Controls and Governance Manager

Job Location - Lingley Mere (UU), Lingley Green Avenue, Great Sankey, Warrington, WA5 3LP

Role Type - Permanent

Employment Type - Full Time

United Utilities’ (UU) purpose is to deliver great water for a stronger, greener and healthier North West of England. We are committed to providing our services in a way that respects the environment, supports the economy, and benefits society. We value diversity, inclusion and innovation in our workplace, and we foster a culture where our people can grow, excel, and be themselves. We uphold our ethics, values and business model to fulfil our mission and, by setting clear goals and objectives, we create sustainable long-term value for our colleagues, customers and communities.

We’ve got a lot to offer. You’ll be part of a thriving FTSE 100 company and will enjoy a range of core benefits that reflect your value and value contribution:

• A generous annual leave package of 26 days, which increases to 30 days after four years of service (increases one day per year), in addition to 8 bank holidays
• A competitive pension scheme with up to 14% employer contribution, 21% combined, and life cover
• Up to 10.5% performance-related bonus scheme, as well as recognition awards for outstanding achievements
• A comprehensive healthcare plan through our company-funded scheme
• MyGymDiscounts - gym and wellness benefit that offers up to 25% off on gym memberships and digital fitness subscriptions
• Best Doctors
• Salary Finance
• Wealth at Work courses
• Deals and discounts
• EVolve Car Scheme
• Employee Assistance Plan
• Mental health first aiders
• ShareBuy
• Enhanced parental leave schemes

Job Purpose

We are excited to share the set up of a central transformation function to support change and transformation activities across United Utilities to aid our stronger, greener, healthier North West strategy. An evolving pipeline of projects has opened up an opportunity for a Controls and Governance Manager to focus on ensuring appropriate project and programme management controls are in place and being consistently deployed. This will ensure projects are set up for success and are managed efficiently. The Controls & Governance Manager supports the successful delivery of projects and programmes. This role is responsible for ensuring robust governance, reporting, financial tracking, and assurance practices are embedded across the portfolio, enabling informed decision-making and optimised delivery performance.

Accountabilities & Responsibilities

• Lead the setup, management, and continuous improvement of TMO frameworks, tools, and processes across the change portfolio.
• Establish and maintain portfolio governance structures, ensuring clear roles, responsibilities, and escalation paths.
• Own the portfolio risk, issue, and dependency management framework, ensuring alignment and visibility across initiatives.
• Ensure compliance with delivery standards (e.g., methodology, documentation, change control).
• Provide guidance and coaching to project and programme managers to improve delivery maturity.

Technical Skills & Experience

• Competent working within and strong understanding of project, programme, and portfolio management frameworks (e.g. PRINCE2, MSP, MoP).
• Excellent planning, governance, and reporting skills with a data-driven approach.
• Highly competent in stakeholder management, with the ability to communicate and influence at senior levels.
• Ability to apply knowledge of delivery methodologies including Agile, Waterfall, and hybrid approaches.
• Ability to lead and develop teams in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in PMO roles with significant experience in a management or leadership position in a regulated environment (e.g., utilities, finance, government, technology).
• Demonstrable success supporting or managing portfolios, programmes, or large-scale transformation initiatives.
• Experience using PPM tools (e.g., Planview, MS Project Online, Clarity PPM, Smartsheet, Power BI).

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in Business, Project Management, Technology, or a related field.
• Agile delivery knowledge or certifications (e.g., SAFe, AgilePM).
• Experience implementing PPM tools and improving delivery maturity.

We rely on every employee to ensure our customers receive the best possible service, day in, day out. In return, we ensure that you will be well rewarded for your efforts, from an excellent salary through to development opportunities that will really kick start a thriving career here at UU.