Water New Connections Design Manager - Reading, Berkshire

As a Design Manager, you’ll lead a talented team designing high-quality, construction-ready water connections that enable customers to connect new properties to our network. You’ll ensure designs meet regulatory and technical standards, deliver value for money, and provide an outstanding customer experience for a diverse customer base from individual homeowners to national housebuilders.

What you’ll be doing as a Water New Connections Design Manager:

• You’ll manage and develop a team of up to 10 designers, optimising workflows to meet performance targets while continuously improving quality.
• Working closely with technical specialists, Field Delivery teams, and Service Providers, you’ll play a key role in enhancing the New Water Connection Journey and shaping the future of Developer Services as an emerging business unit.
• Lead the creation of compliant, buildable designs that meet CDM 2015, regulatory requirements, and Thames Water Asset Standards, balancing quality, cost, and speed to deliver right-first-time solutions.
• Own the customer experience throughout the design stage for Developers, NAVs, SLPs, and homeowners, working closely with delivery teams to enable successful projects and accurate billing.
• Build and inspire a high-performing design team, developing capability, technical excellence, and confidence in managing customers and complex engineering solutions.
• Optimise team performance and workflows to achieve daily, weekly, and monthly targets while improving CSAT/DMEX, reducing complaints, and raising quality standards.
• Champion continuous improvement, using insight and data to identify trends, streamline processes, and enhance operational efficiency and customer outcomes.
• Act as a trusted stakeholder partner, representing the Service team across Developer Services and the wider business, and strengthening understanding and application of the regulatory framework.

This is a Hybrid role based in our Clearwater Court office in Reading, including travel to other sites.

What you should bring to the role:

• Proven experience in clean water network design, with previous people-management experience in a technical or engineering-led environment.
• Strong background in customer-facing operations, with confidence across both B2B and B2C relationships.
• Sound technical understanding of clean water networks, enabling informed decision-making and effective oversight of design quality.
• Experienced in prioritising complex workloads, balancing customer needs, statutory timescales, SLAs, escalations, and complaints.
• Highly analytical and commercially aware, able to interpret data, produce clear reports, and present performance insights, risks, and mitigation actions to stakeholders.
• Naturally proactive and improvement-focused, anticipating challenges, taking ownership, and driving practical solutions through to successful outcomes.

What’s in it for you?

• Competitive salary from £38,000 to £42,000 per annum, depending on skills and experience.
• 24 days holiday per year, increasing to 28 with the length of service (plus bank holidays).
• Generous Pension Scheme through AON.
• Access to lots of benefits to help you take care of you and your family’s health and wellbeing, and your finances – from annual health MOTs and access to physiotherapy and counselling, to Cycle to Work schemes, shopping vouchers and life assurance.

Who are we?

We’re the UK’s largest water and wastewater company, with more than 16 million customers relying on us every day to supply water for their taps and toilets. We want to build a better future for all, helping our customers, communities, people, and the planet to thrive.

Working at Thames Water:

Thames Water is a unique, rewarding, and diverse place to work, where every day you can make a difference, yet no day is the same. As part of our family, you’ll enjoy meaningful career opportunities, flexible working arrangements and excellent benefits.

If you’re looking for a sustainable and successful career where you can make a daily difference to millions of people’s lives while helping to protect the world’s water for future generations, we’ll be here to support you every step of the way.

Why choose us?

We’re committed to being a great, diverse, and inclusive place to work. We welcome applications from everyone and want to ensure you feel supported throughout the recruitment process. If you need any adjustments, whether that’s extra time, accessible formats, or anything else, just let us know, we’re here to help and support.

When a crisis happens, we all rally around to support our customers. As part of Team Thames, you’ll have the opportunity to sign up to support our customers on the frontline as an ambassador. Full training will be given for what is undoubtedly an incredibly rewarding experience.

Disclaimer: Due to the high volume of applications we receive, we may close the advert earlier than the advertised date, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.