At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead innovation initiatives and manage technical standards for a greener future.
- Company: Join South West Water, part of Pennon Group, committed to sustainability.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, inclusive culture, and opportunities for personal growth.
- Other info: Diverse and inclusive workplace with a focus on continuous improvement.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on water services while driving innovation and sustainability.
- Qualifications: Degree in Engineering or related field; experience in innovation and asset management.
The predicted salary is between 65000 - 78000 £ per year.
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. Our goals? As well as lowering our carbon footprint, we’re working with partners to plant 300,000 trees, restore peatlands and support farmers and landowners to improve water quality and wildlife.
Role Purpose: The Innovation & Asset Standards Lead is responsible for driving innovation across the organisation while maintaining ownership and governance of the company's technical standards framework. This role acts as the central coordinator for innovation activities, connecting internal teams with external partners, securing funding opportunities, and ensuring successful innovations are scaled across the business. Simultaneously, the role ensures technical standards remain current, safe, practical, and aligned with regulatory requirements, operational learning, and emerging technologies. The position sits at the intersection of asset management, engineering, operations, and innovation, playing a critical role in improving asset performance, reducing whole-life costs, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement.
Key Responsibilities
- Innovation Portfolio Management
- Lead and coordinate innovation activity across the organisation.
- Manage the innovation portfolio, ensuring visibility, governance, and benefit realisation.
- Coordinate and support Ofwat Innovation Fund submissions and other external funding opportunities.
- Identify and pursue innovation funding from Innovate UK, research councils, and industry partnerships.
- Develop reporting frameworks that demonstrate innovation outcomes and business value.
- External Partnerships
- Build and manage relationships with universities, technology providers, consultants, industry bodies, and supply chain partners.
- Facilitate collaboration between business units and external organisations to solve strategic challenges.
- Manage commercial, intellectual property, and governance considerations within partnerships.
- Represent the organisation within sector innovation forums and industry working groups.
- Enabling Business Unit Innovation
- Support business units to develop local innovation capability.
- Provide innovation governance, frameworks, tools, and templates.
- Facilitate cross-business learning and knowledge sharing.
- Establish clear processes for assessing, trialling, and scaling innovation.
- Promote innovation literacy and encourage participation across teams.
- Technical Standards Governance
- Own and maintain the organisation's technical standards framework.
- Establish governance processes covering reviews, approvals, deviations, and compliance.
- Ensure standards align with regulatory requirements, safety obligations, and asset management policies.
- Act as the authoritative source of advice regarding standards interpretation and application.
- Lead continual improvement of technical standards and engineering governance practices.
- Embedding Innovation into Standards
- Enable safe adoption of innovation through controlled trials, exemptions, and fast-track updates.
- Evaluate new materials, methods, and technologies alongside engineering and operational stakeholders.
- Promote digital engineering standards, modern methods of construction, and emerging technologies.
- Optimise standard solutions to maximise value and reduce whole-life costs.
- Ensure proven innovations are embedded into standards and become part of normal business practice.
Experience Required
Essential Experience
- Significant experience within engineering, asset management, technical governance, or infrastructure leadership roles.
- Experience leading or coordinating innovation programmes or portfolios.
- Experience securing and managing external innovation funding opportunities.
- Strong background in developing or enhancing technical standards and governance frameworks.
- Experience managing relationships with academic, technology, consultancy, and supply chain partners.
- Proven ability to influence and enable others through a collaborative, non-direct management approach.
- Ability to communicate complex technical concepts to a wide range of audiences.
Desirable Experience
- Knowledge of the UK water sector and regulatory environment.
- Experience with Modern Methods of Construction (MMC).
- Understanding of digital engineering standards and information management principles.
- Experience delivering innovation within regulated utility sectors.
Qualifications
Essential
- Degree qualification in Engineering, Asset Management, Innovation Management, or a related discipline.
- Chartered status or working towards chartership with a relevant professional institution (e.g. ICE, CIWEM, IET, BCS, RICS).
