Senior Project Manager

Closing Date

2026-11-07

Job Title: Senior Project Manager

Location: Flexible - (Hybrid)

Contract Type: Permanent

Hours: 37

Salary: Circa £70,000 based on skills and experience

About the role:

Senior lead for the directorate’s work to drive the adoption and delivery of sustainable drainage solutions through Site Area Based Charging initiatives.

Responsible for building awareness, understanding and support for innovative approaches that reduce surface water entering the wastewater network, helping to improve environmental outcomes, network resilience and regulatory performance.

What you will be responsible for:

A key responsibility of the role will be the management and governance of a dedicated Sustainable Drainage Fund, providing financial support to businesses seeking to implement SuDS measures that reduce surface water entering the sewerage network.

This will include developing funding criteria, assessing applications, overseeing fund allocation, monitoring delivery and benefits realisation, and ensuring funding is targeted towards projects that deliver the greatest environmental and operational value.

In addition, the role will provide strategic leadership and expert input into the development of Site Area Based Charging policy, stakeholder engagement and communications activity.

Acting as a subject matter expert, the role holder will work closely with Economic Regulation, Customer, Environment, Operations and Corporate Affairs teams to ensure consistent messaging, effective stakeholder engagement and alignment with company objectives, regulatory commitments and environmental improvement plans.

• Develop and maintain sustainable drainage partnership guidance, standards and supporting materials, establish and manage a network of delivery partners and solution providers, and provide expert advice and technical leadership to internal teams and external stakeholders to support the successful development and delivery of Site Area Based Charging and surface water management initiatives.

• Build and maintain strong relationships with businesses, developers, local authorities, regulators, NGOs and other stakeholders to identify and deliver SuDS opportunities.

• Manage and govern a dedicated Sustainable Drainage Fund, including developing funding criteria, assessing applications, allocating funding and monitoring project delivery and outcomes.

• Identify and secure partnership and co-funding opportunities that accelerate the implementation of Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) and nature-based solutions.

• Act as the company’s subject matter expert for area-based charging, providing strategic advice and influencing policy, industry best practice and stakeholder engagement.

• Lead communications and engagement activities related to sustainable drainage initiatives, working across Regulatory, Strategy, Customer, Environment and Corporate Affairs teams to ensure consistent messaging and alignment with business objectives.

• Provide senior leadership support to the wider programme where required and contributing to the wider strategic direction.

What you’ll bring to the role:

Skills & Competencies:

• Drive to deliver sustainable solutions that provide value for customers and the environment
• Exceptional communicator to wide range of stakeholders (from customers to MPs)
• Programme management/very strong project management
• Experienced in public speaking and development of engagement resources
• Strong planning and delivery skills to ensure outcomes and outputs are met and exceeded
• Relationship management and influencing strategy
• Stakeholder management
• Inspiring leader to support and drive a high achieving team
• Ability to distil technical information into appropriate messaging for the audience
• Can do attitude and can overcome challenges and obstacles

Knowledge:

• Project Management qualification(s)
• Degree or equivalent qualification
• Strategic and commercial awareness
• Extensive experience in relationship and stakeholder management
• Excellent communication skills both written and verbal
• Demonstratable experience in delivering programmes, campaigns and/or schemes that influence behaviour/produce action
• Knowledge of industry and political landscape
• Sustainable Drainage Solutions Expertise

Desirable

• Site Area Based Charging knowledge

Southern Water is at the forefront of transforming Britain’s water industry, investing significantly to enhance resilience, sustainability, and service excellence. With £7.8bn planned investment for 2025-30, this is an unparalleled opportunity to join a business committed to delivering a generational shift in the way water services are managed.

You will be joining at a time of significant change, working alongside a highly skilled leadership team with a clear vision for the future. We offer an environment where senior professionals can make a meaningful impact, influence major strategic decisions, and drive long-term value creation

"At Southern Water, we believe diverse perspectives drive innovation. If you’re passionate about making a positive impact and think you can bring value to our team, we’d love to hear from you—even if you don’t tick every box. Your unique skills and experiences could be exactly what we need."

If this role isn’t quite what you’re looking for but are keen to be contacted about opportunities at Southern Water, you can register your details here: Introduce Yourself (myworkdaysite.com- Introduce Yourself)

Our Commitment to Diversity

We welcome applicants from all backgrounds, identities, and experiences. We do not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, or any other protected characteristic.

If you need reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know.

Additional information:

In line with Southern Water’s security requirements, successful candidates will be required to provide evidence of their identity, eligibility to work in the UK, criminal record check (DBS) and verification of their employment and/or education history for the past three years.

Appointment to this role is subject to the successful completion of all pre‑employment checks, including security vetting.

Please note that if a candidate does not meet the required security standards or fails to pass the vetting process, Southern Water reserves the right to withdraw the offer of employment.

Some positions may also require higher levels of security vetting, which may involve providing additional documentation.

Welcome

Our purpose is big. Our impact is huge. And we know that every single one of us has the power, through our actions, to positively change society and the environment for good. It’s why careers with us have real meaning. Because, if you’re driven and ambitious, we can offer you huge opportunities for personal growth, professional development and constant innovation. Forever evolving. Forever focused on doing the right thing, we empower and encourage everyone to play to their strengths and to help us shape a fair and positive future for all. We believe in Water for Life. If you do too, Dive Right In.

We succeed together

Our customers are at the heart of everything we do, because delivering water for life is our core purpose. To achieve this, we need 24/7 support in place to resolve incidents quickly and efficiently. All our employees understand the importance of out-of-hours incident support – because when problems appear, fixing them is our top priority. That’s why our people join together and support when and however needed to make sure our customers get the service they deserve. Joining the Southern Water family means you’ll become part of our incident support team. During your interview, your manager will speak to you about any incident support rotas that apply to your position.

Need flexibility in your work?

Does this opportunity excite you but you’re not 100% sure if you meet all the requirements for the role? Or are you concerned that ‘normal’ office hours aren’t possible given your personal circumstances? Whilst we can’t accommodate every flexible working request, we’ll try to find a practical solution. So why not engage with us and find out more about this role?