Southern Water
Water Regional Maintenance Manager
How your CV stacks up
Upload your CV to see how well it fits this job role
?%
Closing Date
2026-09-21
Job Role: Regional Maintenance Manager
Location: At any of our Water sites across Sussex or Hampshire
Salary: Competitive + Benefits
At Southern Water, we’re on a journey that’s reshaping the way we look after the assets our customers depend on every day. We’re moving from a reactive model, fixing things when they break, to a proactive, predictive, and intelligent technology-led approach that keeps clean water flowing before problems ever reach the tap. It’s a genuine transformation, and the Regional Maintenance Manager sits right at the heart of it. This is your chance to lead the change on the ground, turning strategy into action across your region and building a maintenance culture that’s planned, data-led, and built to last.
You’ll take ownership of asset health and maintenance delivery across your patch, leading and developing a skilled team of engineers and technicians who take real pride in their work. But this role is about more than keeping the water running. Serving communities across Kent, Sussex, Hampshire, and the Isle of Wight, we carry a genuine responsibility to the millions of customers and the local environments that rely on us. If you’re an experienced maintenance leader who wants your work to matter and you want to see the difference you make in the reliability of an essential service and the trust of the people we serve, we’d love to hear from you.
About The Role
We are seeking an experienced and driven Regional Maintenance Manager to lead and manage maintenance operations across a portfolio of critical water infrastructure assets.
This is an excellent opportunity for a maintenance professional who is passionate about operational excellence, asset reliability, safety, and leading high-performing teams.
Reporting to the Head of Maintenance & Standards, you will be responsible for developing and delivering regional maintenance strategies that ensure the safe, efficient, and reliable operation of water treatment facilities, pumping stations, distribution networks, reservoirs, and associated infrastructure.
Key Responsibilities
- Develop and implement regional maintenance strategies and programmes aligned with business objectives, regulatory requirements, and industry best practice.
- Lead, motivate, and manage a team of maintenance engineers and technicians, including recruitment, training, development, performance management, and workforce planning.
- Oversee the planning, scheduling, and execution of preventative, predictive, and corrective maintenance activities across regional assets.
- Ensure maintenance work is completed safely, efficiently, and to the highest quality standards.
- Monitor and analyse maintenance performance metrics, identifying opportunities to improve asset reliability, reduce downtime, and optimise operational efficiency.
- Manage regional maintenance budgets, ensuring effective cost control and resource utilisation.
- Maintain compliance with all health, safety, environmental, and quality legislation, policies, and procedures.
- Work collaboratively with Operations, Engineering, Asset Management, and other stakeholders to support effective asset lifecycle management.
- Lead the response to emergency maintenance incidents, ensuring rapid resolution and minimal disruption to customer water services.
- Utilise and continuously improve CMMS (Computerised Maintenance Management Systems) for work order management, asset tracking, reporting, and analysis.
- Conduct regular site inspections, audits, and condition assessments to ensure asset integrity and maintenance effectiveness.
- Produce and present maintenance performance reports and recommendations to senior management.
Reasons to use Rodeo
Start with a chat, not a search bar
Grad scheme, placement, apprenticeship? Not sure what you want yet — that's fine. Your agent talks it through with you and turns "I have no idea" into a shortlist.
It searches the market for you
Every day your agent scans the market matching roles against what actually matters to you, not just keywords on a CV.
Only hits
No noise. No "maybe this fits." Just roles with a clear explanation of why they're right — and where to focus when applying.
About You
To be successful in this role, you will ideally have, but not critical:
- A Bachelor's degree in Engineering (Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, or related discipline) or equivalent practical experience.
- A minimum of 5 years' progressive maintenance management experience within the water utility, utilities, infrastructure, or related sectors.
- Proven experience leading and managing maintenance teams across multiple sites or regions.
- Strong knowledge of water treatment processes, pumping systems, pipelines, reservoirs, and distribution networks.
- Extensive understanding of preventative, predictive, and corrective maintenance methodologies.
- Experience using CMMS and other maintenance planning and asset management software.
- Strong commercial awareness with experience managing budgets and controlling operational costs.
- Excellent leadership, communication, stakeholder management, and interpersonal skills.
- Highly developed analytical and problem-solving capabilities.
- A full UK driving licence and willingness to travel throughout the region on a regular basis.
- IOSH, NEBOSH, or other relevant professional certifications would be advantageous.
What We Offer
- Competitive salary and benefits package.
- Opportunity to lead maintenance operations across a critical regional infrastructure network.
- Ongoing professional development and training opportunities.
- A collaborative and supportive leadership environment.
- The chance to make a direct impact on service reliability, operational performance, and customer satisfaction.
Get help with your application
Your very own career expert that helps elevate your application to the next level.
Southern Water is at the forefront of transforming Britain’s water industry, investing significantly to enhance resilience, sustainability, and service excellence. With £7.8bn planned investment for 2025-30, this is an unparalleled opportunity to join a business committed to delivering a generational shift in the way water services are managed.
You will be joining at a time of significant change, working alongside a highly skilled leadership team with a clear vision for the future. We offer an environment where senior professionals can make a meaningful impact, influence major strategic decisions, and drive long-term value creation.
At Southern Water, we believe diverse perspectives drive innovation. If you’re passionate about making a positive impact and think you can bring value to our team, we’d love to hear from you—even if you don’t tick every box. Your unique skills and experiences could be exactly what we need.
If this role isn’t quite what you’re looking for but are keen to be contacted about opportunities at Southern Water, you can register your details here: [Introduce Yourself](myworkdaysite.com- Introduce Yourself).
Our Commitment to Diversity
We welcome applicants from all backgrounds, identities, and experiences. We do not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, or any other protected characteristic. If you need reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know.
Additional Information
In line with Southern Water’s security requirements, successful candidates will be required to provide evidence of their identity, eligibility to work in the UK, criminal record check (DBS) and verification of their employment and/or education history for the past three years.
Appointment to this role is subject to the successful completion of all pre-employment checks, including security vetting.
Please note that if a candidate does not meet the required security standards or fails to pass the vetting process, Southern Water reserves the right to withdraw the offer of employment. Some positions may also require higher levels of security vetting, which may involve providing additional documentation.
“It took my CV and asked me questions relevant to understanding what kind of jobs to suggest for me. Suggestions were almost perfect. Jobs were exactly what I’ve been looking for.”
Jessica, London
Skills