Continuous Improvement Lead - 9 Month Fixed Term Contract in Bradford

Hello! Thanks for stopping by. Let us tell you about all the great reasons to join us here at Yorkshire Water:

• We offer a salary, from £40,667 - £50,834 per annum, depending on experience
• Annual incentive-related bonus
• Attractive pension scheme (up to 12% company contribution)
• Development opportunities in line with the Continuous Improvement Lead progression plan
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays - plus an extra wellness day!
• Life assurance cover of 4 times pensionable salary
• A great benefits package - choose from health cash plan scheme, critical illness insurance, dental insurance, life assurance flex and partner cover.
• Retail savings scheme
• Online GP service, cycle to work scheme, gym membership discounts and many more!

Location: Hybrid Working (3 days office / site a week - Bradford). There will be a requirement for travel around the Yorkshire region as part of the role.

Work type: Temporary 9 Months. 37 hours per week, Monday - Friday.

We have an exciting opportunity for a Continuous Improvement Lead to join the Asset Maintenance Team at Yorkshire Water and be a part of helping Yorkshire Water to provide the best service to our customers.

What we do: Everyone has an idea of what a water company does. Here in Yorkshire, we make sure that over 5.4 million people living in the region and the millions of people who visit our region each year can rely on our services, and have clean and safe drinking water on tap and that their wastewater is taken away. But for us, it’s so much more than this. We look after communities, protect the environment, and plan to look after Yorkshire's water, today, tomorrow 24/7, 365 days a year. We provide essential water and wastewater services to every corner of the Yorkshire region and play a key role in the region's health, wellbeing, and prosperity.

New environmental legislation, unprecedented levels of investment and changing expectations from customers means that this is an exciting time to discover opportunities within the water industry. The Asset Maintenance Continuous Improvement Team are a key part of how we plan to meet the changing expectations of customers and regulators. You will lead continuous improvement activity across the end-to-end Asset Maintenance Process, ensuring we maintain our assets and plan and schedule work in the most efficient and effective way. You'll support the embedding and improvement of process, standard operating procedures and technology with a strong focus on the cultural shift required to move from reactive to planned and predictive maintenance. Your activities will drive tangible benefits against operational, strategic, customer and health & safety objectives, through the application of CI methodology.

Where you fit in: As our Continuous Improvement Lead you will:

• Work with Continuous Improvement Manager to set up and embed a CI Framework across the Asset Maintenance Process, to allow improvement opportunities to be identified by all colleagues and be recorded, tracked, and escalated as required to maximise performance against objectives
• Watch the work, spending time with both field and office-based colleagues on the job to identify how the work flows and what gets in the way so it’s as easy as possible for colleagues to do the best job possible
• Manage issues and opportunities, pulling people together to progress them, solving problems, keeping colleagues informed and bringing them along the journey
• Utilise available performance data to its maximum potential, developing new measures to understand how we are performing, encouraging open and honest conversations about how we can improve, linking in with the Yorkshire Water Performance Excellence (PEx) framework
• Review opportunities identified through the CI Framework to understand and define the impact and benefits and work with the Continuous Improvement Manager to prioritise and deliver these
• Lead CI initiatives to realise benefits using CI methodology to design, communicate and embed sustainable process improvements, utilising colleague subject matter experts to shape and inform
• Build effective relationships and work in collaboration with wider teams to enable delivery of process improvements

What skills & qualifications you will need:

• Knowledge and previous experience / ability to apply continuous improvement methodology, such as Lean; Six Sigma; Systems Thinking, to deliver process improvements
• Experience of delivering and embedding change, able to influence and drive the right culture and behaviours
• Excellent communication skills and ability to communicate with colleagues at all levels across the business, including senior leaders and directors
• Highly numerate and strong analytical & problem-solving skills. Able to present data & articulate business cases in a clear and concise manner
• Ability to interpret and analyse large volumes of data
• Coaching skills that are adaptable to different abilities and learning styles
• Be able to establish and maintain effective internal and external working relationships
• Able to work independently and as part of a team against tight deadlines under own initiative
• Excellent IT skills especially in the use of Microsoft Office applications
• Resilience and determination to deliver change
• Full UK driving licence

You will also benefit from having:

• Qualification relating to continuous improvement methodology
• Previous experience gained within the water industry
• Previous experience in a regulated environment
• Knowledge of Engineering and Maintenance processes & Yorkshire Water's regulatory commitments
• Experience using SAP

Although we operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, it’s important to us that we support flexible working patterns and job share options (when we can), to help you make the best of both your work and home life. We know that juggling childcare responsibilities or getting that ideal work/life balance isn’t always easy!

If you’ve got experience in continuous improvement and want to help us deliver great service for our customers whilst looking after the environment, then be sure to apply today to find out what a career with Yorkshire Water can offer you.

Please apply online and submit a CV and covering letter outlining your suitability for the role.

Recruitment process Closing date - 10th February 2026. If successful for the role, you will be required to undergo pre-employment checks that will include a Basic Disclosure Check, carried out through a Third-Party Company, prior to commencing employment. Depending on the role, you may also be required to go through the security vetting process for either a Counter Terrorist Check or Security Check clearance. All our roles are subject to a medical questionnaire, and further medicals when required. We are committed to removing barriers and ensuring our recruitment process is accessible to everyone. We offer a range of adjustments to make your application experience as comfortable and straightforward as possible. If you have an accessibility need, disability, or condition that requires changes to the recruitment process, please include this information in your application. We will then discuss any reasonable adjustments required. Kelda Group reserve the right to close this position before the published closing date, should the need occur. We therefore advise that you complete and submit your application as soon as possible.