PR29 Senior Business Plan Manager

Senior PR29 Business Plan Manager

Working hours - Full time 37 hours per week (flexible working arrangements including part time will be considered)

Fixed term Contract or Secondment - 2 years

Salary from £95k to £100k per year (depending on experience, and for exceptional candidates there may be further negotiation)

Location hybrid working with office location at Pity Me, Durham

About the role

At Northumbrian Water, our customers are at the heart of everything we do. Every day, we provide essential water and wastewater services to millions of people, and we are committed to delivering reliable, affordable and sustainable services while supporting our communities and protecting the environment. By focusing on the outcomes that matter most to our customers, we are also working towards our ambition to be the National Leader in sustainable water and wastewater services.

We are building a dedicated team to create our PR29 business plan, which will set out what we will deliver for customers and the environment, and the investment needed to achieve it, between 2030 and 2035. We are recruiting a number of key roles to join this team, offering an exciting opportunity to work with colleagues across Northumbrian Water, influence important decisions and help develop an ambitious and compelling plan that delivers lasting value for our customers and communities.

The Senior PR29 Business Plan Manager will be accountable for the strategy, development, integration, assurance and delivery of the company’s major PR29 investment business cases. The role will lead the company’s PR29 investment proposals, determine the approach and standards applied across the portfolio, and ensure proposals are robust, evidence-led, affordable and capable of withstanding regulatory and external scrutiny.

Leading the business case team and directing contributions from senior leaders and specialists across operations, engineering, asset management, finance, customer and regulation, you will be accountable for the delivery of the business case portfolio and manage strategic risks, priorities and trade-offs. You will challenge assumptions, resolve complex cross-functional issues and hold senior sponsors and contributors to account for the quality and timely delivery of their submissions.

You will take end-to-end accountability for the strategy, quality, approval and on-time delivery of the PR29 investment business case portfolio, ensuring it provides a compelling evidence-based justification for investment and demonstrably delivers the best outcomes for customers and the environment at an efficient cost.

You will lead and direct a multi-disciplinary team of senior contributors across the business, and build strategic relationships with and influence internal leaders, delivery partners, advisers, assurance providers and key external stakeholders. You will represent the company in senior external forums, and seek to secure buy-in to the company’s investment case and proposed outcomes.

You will exercise independent judgement and decision-making authority over business case standards, evidence and readiness for submission, providing expert challenge and directing corrective action where proposals do not meet the required strategic, financial or regulatory threshold.

About you

You will have substantial senior experience in an engineering or economic consultancy, utility or comparable regulated infrastructure business, leading complex, high-value investment business cases.

You will have a deep knowledge of regulated utilities or infrastructure, preferably water, with the credibility to engage senior representatives of Ofwat, the Environment Agency and other external stakeholders.

You can demonstrate expert knowledge of business case techniques, including strategic case development, options appraisal, cost-benefit analysis, uncertainty, risk and assurance.

You have exceptional communication and drafting skills, including the ability to write substantial sections and turn complex evidence into compelling recommendations for executive and external audiences.

You have proven people leadership, with the ability to build and develop a high-performing team and direct senior contributors outside your reporting line. You also have advanced analytical, strategic and commercial judgement, with the ability to challenge evidence, align proposals with long-term objectives and recommend decisions where information is incomplete or contested.

You demonstrate the confidence and influence to secure alignment across competing priorities, challenge senior leaders constructively and resolve complex strategic trade-offs. You can present clear, decision-ready recommendations to the executive, Board committees and regulators while maintaining a consistent strategic position.

We will be hosting an Open Evening session to learn more about PR29 roles at our Northumbria House office in Pity Me, Durham on Tuesday 10th November 2026. Please register your interest at: recruitment@nwl.co.uk

Please note this role will require a DBS to be completed prior to employment.

This role has also been defined as a safety or security critical role and as a condition of a formal offer of employment you’ll be required to undergo a drug and alcohol test.

Prospective employees and agency workers in defined safety and security critical roles will be required to undertake a drug and alcohol test after the job offer has been made. This will be prior to or within four weeks of their start date.

Prospective employees and agency workers who fail a pre-employment urine drug screen will have their sample analysed by the Company appointed laboratory as a matter of course. Failing a pre-employment drugs or alcohol test may lead to the job offer being revoked.