Service Delivery Project Lead - Reading, Berkshire in Swallowfield

We are seeking a Service Delivery Project Lead to drive key service and process improvement projects that turn strategy into practical results, enhancing performance, customer experience, and operational resilience. Working across teams and with external partners, you'll coordinate and deliver projects that create real, measurable impact. This role suits a proactive, delivery-focused professional who thrives in a fast-paced environment, enjoys solving complex challenges, and wants to make a meaningful difference in a vital UK organisation.

What you'll be doing as a Service Delivery Project Lead:

• You’ll lead teams across day-to-day work activity and proactive projects, ensuring outputs are delivered to the right volume, quality and timescales.
• Using your strong service delivery expertise and broad cross-functional understanding, you’ll apply sound analytical judgement and confidently communicate complex information to a wide range of stakeholders.
• This role plays a critical part in delivering high-quality customer service by ensuring efficient enquiry management and building strong internal and external relationships that support overall operational success.
• You’ll oversee enquiry performance across onshore and offshore customer service teams, supporting complex cases and escalations, while driving continuous improvement in agent capability, customer satisfaction and operational efficiency.
• Working closely with the Customer Service Manager, you’ll also collaborate with fellow leads within Wholesale Market Services to ensure a joined-up, consistent and high-performing service.

The key responsibilities are:

• Manage the end-to-end enquiry process, ensuring cases are resolved within agreed SLAs.
• Monitor enquiry volumes, response times and quality, identifying trends and driving improvements.
• Act as an escalation point for complex, high-risk or high-profile cases, ensuring timely and effective resolution.
• Work closely with onshore and offshore teams and liaise with cross-functional stakeholders to resolve service dependencies.
• Lead internal and external Teams meetings to support complex case management.
• Monitor agent performance, focusing on quality, efficiency and service standards.
• Deliver coaching, performance reviews and quality audits to drive continuous improvement.
• Foster a culture of accountability, development and customer-focused service.
• Produce performance reports and presentations for internal and external stakeholders.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with retailers to ensure clear communication and effective enquiry resolution.
• Act as a point of contact for retailer escalations and feedback, working with Account Management to improve service outcomes.
• Forecast enquiry volumes using data and trends to support resource planning and operational readiness.
• Support process leads to improve complaint handling, streamline workflows and enhance customer experience.

To thrive in this role, the essential criteria you'll need are:

• A positive, approachable leader with the resilience and professionalism to build a supportive, high-performing team culture.
• Strong problem-solving and decision-making capabilities, with confidence to manage escalations, resolve complex issues and act in the manager's absence.
• Experience using management information and reporting tools to produce, maintain and analyse day-to-day operational performance.
• A strong performance and quality mindset, with proven experience working to targets, monitoring KPIs and taking corrective action when required.
• Highly organised with excellent time-management skills, able to balance competing priorities while supporting multiple agents and maintaining smooth operations.
• Leads by example, demonstrating professionalism, accountability and a strong work ethic that positively influences team performance.
• Proven customer service experience in a customer-facing environment, with a solid understanding of service standards, customer expectations and escalation management.

What's in it for you?

• Competitive salary starting from £35,000 per annum, dependent on skills and experience.
• 26 days holiday per year increasing to 30 with the length of service (plus bank holidays).
• Performance-related pay plan directly linked to company performance measures and targets.
• 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.

Who are we?

We are 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.

Learn more about our purpose and values. Working at 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 of water for future generations, we'll be here to support you every step of the way. Together, we can build a better future for our customers, our region, and our planet.

Real purpose, real support, real opportunities. Come and join the Thames Water family.

We are 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.