This vacancy is now closed

 

Who are we?

Thames Water is the UK’s largest water and wastewater company. We make a daily difference to our 15 million customers by supplying 2.6 billion litres of water through 32,000 km’s of pipes, to keep taps flowing and toilets flushing. We are an essential service and have operated throughout the Covid19 pandemic. 

At Thames Water, every one of our actions, big and small, matters every day. Water is essential to daily life, and that means our business is always open. 

What you will be doing

This is a fantastic opportunity to influence how we deliver change effectively across our Operational teams who play an important role in delivering our Purpose “to deliver life’s essential service, so our customers, communities and the environment can thrive”.

This role is critical to our AMP7 Plans and future success of our business, where we look to Transform both our service and delivery. Communication is vital to ensure the impact of change upon our business is understood and appropriate actions are put in place to ensure business change readiness is achieved. 

The Business Change Management team provide the standards, policies, processes, templates, and expert resources to support project delivery within Operations in identifying and executing Business Change Management activities. 

The Business Change Manager will act as a lead supporting the success of Programme and Project Delivery, taking responsibility for delivery of all Business Change Management requirements.

Responsibilities: 

  • Support the establishment of Business Change Management capability – identify, implement and continuously improve the core standards / policies / processes / procedures / templates needed for the function to provide an effective Business Change Management service to Projects/Programmes within Operations
  • Provide immediate Business Change Management support to active priority Projects/Programmes
  • Scope Business Change Management resource requirements based on analysis of active and pipeline projects, ensuring adequate resource levels are implemented and maintained to ensure Projects / Programmes are supported effectively
  • Own, plan, develop and deliver business change activities for Operations Project/Programmes including communications, training needs analysis, organisation design and business readiness
  • Identify business change management risks and issues, proposing mitigating actions to relevant Project / Programme Managers and/ Directors to overcome challenges presented
  • Act as the main point of contact for business change communications for active Projects/Programmes that impact Operational teams, collaborating with stakeholders from all levels and disciplines to define business change requirements and ensure effective development and delivery throughout the Project/Programme phases
  • Create detailed Business Change Management Plans, execute, monitor progress and report against those agreed plans across multiple projects and take corrective pro-active action where required
  • Advise business and internal teams on Business Change Management best practice
  • Manage Business Change Management resources e.g., change analysts, trainers etc. including work allocation and monitoring, staff development, training and following the relevant HR processes

This role involves:

  • Take accountability for all actions and decisions, including technical, financial and quality aspects.
  • Establishing the Business Change Management function objectives, assigning responsibility across the resources within the function, or taking direct responsibility as appropriate
  • Support the definition, implementing, maintenance and continuously improving Business Change Management processes
  • Establishing and maintaining influential relationships with internal and external customers, suppliers and partners at senior management level, and industry leaders in Business Change Management
  • Developing and maintaining broad business understanding and Business Change Management expertise, including knowledge of the activities and practices within Thames Water and those of suppliers, partners, competitors, and clients. Taking the initiative to keep both own and function members skills up to date
  • Performing highly complex Business Change Management work activities covering technical, financial, and quality aspects, absorbing complex information and understanding the implication of new processes and technologies
  • Promoting compliance with relevant legislation and the need for services, products and working practices to provide equal access and equal opportunity to people with diverse abilities

We are looking for you to bring the following skills and experience:

  • Change management related certification
  • Extensive Business Change Management experience
  • Proven track record of stakeholder management relating to the introduction of major business and process changes in a large complex organisation and of distilling project objectives and scope into key insights for business
  • Deep knowledge and experience of defining and implementing business change management standards, strategies, and plans
  • Experience of managing business change management resources
  • Excellent communication skills and customer ethic 
  • Experience of working in a unionised environment 
  • Good commercial acumen 
  • Experience in influencing and coaching stakeholders through change
  • Excellent attention to detail alongside excellent organisational skills 
  • Confident communicator with a creative flair and who can think proactively to bring new ideas 
  • Self-starter – resilient, flexible, and tenacious under pressure  
  • Degree level or equivalent in a Business or Professional (e.g., HR or Engineering) Discipline would be desirable with additional relevant qualifications e.g. Change, Programme or Project management qualifications.

What’s in it for you?

This is a rare opportunity to make a real difference to a business and cultural transformation. You will be a leader in a programme that is fundamental to the success of Thames Water and one of our key business priorities for the next AMP.  

This is an exciting and challenging time for our business as a whole and the water industry. A backdrop of climate change and population growth is putting pressure on our existing water resources and in turn driving the need for a series of significant investments in our assets. The projects we will develop and deliver in the next 5 to 15 years, will leave a legacy for future generations across London, the Southeast, and the UK. 

Our competitive salary package includes a bonus, car allowance, healthcare, an excellent contributory pension, 26 days holiday per year increasing to 30 with the length of service and a wider benefits scheme. 

We’re proud of the positive ways of working we have adopted during the pandemic. We want to create a more flexible and dynamic environment so all our colleagues can thrive. For our office-based roles we are moving to a hybrid approach where we will provide options around working from our offices, our operational sites and home dependent on role/team/individual. This will be discussed during the assessment process.

Thames Water is a unique, rewarding and diverse place to work. If you join our team, you’ll enjoy fast-tracked career opportunities, flexible working arrangements and unparalleled benefits. We’re also proud to be an equal opportunity employer, Stonewall Diversity Champion and Disability Confident Leader and we are a Times Top 50 Employer for Women.

You can find out more in our working for us section of our website.