Change Lead in Reading

Are you passionate about driving real change and helping teams embrace new ways of working? Join Thames Water’s Strategic Operations and Transformation team as a Change Lead, where you’ll play a pivotal role in delivering critical transformation across our core operational divisions. As we embark on significant digitally enabled change, we’re looking for someone who can inspire buy-in, adoption, and enthusiasm for new systems—making change stick for the long term.

You’ll bring deep expertise in change management, synthesising insight from diverse sources to assess complex situations and deliver guidance that supports effective decision-making. Success in this role demands a strong grasp of how change management connects with broader business functions to deliver the required outcomes and benefits. Above all, a commitment to providing the best possible experience for Thames Water colleagues during periods of significant change is fundamental.

What you’ll be doing as a Change Lead:

• Own and lead the change impact assessment for the projects and programmes under your remit.
• Design, deploy and manage key change management deliverables such as the change plan, training needs assessment, communications plan and change readiness assessment.
• Identify and collaborate with Business Change Analysts and Champions within each business area, building a strong internal network for change.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with external and internal teams to ensure alignment on goals.
• Work closely with the change areas to make sure we map out the change impact and dependencies.
• Manage a team of Change Analysts, providing coaching and development to ensure effective delivery.
• Manage change to scope, time and budget within agreed tolerances or escalate changes accordingly.

Base location: Hybrid/ Reading, with occasional travel across the Thames Water sites.

Working pattern: Monday to Friday, 36 hours per week.

What you should bring to the role:

We’re looking for someone who can lead and influence buy-in for new systems, processes and ways of working. You’ll need:

• Significant experience in planning, development and implementation of change management strategies in large-scale transformation projects.
• Excellent communication with ability to influence a wide range of stakeholders from senior management to end users.
• Line management experience and management of teams.
• Experience in budget management and forecasting.
• Management of suppliers across the entire delivery life cycle.
• Customer-centric delivery experience.
• Ability to work effectively with external and internal teams/projects, building strong relationships, and fostering teamwork are essential for successful change initiatives.
• Deep understanding of how change management integrates with broader business functions, applying strong commercial awareness.
• Be a strategic thinker with the ability to see the big picture, anticipate challenges, and develop long-term plans.

Required Experience:

• Experience of delivering change within large-scale transformation projects using a structured change delivery approach.
• Certification in Change Management (Prosci, APMG) is desired but not essential with demonstrable experience.
• Certifications in Project management/business improvement like Prince2, Lean Competency System 1c or equivalent, will also be considered.

What’s in it for you?

• Competitive salary from £61,010 per annum, depending on experience.
• Annual Leave – 26 days holiday per year, increasing to 30 with length of service (plus bank holidays).
• Car Allowance.
• Annual Bonus.
• Generous Pension Scheme through AON.
• Performance-related pay plan directly linked to company performance measures and targets.
• Private Medical Health Care.
• Access to a wide range of benefits for your health, wellbeing, and finances—including annual health MOTs, physiotherapy, counselling, Cycle to Work schemes, shopping vouchers, and life assurance.

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.

Disclaimer: due to the high volume of applications we receive, we may close the advert earlier than the advertised date, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.