- Knowledge of asset health modelling, resilience planning, and risk management principles.
Closing Date: 14th Aug 2026. We may close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of applications. 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.
Innovation & Asset Standards Lead in Exeter employer: South West Water Limited
South West Water Limited is an exceptional employer, offering a unique apprenticeship opportunity that combines earning with learning in the beautiful regions of Cornwall and Devon. With a strong focus on employee growth, apprentices will gain invaluable hands-on experience in automation and controls engineering, while benefiting from a supportive work culture that prioritises career progression and skill development. Join us to be part of a forward-thinking team dedicated to innovation and sustainability in the water industry.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Innovation & Asset Standards Lead in Exeter
✨Leverage Innovation Hubs
Tap into local innovation hubs and research centres. These places often host events and workshops where you can meet like-minded people and industry leaders. Plus, they might have job openings that aren't widely advertised, so keep your ears open!
✨Showcase Your Projects
Turn your past innovation projects into compelling stories. Create a portfolio showcasing your creativity and problem-solving skills. This can give hiring managers a real flavour of what you can bring to the table at companies like South West Water Limited.
✨Connect at Industry Conferences
Make it a point to attend industry conferences and seminars focused on R&D and innovation management. These events are fantastic for networking and often have job boards or career fairs where you can connect directly with firms looking for talent.
✨Use Your University’s Resources
If you're fresh out of university, don't forget to tap into your institution's career services. They often have exclusive partnerships with companies seeking new talent in R&D, especially for full-time roles. It's a good shortcut to landing a gig at places like South West Water Limited.
We think you need these skills to ace Innovation & Asset Standards Lead in Exeter
Some tips for your application 🫡
Showcase Your Creative Thinking:In innovation and R&D management, it's all about thinking outside the box. Make sure your CV highlights any projects or experiences that showcase your creative problem-solving skills. Use specific examples to illustrate how you've developed and implemented innovative ideas in previous roles.
Tailor Your Experience to R&D:When you're crafting your CV, focus on your experience in research and development. Highlight any relevant projects you've worked on, including methodologies used and results achieved. This will show us at South West Water Limited that you understand the R&D process and can contribute meaningfully to our projects.
Let Your Passion Shine in the Cover Letter:For a full-time role like this, your cover letter should reflect your genuine passion for innovation and development. Share your excitement about the opportunity to work at South West Water Limited and touch on how your goals align with our mission. This helps us see your motivation for wanting to join our team!
Quantify Your Achievements:Numbers speak volumes in R&D! Whenever possible, quantify your achievements in your CV. Whether it’s a percentage improvement in project outcomes, the budget size you’ve managed, or the number of successful products you've launched, these figures will help paint a clearer picture of your impact and capabilities.
How to prepare for a job interview at South West Water Limited
✨Show Off Your Innovative Thinking
In an Innovation R&D Management role at South West Water Limited, they're going to want to see how you approach problem-solving. Be ready to discuss previous projects where you introduced a new idea or process. Highlight your ability to think outside the box and provide examples where your innovations drove significant results.
✨Familiarity with Tools and Technologies
Make sure you're clued up on the latest tools and technologies related to innovation management, such as project management software and data analysis platforms. Being able to discuss specific tools you’ve used or have experience with will show South West Water Limited that you’re ready to hit the ground running.
✨Demonstrate Collaboration Skills
Since this is a full-time gig, emphasising your teamwork skills will be essential. In innovation, collaboration often sparks the best ideas, so be ready to talk about how you've worked effectively within cross-functional teams in your past roles. Have concrete examples at the ready!
✨Prepare for Scenario-Based Questions
Expect some scenario-based questions in your interview that reflect real challenges you might face in the role. £At South West Water Limited, they might want to see how you handle tight deadlines or manage conflicting ideas within a team. Prepare some responses that demonstrate your critical thinking and decisiveness in high-pressure situations.
