Programme Capability Lead

Closing Date

Job Title: Programme Capability Lead – Smart Metering

Location: Worthing, West Sussex (Hybrid)

Contract Type: Permanent

Hours: 37, Monday to Friday

Salary: circa £70,000 + car allowance (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

As Smart Metering Programme Manager, you will be accountable for leading the successful delivery of Southern Water’s smart metering installation programme through our strategic partner, HWI. This is a critical senior leadership role within the Smart Metering programme, responsible for ensuring that large-scale installation activity is delivered safely, efficiently and to a high standard, while being fully aligned to Southern Water’s operational, customer and data readiness.

What you will be responsible for

• Lead the delivery of the HWI smart metering installation programme, ensuring performance against agreed targets for volume, quality, customer experience and cost.
• Maintain an integrated end-to-end view of programme delivery, ensuring installation activity is aligned to Southern Water readiness across systems, data, operations and customer channels.
• Act as the senior interface with HWI, establishing strong governance and holding the partner to account for delivery performance, continuous improvement and contractual outcomes.
• Own and maintain the integrated programme plan, including milestones, interdependencies and critical path.
• Manage programme RAID (risks, assumptions, issues and dependencies), ensuring proactive mitigation and clear ownership.
• Provide clear, insight-led reporting to senior leadership, highlighting delivery confidence, risks, issues and required decisions or interventions.

What you’ll bring to the role

• 5-10 years of experience delivering large scale, complex, multi-year change programmes.
• Experience of managing the deployment of assets/ infrastructure, preferably a smart metering programme in utilities.
• Delivery or operational experience of managing the build or transformation of business capabilities (systems, people, process and data) to deliver measurable customer outcomes.
• Expertise in managing a team and set of stakeholders from across multiple internal departments and 3rd parties.
• Strong leadership skills and demonstrable experience of establishing and maturing teams
• Strong communication and influencing skills, with the ability to engage at different levels from C-suite down

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."

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 (myworkdaysite.com- 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 preemployment 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.

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