Water Quality CI Manager in Bradford

Water Utility Company based in the Yorkshire region of England.

We offer a competitive salary, depending on experience starting from £52,000 to £58,000. Business needs user car benefit. Annual incentive related bonus (up to 10% of annual salary). Private health care (self only). Attractive pension scheme (up to 12% company contribution). Life assurance cover of 4 times pensionable salary. 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays plus an extra wellness day! A great benefits package - choose from health cash plan scheme, critical illness insurance, dental insurance, life assurance flex and partner cover. Retail savings scheme. Online GP service, cycle to work scheme, gym membership discounts and many more!

Location will be dependent on area and must be willing to travel to our sites across Yorkshire. Work type: Permanent. 37 hours per week, Monday to Friday.

We have an exciting opportunity for a potable Water Quality Continuous Improvement Manager to join the Water Quality and Asset Management Team at Yorkshire Water and be a part of helping Yorkshire Water to provide the best service to our customers.

Everyone has an idea of what a water company does. Here in Yorkshire, we make sure that over 5.4 million people living in the region and the millions of people who visit our region each year can rely on our services, and have clean and safe drinking water on tap and that their wastewater is taken away. But for us, it's so much more than this. We look after communities, protect the environment, and plan to look after Yorkshire's water, today, tomorrow 24/7, 365 days a year. We provide essential water and wastewater services to every corner of the Yorkshire region and play a key role in the region's health, wellbeing, and prosperity.

New environmental legislation, unprecedented levels of investment and changing expectations from customers means that this is an exciting time to discover opportunities within the water industry. Our Clean Water Service Delivery - Water Quality and Asset Management team are a key part of how we plan to meet the changing expectations of customers and regulators.

You will manage and lead a team of continuous improvement (CI) specialists, including providing expert operational and technical support on interpretation and implementation of and to ensure expert knowledge on matters relating to the Water Supply (Water Quality WQ) Regulations and Route Cause Analysis. This is to ensure the team, and wider business, meets and exceeds its targets and critical business performance measures.

You will be responsible for the CI team's Health & Safety, ensuring support to operational teams in Production, Distribution and Customer Services. In pursuit of health and safety excellence meeting; regulatory compliance; zero customer impact; operational efficiency and business plan out performance. This role is critical in delivering and improving world class regulatory compliance and water quality operational excellence.

To lead CI initiatives to realise benefits using CI methodology to design, communicate and embed sustainable process improvements, utilising colleague subject matter experts to shape and inform ensuring the outcome maximises gains in both efficiency & effectiveness of processes. You will also create a framework of potable WQ CI across the wider business to generate improvement opportunities and lead delivery of sustainable improvement initiatives ensuring gains to efficiency and effectiveness of processes.

As our potable Water Quality Continuous Improvement Manager you will:

• Lead the team to deliver excellent performance by setting clear expectations linked to business targets, having meaningful performance discussions that recognise and reward the right performance and behaviours and challenges where individual performance and behaviours do not meet expectations.
• Work as part of the team to deliver excellent performance by understanding how their individual performance links into achieving the team's wider objectives.
• Ensure that all activity on the asset base is completed in accordance with all YW Health and Safety policies.
• Ensure hazard mitigation plans are in place and submit capital requests for H&S capital.
• Conduct safety audits.
• Provide expert advisory service in respect of both technical and regulatory aspects of potable water quality, with a sound scientific knowledge of the industry.
• Responsible for leading a coordinated, and planned investigation to potable WQ incidents/events across the whole of the YW business and to ensure that processes and procedures are followed, and actions are implemented.
• Responsible for decision making out of hours, acting as company expert on public health and water quality compliance.
• Participation in Level 3 Bronze, (Senior Scientist) Standby Rota.
• Work closely with the WQ Operational Science Manager to build and maintain a strong working relationship with internal and external stakeholders and regulators.
• Resolve high priority, complex and emergency problems, using external resources where necessary.

What skills & qualifications you will need:

• Detailed knowledge and experience of operational water quality (clean water), including the Regulations.
• Experience of managing and leading a technical function team with a proven track record of driving sustainable performance against challenging business targets.
• Able to demonstrate the ability to work in a team and under your own initiative.
• Experience of supporting and embedding change, able to influence and drive the right culture and behaviours.
• Analysing complex, technical information therefore problem-solving skills are key.
• Future focused, change oriented and be able to generate innovative ideas.
• Experience of Health and Safety management processes and systems.
• Experience of understanding where role fits within a business plan and then developing ways to deliver the outputs.
• Develops and maintains effective internal and external relationships.
• Experience of delivering continual improvement in a process / production environment.
• Knowledge and previous experience of continuous improvement methodology, such as Lean; Six Sigma; Systems Thinking.
• Previous experience of delivering and embedding change.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to communicate with colleagues at all levels across the business, including senior leaders and directors.
• Highly numerate and strong analytical & problem-solving skills.
• Able to present data & articulate business cases in a clear and concise manner.
• Coaching skills that are adaptable to different abilities and learning styles.
• Driving licence is essential for this role.

You will also benefit from having:

• Previous experience in a regulatory environment.
• Degree or similar in an appropriate science.
• Previous experience gained within the water or waste water sectors or within the broader utilities, process or manufacturing industry sectors.
• Knowledge and understanding of route cause analysis principles.
• Resource management.

Although we operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, it's important to us that we support flexible working patterns and job share options (when we can), to help you make the best of both your work and home life. We know that juggling childcare responsibilities or getting that ideal work/life balance isn't always easy!

If you've got experience as a Continuous Improvement Manager and want to help us deliver great service for our customers whilst looking after the environment, then be sure to apply today to find out what a career with Yorkshire Water can offer you.

If successful for the role, you will be required to undergo pre-employment checks that will include a Basic Disclosure Check, carried out through a Third-Party Company, prior to commencing employment. Depending on the role, you may also be required to go through the security vetting process for either a Counter Terrorist Check or Security Check clearance.

All our roles are subject to a medical questionnaire, and further medicals when required. We are committed to removing barriers and ensuring our recruitment process is accessible to everyone. We offer a range of adjustments to make your application experience as comfortable and straightforward as possible. If you have an accessibility need, disability, or condition that requires changes to the recruitment process, please include this information in your application. We will then discuss any reasonable adjustments required.

Kelda Group reserve the right to close this position before the published closing date, should the need occur. We therefore advise that you complete and submit your application as soon as possible. Closing date for this role is Sunday 13th July 2025. Interviews are due to be held late July early August 2025. No agencies please.