Dispute Resolution Manager with Immediate Start in Devon, 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're looking for an experienced Incident Response Manager to lead our incident management, business continuity and emergency preparedness capability. In this high-profile role, you’ll be responsible for ensuring the organisation is ready to respond effectively to operational incidents, emergencies and major events. You’ll provide strategic leadership, oversee a 24/7 incident response function, and help protect the delivery of essential services for our customers and communities.

If you thrive in fast-paced environments, enjoy solving complex challenges, and can bring people together during critical situations, we’d love to hear from you.

What you’ll be doing:

• Lead and develop our incident response and emergency preparedness strategy.
• Manage the end-to-end incident response process for significant business-impacting incidents.
• Oversee a team of 24/7 Incident Controllers, ensuring effective incident coordination and escalation.
• Develop, review and implement incident management, emergency planning and business continuity processes.
• Lead post-incident reviews, lessons learned programmes and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Partner with operational teams to ensure emergency response arrangements, contingency plans and recovery capabilities remain effective and regularly tested.
• Support root cause analysis and problem resolution activities across the business.
• Develop and deliver training and development programmes to strengthen organisational resilience.
• Represent the organisation at key external forums, including resilience and emergency planning groups.
• Drive innovation and best practice in incident management, preparedness and organisational resilience.

What we’re looking for:

• You’ll be a confident leader with the ability to remain calm under pressure and inspire others during challenging situations.
• Essential Degree-level qualification or equivalent senior-level experience.
• Professional qualification in Incident Management, Emergency Planning or Business Continuity.
• Experience leading teams and projects within a complex organisation.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience implementing processes and procedures across large or complex organisations.
• Proven ability to analyse complex information and make sound decisions.
• A strategic mindset with a focus on continuous improvement and operational excellence.
• Desirable Chartered membership of a relevant professional body.
• Experience working in a regulated environment.
• Experience within the utilities, infrastructure or water sector.
• Knowledge of regulatory and compliance requirements relating to emergency planning and resilience.

What’s in it for you?

This is a unique opportunity to shape and lead a critical business function that safeguards essential services for customers and communities. You’ll work with senior leaders across the organisation, influence strategic decision-making, and play a pivotal role in ensuring we’re prepared for whatever challenges come next.

We know our people drive our success - so we’re committed to offering an excellent range of benefits, including: 30 days annual leave + bank holidays, Bonus Plan, Private Healthcare, Company car or cash for car allowance, Competitive contributory pension, Share-save scheme, Health benefits & wellbeing support programmes, Group discounts, Cycle to Work scheme, Financial support services, Development and training opportunities... and much more!

Closing Date: 27th 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.