Senior Digital Commercial Manager

Location: Durrington, West Sussex (Hybrid, 2 days per week)

Contract Type: Permanent

Hours: 37, Monday to Friday

Salary: circa £60-65,000, depending on skills and experience

There has never been a more important time to join Southern Water. As we move through AMP8, we are delivering one of the most ambitious capital investment programmes in the industry, focused on improving environmental performance, service resilience and long‑term affordability for customers.

About the role

The Senior Digital Commercial & Contracts Manager works with Procurement, Legal, Information Governance, Data Protection and Digital leadership teams to define, procure, negotiate and manage a complex portfolio of third‑party Digital contracts. These include, but are not limited to, hosted services, managed services, software licences, support services, frameworks and strategically important supplier arrangements across Digital spend categories.

What you will be responsible for

• Lead on higher value, higher risk and technically complex commercial and contractual activity.
• Provide senior commercial input to support the Digital Commercial and Supplier Manager in shaping and implementing agreed Digital commercial strategy.
• Act as a senior subject matter expert for Digital procurement and contractual matters and deputise for the Digital Commercial and Supplier Manager, where required.
• Provide mentoring and assurance to colleagues to support consistent commercial governance and effective contract lifecycle management.
• Lead the BAU contract renewal process for higher value, higher risk and technically complex contracts, assessing extension, termination or replacement options in line with business demand.
• Lead the negotiation and agreement of new Digital contracts under Procurement Self‑Service and other appropriate commercial routes.

What you’ll bring to the role

• Significant experience of managing high-value, high-risk and technically complex Digital contracts within a large, multi‑supplier environment.
• Experience of deputising for a manager or leading a functional workstream, including workload prioritisation, escalation management and stakeholder representation.
• Advanced understanding of Digital contract structures, software licensing, managed services, cloud services, framework agreements, commercial risk, supplier performance and contract lifecycle management.
• Experience of advising senior stakeholders on complex commercial, contractual, procurement and supplier management matters.

Southern Water is at the forefront of transforming Britain’s water industry, investing significantly to enhance resilience, sustainability, and service excellence. With £7.8bn planned investment for 2025-30, this is an unparalleled opportunity to join a business committed to delivering a generational shift in the way water services are managed.

You will be joining at a time of significant change, working alongside a highly skilled leadership team with a clear vision for the future. We offer an environment where senior professionals can make a meaningful impact, influence major strategic decisions, and drive long‑term value creation.

“At Southern Water, we believe diverse perspectives drive innovation. If you’re passionate about making a positive impact and think you can bring value to our team, we’d love to hear from you—even if you don’t tick every box. Your unique skills and experiences could be exactly what we need.”

Our Commitment to Diversity

We welcome applicants from all backgrounds, identities, and experiences. We do not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, or any other protected characteristic. If you need reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know.

Additional information

In line with Southern Water’s security requirements, successful candidates will be required to provide evidence of their identity, eligibility to work in the UK, criminal record check (DBS) and verification of their employment and/or education history for the past three years. Appointment to this role is subject to the successful completion of all pre‑employment checks, including security vetting. Please note that if a candidate does not meet the required security standards or fails to pass the vetting process, Southern Water reserves the right to withdraw the offer of employment. Some positions may also require higher levels of security vetting, which may involve providing additional documentation.

Our purpose is big. Our impact is huge. And we know that every single one of us has the power, through our actions, to positively change society and the environment for good. It’s why careers with us have real meaning. Because, if you’re driven and ambitious, we can offer you huge opportunities for personal growth, professional development and constant innovation. Forever evolving. Forever focused on doing the right thing, we empower and encourage everyone to play to their strengths and to help us shape a fair and positive future for all. We believe in Water for Life. If you do too, Dive Right In.

Our customers are at the heart of everything we do, because delivering water for life is our core purpose. To achieve this, we need 24/7 support in place to resolve incidents quickly and efficiently. All our employees understand the importance of out‑of‑hours incident support – because when problems appear, fixing them is our top priority.

During your interview, your manager will speak to you about any incident support rotas that apply to your position.

Does this opportunity excite you but you’re not 100% sure if you meet all the requirements for the role? Or are you concerned that ‘normal’ office hours aren’t possible given your personal circumstances? Whilst we can’t accommodate every flexible working request, we’ll try to find a practical solution.