Head of Asset Data, Systems & Improvement

Powered by Water, Driven by Purpose. South West Water keeps the South West flowing with safe, reliable drinking water and wastewater services across some of the UK's most stunning landscapes. We're proud to be part of Pennon Group, a leader in the UK water sector, working towards a greener future. Our goals? As well as lowering our carbon footprint, we're working with partners to plant 300,000 trees, restore peatlands and support farmers and landowners to improve water quality and wildlife.

Whether you're starting out or seeking a new challenge, our scale and ambition create opportunities for you to shape your own career. Ready to make a splash? Join our team today.

Role Purpose

To provide strategic leadership and end-to-end accountability for the organisation's asset information, business data systems and continuous improvement programmes across water and wastewater operations. The role ensures that asset data is accurate, trusted, governed and accessible, enabling effective asset management, regulatory compliance, operational performance and long-term investment planning.

Working at the intersection of Asset Management, Operations, Engineering and Digital Technology, the post holder will champion best practice in asset information management, drive ISO 55001 compliance, and lead the evolution of systems and processes that support informed, risk-based decision making.

Key Deliverables

• Asset Data Governance & Quality
  • Develop and implement the Asset Data Strategy and associated improvement roadmap.
  • Establish clear asset data governance standards, ownership structures and accountability frameworks.
  • Deliver measurable improvements in asset data quality, completeness, accuracy and timeliness.
  • Ensure asset information supports regulatory reporting requirements and business compliance obligations.
• Asset Systems Leadership
  • Own and continuously improve core asset information systems, including GIS, Ellipse, Equipment Registers and Drawing Management systems.
  • Deliver system enhancements and integrations that create a single source of truth for asset information.
  • Improve system performance, resilience, user experience and adoption across the organisation.
• Asset Management & Business Improvement
  • Lead and coordinate asset management improvement initiatives across the organisation.
  • Act as business lead for ISO 55001 compliance and continuous maturity development.
  • Ensure robust asset information supports risk-based decision making, investment planning and operational performance.
• Stakeholder & Supplier Management
  • Build effective partnerships across Asset Management, Operations, Capital Delivery and Digital teams.
  • Influence senior stakeholders to drive adoption of improved processes and standards.
  • Manage key technology and data suppliers, ensuring delivery against agreed business outcomes and value for money.
• Leadership & Capability Development
  • Lead, develop and inspire a high-performing asset data and systems team.
  • Foster a culture of accountability, continuous improvement and data-driven decision making.
  • Develop organisational capability in asset information management, governance and system utilisation.

What Previous Experience Is Required

Essential Experience

• Significant leadership experience within asset data, asset information management, enterprise systems or business improvement functions.
• Experience operating in a regulated utility, infrastructure, engineering or asset-intensive environment.
• Demonstrable success in developing and implementing data governance frameworks and data quality programmes.
• Experience owning enterprise asset management systems, GIS platforms or equivalent business-critical information systems.
• Proven track record of leading large-scale transformation, change or continuous improvement programmes.
• Experience influencing and collaborating with senior stakeholders across multiple business functions.
• Strong supplier, contract and commercial management experience.

Desirable Experience

• Experience leading ISO 55001 implementation or asset management maturity programmes.
• Experience integrating complex data platforms and eliminating organisational data silos.
• Experience supporting regulatory submissions and compliance reporting.
• Knowledge of digital asset management technologies, analytics and predictive asset management approaches.

Key Qualifications Required

• Degree qualification in Engineering, Asset Management, Information Management, Data Management, GIS, Computer Science or a related discipline.
• Chartered status, or working towards professional accreditation through an appropriate institution (e.g. ICE, CIWEM, BCS, RICS or equivalent).

Closing Date: 14th Aug 2026. We may close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of applications. We encourage you to apply as soon as possible.

Please note that the successful candidate will be subject to a mandatory DBS check as part of the onboarding process.

Be yourself, we like it that way. Together, we will build a culture of belonging, where inclusion is instinctive. Diversity is our strength and a reflection of our communities. We care, we value everyone, we celebrate uniqueness.

Our core values, which are essential to our success, are:

• Be Rock Solid - Build trust and be trusted. Be the one we all look to and can depend on.
• Be You - We want you to bring your best every day. Be yourself and make your mark in your individual way.
• Be the Future - Embrace change. Drive Progress. Own the challenge.