Head of Digital Customer Projects

Location: Hybrid working between our head office in Worthing (2-3 days per week) and home.

Contract Type: 2-year fixed-term contract

Hours: 37 hours per week, Monday – Friday

Salary: Competitive salary commensurate with experience + £500 monthly car allowance, bonus up to 20% and single PMI.

About the Role: We’re looking for an exceptional digital leader to shape the future of customer digital products and services at Southern Water. This is a highly influential senior role within our Customer Directorate, responsible for defining and delivering a digital-first service model that makes it easier, faster and more intuitive for customers to interact with us. You’ll own the strategic direction and performance of our digital customer channels, ensuring they deliver excellent customer outcomes, improve adoption, reduce avoidable contact and drive measurable reductions in cost to serve.

You’ll Be Responsible For:

• Defining and delivering the digital customer service vision, strategy and roadmap, aligned to the wider organisational strategy and customer outcomes.
• Owning the end-to-end performance of digital service channels, with clear measures across adoption, containment, conversion, customer satisfaction, cost to serve and return on investment.
• Driving the shift from assisted to digital channels, increasing self-service and digital completion while maintaining a high-quality customer experience.
• Using customer insight, behavioural data and performance analytics to optimise journeys, reduce avoidable contact and improve completion rates.
• Leading end-to-end service redesign, championing user-centred design, accessibility, inclusive design and service design best practice.
• Working closely with Customer Operations, Contact Centre, Technology and Product teams to identify automation, AI-enabled support and digital enablement opportunities.
• Translating strategy into a prioritised delivery roadmap, managing dependencies across digital, technology, operations and policy teams.
• Ensuring digital initiatives are delivered at scale, with clear benefits realisation, governance and return on investment.
• Establishing strong governance for digital service development, performance management, risk, regulatory compliance, data protection and service resilience.
• Leading and developing a high-performing multidisciplinary function across digital product, customer experience, product channel, analytics and service design.
• Building strong relationships with senior stakeholders, influencing at executive level and helping the organisation adopt fundamentally new ways of working.

Please note that all our Senior Leaders are required to take part in a standby rota, typically 1 week in 8. More details can be provided at interview.

What you’ll bring to the role:

• Significant experience leading digital service channels in a complex organisation.
• Proven track record of delivering digital-first service transformation at scale.
• Strong experience managing digital channel performance using data, KPIs and customer insight.
• Demonstrable success in reducing cost to serve while improving customer experience.
• Deep understanding of user-centred design, service design and digital product management.
• Experience working across multidisciplinary teams, including digital, technology, operations and customer services.
• Strong strategic capability, with the ability to translate vision into practical delivery and measurable outcomes.
• Executive-level credibility, with the resilience, gravitas and influencing skills to lead transformation through complexity, ambiguity and challenge.
• Strong commercial and financial acumen, including value realisation, prioritisation and return on investment.

Desirable:

• Experience implementing automation, self-service or AI-enabled customer support.
• Knowledge of accessibility standards and inclusive design practices.
• Experience operating in regulated, public service or high-volume customer environments.
• Familiarity with predictive analytics, behavioural insight or real-time digital optimisation approaches.
• Professional training or accreditation in digital product, service design, human-centred design, Lean, Six Sigma or similar continuous improvement methodologies.

About Southern Water: 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. Our mission is to protect and enhance life through water and we need passionate people to help us achieve it. If you’re inspired by our purpose and believe you can contribute, apply today. You don’t need to meet every criterion; what matters most is your drive to make a difference.

If this role isn’t quite what you’re looking for but are keen to be contacted about opportunities at Southern Water, you can register your details here: Introduce Yourself.

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.