Engineering Project Manager in Reading

As Engineering Project Manager in Reading, you will lead design-and-build schemes valued between £100,000 and £5 million within Thames Valley’s major infrastructure programme. Reporting to the Senior Delivery Manager, you will oversee entire project lifecycles—from concept and detailed design through construction, commissioning, and final handover—ensuring safety, quality, and efficiency throughout.

This full-time role offers a competitive salary of £52,000–£60,000, dependent on experience. You will manage contractors, coordinate multidisciplinary teams, and drive improvements to water treatment assets serving millions of customers. Strong technical acumen, proven delivery capability, and excellent stakeholder communication are essential to succeed in this pivotal position.

Working under the direction of the Senior Delivery Manager, you'll lead the delivery of design and build projects ranging from £100k to £5m. From initial concept and design through to construction, commissioning and handover, you'll be responsible for ensuring projects are delivered safely, efficiently and to the highest quality standards.

This is an exciting opportunity to work across water treatment processes, reservoir storage, chemical dosing and SEMD systems while collaborating with multidisciplinary teams across engineering, construction, environmental and commercial functions.

What you'll be doing as an Engineering Project Manager

• Leading the development and delivery of water treatment and process projects from conception through to handover.
• Managing the planning, design, construction and commissioning phases of projects.
• Developing business cases and project documentation through governance processes to secure project funding.
• Managing project risks and identifying opportunities to improve value and efficiency.
• Providing project assurance during delivery, commissioning and asset handover.
• Working with internal teams, framework contractors, consultants and suppliers to achieve successful project outcomes.
• Supporting the CDM Designer or Principal Designer role where projects utilise in-house engineering design.
• Leading and influencing multidisciplinary teams to deliver projects safely, on time and within budget.
• Coaching and mentoring colleagues to support continuous improvement and professional development.

This role will be a hybrid-based role, which will be based 2-3 days a week onsite and in the office; we are able to offer Farmoor, Latton, Swindon or Reading as a base location. This role will require a driving licence and access to a vehicle. This role comes with a £4.500 car allowance.

What should you bring to the role?

• HND/HNC in an engineering discipline or equivalent experience.
• Experience delivering water treatment, water process or transferable projects and skills.
• Strong knowledge of project delivery from concept and design through to construction, commissioning and asset integration.
• Experience working across mechanical, electrical, civil, and ICA systems.
• Strong risk management and problem‑solving skills.
• Excellent stakeholder engagement and communication skills.
• A passion for continuous improvement and delivering value for customers.
• Competence in using project management and Microsoft Office systems.

What's in it for you?

Competitive salary of £52,000 - £60,000 per annum, depending on skills and experience. Car Allowance of £4.500 26 days annual leave, increasing to 30 days with length of service, plus bank holidays. Generous Pension Scheme through AON Annual personal medical assessments available to all employees. Access to lots of benefits to help you take care of you and your family’s health and wellbeing, and your finances – from annual health MOTs and access to physiotherapy and counselling, to Cycle to Work schemes, shopping vouchers and life assurance. Performance-related pay plan directly linked to company performance measures and targets. Find out more about our benefits and perks (Please note different T&Cs apply if on secondment).

Who are we?

We’re the UK’s largest water and wastewater company, with more than 16 million customers relying on us every day to supply water for their taps and toilets. We want to build a better future for all, helping our customers, communities, people, and the planet to thrive. It’s a big job and we’ve got a long way to go, so we need help from passionate and skilled people, committed to making a difference and getting us to where we want to be in the years and decades to come. Learn more about our purpose and values Working at Thames Water Thames Water is a unique, rewarding, and diverse place to work, where every day you can make a difference, yet no day is the same. As part of our family, you’ll enjoy meaningful career opportunities, flexible working arrangements and excellent benefits. If you’re looking for a sustainable and successful career where you can make a daily difference to millions of people’s lives while helping to protect the world of water for future generations, we’ll be here to support you every step of the way. Together, we can build a better future for our customers, our region, and our planet. Real purpose, real support, real opportunities. Come and join the Thames Water family.

Why choose us?

Learn more. We’re committed to being a great, diverse, and inclusive place to work. We welcome applications from everyone and want to ensure you feel supported throughout the recruitment process. If you need any adjustments, whether that’s extra time, accessible formats, or anything else just let us know, we’re here to help and support. When a crisis happens, we all rally around to support our customers. As part of Team Thames, you’ll have the opportunity to sign up to support our customers on the frontline as an ambassador. Full training will be given for what is undoubtedly an incredibly rewarding experience. It’s also a great opportunity to learn more about our business and meet colleagues.