Organisational Development Manager (12 Month Fixed Term Contract)

This is an initial 12 month fixed term contract with the possibility it could become permanent. The Organisational Development Manager is the primary architect of culture and capability during a period of transformation for South East Water. In a water industry facing evolving regulatory landscapes, environmental challenges, and digital shifts, the role will ensure that our 1,400 strong workforce is resilient, skilled, and aligned with our future vision.

Reporting directly to the Head of HR, the OD Manager will lead a dedicated team to design and execute strategies that improve organisational effectiveness and performance, managing a budget and the apprentice levy funds. This role isn’t just managing "business as usual"; it's focused on leading the "business of tomorrow," ensuring our people are skilled, competent, motivated and engaged to deliver life-essential services through significant periods of change.

• Performance Management: Develop plans to drive a high performance culture, support our performance management roadmap, including embedding performance frameworks that move beyond compliance to focus on continuous improvement and behavioural excellence.
• Supporting the wider business: Support wider HR initiatives to identify future talent gaps and design intervention strategies to ensure long-term operational sustainability. This includes succession planning activity and reducing risk around our business critical roles.
• Compliance & Mandatory Training Oversight: Lead the team responsible for the design, delivery, and tracking of all mandatory and regulatory training. Ensure 100% compliance across high-risk technical areas to safeguard the business and its license to operate.
• Emerging Talent Strategy: Lead the team in the design and delivery of a comprehensive emerging talent ecosystem, including Apprenticeships and Graduate Programmes. Focus on building a sustainable pipeline of future leaders and technical experts to mitigate the risks of an ageing workforce.
• Team Leadership: Direct and mentor a team, fostering a high-performance culture within the OD and wider HR function.
• Culture & Engagement: Lead the design of employee engagement initiatives and deliver results to senior stakeholders, partnering with business areas to create meaningful action plans.
• Leadership Development: Create and oversee bespoke leadership programmes that equip managers at all levels of the organisation to lead through change, ambiguity and technical evolution.

• Skills / Qualifications / Experience: CIPD Level 7 or equivalent.
• Strategic Thinking: The ability to see the "big picture" and translate corporate strategy into actionable people plans.
• Diagnostic Prowess: Skilled in using OD diagnostic tools and methodologies to identify organisational "pain points."
• Communication: Exceptional verbal and written skills, with the ability to simplify complex change concepts for a diverse workforce (from Field Technicians to office staff).
• Data Literacy: Ability to interpret HR analytics and engagement metrics to measure the ROI of OD interventions.
• Resilience: High emotional intelligence and the "grit" required to stay focused and positive during periods of high pressure.
• Proven OD Impact: Significant experience in a Senior OD role, ideally within regulated industry.
• Stakeholder Influence: Demonstrated ability to influence stakeholders at all levels through data-driven insights and persuasive communication.
• Project Management: Experience delivering high-impact projects on time and within budget in a fast-paced environment.

Employees are required to be flexible and to be prepared to perform duties and other tasks within their capabilities. The nature of our business is such that the contents of any job profile are subject to change from time to time. We want to be the water company people want to be supplied by and want to work for. We know the communities we serve are diverse. We recognise creativity comes from diversity not similarity. That’s why we are enthusiastic about creating inclusion across age, race, gender, ethnicity, religion and identity. You will experience our dedication to equal opportunities and fair treatment for all: through your recruitment, employment and career progression with South East Water.

• Excellent Stakeholder pension scheme, up to 10% employer contribution.
• 5 weeks holiday plus bank holidays per annum, increasing to 6 weeks with length of service.
• Flexible annual leave policy to buy or sell holiday leave.
• Paid volunteering days.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Health cash plan.
• Life assurance.
• Wellbeing related benefits.

What can you expect from your recruitment? To apply for this position, please submit your CV on our career’s website. It is necessary for you to have the legal right to work in the UK when you begin employment with South East Water. Additionally, as part of the employment offer, you will need to pass background, identity, and employment referencing checks. If this sounds like the opportunity you’ve been looking for, apply now!

South East Water kindly asks that recruitment agencies refrain from submitting CVs to our employees or associates without explicit invitation from our HR Resourcing team. CVs sent on a speculative basis will not be acknowledged and will not assume any responsibility for fees or commissions in the event that we hire a candidate who applied directly or subsequently introduced by an instructed agency.