Business Optimisation & Quality Lead in Exeter

Powered by Water, Driven by Purpose. South West Water keeps the South West flowing with safe, reliable drinking water and wastewater services across some of the UK’s most stunning landscapes. We’re proud to be part of Pennon Group, a leader in the UK water sector, working towards a greener future.

We are looking for a strategic and forward-thinking Business Optimisation & Quality Lead to play a pivotal role in enhancing end-to-end service delivery across the wastewater customer journey. In this influential position, you will drive performance improvements, identify opportunities for systemic change, and ensure our operations are consistently delivered to the highest standards of efficiency and quality.

What you'll be doing:

• You’ll carry out end-to-end reviews across the customer journey to identify inefficiencies, risks, and opportunities for improvement, and drive continuous improvement initiatives that streamline workflows, reduce failure demand, and enhance service outcomes.
• You’ll also ensure processes are clearly defined, standardised, and consistently applied across operational teams.
• You’ll develop and embed quality metrics, controls, and performance standards that align with business objectives and customer expectations, providing oversight of process quality and compliance to ensure activities are delivered accurately and to a high standard.
• Using data and insight, you’ll monitor performance trends and identify systemic issues that impact service reliability or quality.
• Taking a strategic view of the end-to-end wastewater customer journey, you’ll identify pain points and drive improvements that enhance the overall customer experience, ensuring customer outcomes, service reliability, and quality are central to operational processes and decision-making.
• Working closely with Planning & Scheduling teams, Data Analysts, Operations, Customer, and Project teams, you’ll lead data-driven improvement initiatives, using operational insight to inform decisions, prioritise activity, and measure the impact of change.
• You’ll also play a key role in delivering sustainable change by embedding robust governance, quality frameworks, and performance controls, while championing a culture of continuous improvement, operational excellence, and accountability across the business.

What we are looking for:

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to interpret data, identify root causes, and translate insight into action.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills, with the confidence to influence, challenge, and collaborate at all levels of the organisation.
• Ability to manage complexity across multiple processes and priorities while maintaining a clear end-to-end service perspective.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present complex information clearly and compellingly.
• Proven ability to drive change and embed new ways of working within operational environments.
• High attention to detail combined with the ability to think strategically and systemically.

What's in it for you:

• Generous holiday allowance with the ability to buy and sell annual leave for added flexibility.
• Competitive company pension scheme.
• Training and development within the role.
• Access to thousands of discounts and vouchers through Pennon Perks.
• 24/7 support with our Employee Assistance Programme.
• Discretionary bonus.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• And more!

Closing Date: 1st July 2026. We may close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of applications. We encourage you to apply as soon as possible. Please note that the successful candidate will be subject to a mandatory DBS check as part of the onboarding process.

Be yourself, we like it that way. Together, we will build a culture of belonging, where inclusion is instinctive. Diversity is our strength and a reflection of our communities. We care, we value everyone, we celebrate uniqueness. Our core values, which are essential to our success, are: Be Rock Solid - Build trust and be trusted. Be the one we all look to and can depend on. Be You - We want you to bring your best every day. Be yourself and make your mark in your individual way. Be the Future - Embrace change. Drive Progress. Own the challenge.