We have an excellent opportunity to join Thames Water to join our Water or Waste operations as a Principal Sponsor. The Principal Sponsor will report to the Sponsor (Director), taking the top-down outcomes and, through the Intent documents, lead the team to build and deliver multi-AMP plans and programmes to a level of granularity that builds confidence across the business, to ensure projects deliver their strategic outcomes, and lead the stakeholder engagement.

What you’ll be doing as a Principal Sponsor

This role will ensure that through the end-to-end lifecycle process, there is a line of sight from planning investment to outcomes set out in the business plan. The role will also ensure the associated risks within the sub-programmes across the business are being addressed, providing the opportunity to be more joined up in our planning and delivery.

You will be:

  • Responsible for the end-to-end delivery of the relevant sub-programmes Intent to time, cost & quality.
  • Responsible for the investment within the multi-AMP plans and programmes to release the expected benefits.
  • Supporting the implementation of the new Sponsorship function across sub-programmes embedding best practices into the approach.
  • Owning the business case of several sub-programmes and ensuring they remain aligned to strategic objectives, final determination, and Thames Water’s Vision 2050.
  • Supporting the development of future price reviews and other regulatory submissions, along with any interim applications, submissions and determinations as required.
  • Engaging with key internal and external stakeholders to build support and alignment for the sub-programme.
  • Demonstrating behaviours and values to resolve conflict and deal with competing priorities in a challenging environment.
  • Responsible for tracking the progress and performance of the programmes against their intent and recommending intervention decision(s) as appropriate to ensure they remain balanced and deliver their objectives.

Base Location: Hybrid – Clearwater Court, