Capital Closeout Manager in Leeds

Capital Close Out Manager

Benefits

• Competitive salary, depending on experience, up to £70,000 (band 3b)
• Company car lease/allowance scheme (£500 per month / £6,000 per year, based on full-time employment on joining the company). Option to sign up to the EV Car Salary Sacrifice Scheme 6 months after joining the company.
• Annual incentive related bonus up to 15% of annual salary
• Private health care (self only)
• Attractive pension scheme (up to 12% company contribution
• Life assurance cover of 4 times pensionable salary
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays - plus 2 extra wellness days!
• 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

This role will initially be based in Bradford but we're moving our office to Leeds Valley Park in September 2026, so you'll be based there in the future - Hybrid Working (2-3 days office a week - Bradford/Leeds)

Work type

Permanent. 37 hours per week, Monday - Friday.

Overview

We have an exciting opportunity for a Capital Close Out Manager to join the Programme Delivery 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. Programme Delivery are a key part of how we plan to meet the changing expectations of customers and regulators.

Where you fit in

As our Capital Close Out Manager you will

• Lead and manage Yorkshire Water's end-to-end capital project close-out process, driving the reduction of project closure times to below 360 days and ensuring a sustained month-on-month improvement trend.
• Own and deliver the closure backlog reduction strategy, managing the resolution of aged projects, preventing new backlog accumulation, and providing clear reporting against agreed performance trajectories.
• Drive the reduction of open purchase order liabilities, maintaining clear visibility of progress against targets and providing regular updates to Finance and Capital Delivery leadership.
• Oversee the preparation, governance and approval of project write-off business cases, ensuring all submissions are fully evidenced, audit-ready and processed efficiently without rework.
• Establish and maintain standardised, documented close-out processes, creating clear accountability, consistent ways of working and robust financial controls across the entire project closure lifecycle.
• Build strong relationships across Finance, Procurement, Commercial and Capital Delivery functions, reducing process friction, improving financial visibility and resolving complex or stalled closure cases through effective collaboration and escalation.
• Lead, coach and develop a specialist close-out team, coordinating workloads, chairing team meetings and reviews, removing delivery blockers, and ensuring the efficient progression of closure activities from post-delivery handover through to final settlement.
• Drive continuous improvement and innovation within the close-out process, including the implementation and adoption of AI-enabled purchase order management and reconciliation tools, while producing management reporting on closure performance, backlog trends, liability reduction, and overall close-out effectiveness.

What skills & qualifications you will need

• Demonstrable experience managing complex financial, commercial, or project close-out activities within large-scale infrastructure, utilities, engineering, or capital delivery environments.
• Proven track record of leading specialist teams and delivering measurable process improvements within highly regulated, governance-driven organisations.
• Strong experience operating within formal financial governance frameworks, including the preparation of business cases, commercial recommendations, and decision papers for senior leadership teams.
• Ability to work effectively within fast-paced, complex matrix environments, successfully managing multiple priorities, stakeholders, and competing deadlines.
• Collaborative and credible leader with a proven ability to build trusted relationships, influence stakeholders, drive continuous improvement, and role-model organisational values and behaviours.
• Strategic and analytical thinker, capable of interpreting complex information, identifying root causes, and developing practical, effective solutions to business challenges.
• Experience leading end-to-end procurement and contracting activities, including supplier engagement, commercial negotiations, contract management, and performance monitoring.
• Professional qualification in a commercial, procurement, finance, or project management discipline, or significant equivalent experience in the management of commercial agreements, ideally within an NEC contract environment.

You will also benefit from having

• Extensive experience managing complex financial, commercial, and project close-out activities within large-scale infrastructure, utilities, procurement, or capital delivery environments, with a strong understanding of capital project financial management, including purchase orders, invoice reconciliation, accruals, financial close processes, and commercial agreements.
• Proven leadership capability in managing specialist teams and delivering measurable process improvements within regulated, governance-intensive organisations, including the design and implementation of operating models, frameworks, and best-practice ways of working.
• Strong commercial, procurement, and contract management expertise, including experience navigating financial governance frameworks, preparing business cases and commercial strategies, managing NEC or similar contract arrangements, final accounts, supplier disputes, defects period obligations, and asset depreciation requirements.
• Highly collaborative and analytical professional with the ability to build effective relationships across Finance, Commercial, Procurement, and Capital Delivery functions, operate successfully within complex matrix environments, manage multiple priorities, and utilise ERP and procurement systems such as SAP and Ariba to deliver robust business outcomes.

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 as a Capital Close Out Manager 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.

Closing date - 23rd July

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.

No agencies please.