical with a structured problem-solving approach.
• Highly collaborative and influential across organisational borders.
• Proactive and solution-focused: Turn conceptual ideas into deliverable programmes.
• Passionate about landscape stewardship, sustainability, and public sector land value.
• Leadership resilience: Work decisively in complex or ambiguous situations.

Benefits

Supported Worklife

• £26 annual leave credit, incrementing to £30 after 4 years (increases by 1 day/annum). 8 bank holidays included.
• 26 days' leave + 34 days total after full years of service.
• 5 bespoke weeks (52 flexible holidays per year).

Financial Wellbeing & Rewards

• Competitive pension scheme with 14% employer + 7% contribution (total 21%); plus:
  • Comprehensive life cover
  • Salary Finance schemes
• Performance-related bonus of up to 7.5% (plus recognition awards).
• Internal guidance on share plans (incentive share schemes).

Wellbeing Support

• Comprehensive healthcare plan through a company-funded scheme (BestDoctors).
• Employee Assistance Programme (EAP):
  • One-to-one mental health and welfare support.
  • Observation of award employee assistance scheme standards.
• Wellbeing programmes:
  • MyGymDiscounts (gym membership up to 25% off; 끔 fitness/habit-tracking).
  • Best Doctors specialists.
• Mental & physical health initiatives tailored to water utilities/offsite field roles.

Fitness & Social/Lifestyle Benefits

• City & Guilds-qualified training on disciplinary procedures, safeguarding.
• EV Car Charge scheme (personal and operational EVs).
• Deals platform/top-tier lifestyle discounts.

Work Environment

• Hybrid working: Balanced office presence at Lingley Mere HQ (Warrington Chesserton Campus) with flexibility for site-based travel.
• Full-time permanent position within United Utilities’ FTSE 100 grade rating (£70k–£90k or equivalent, escalating to Band V/VII scaling).

**Values

• United Utilties’ purpose mission:

“Deliver great water for a stronger, greener and healthier North West. Focus on alignment with regulatory checkpoints to fulfil this stewardship ethos.”

Why Join Us

Strategic thinkers shape sustainability outcomes in the North West—a water-first, nature-positive region:

• Diversity, inclusion, and psychological safety as core values.
• Career & growth alignment with a stable infrastructure provider at FTSE scale—where sustainable contributions leave tangible environmental footprints.

All roles are subject to:

• Employment check: Pre-employment due diligence aligns with company policy and UK law.
• Security vetting required if duties intersect water supply/reticulation/environmental protection.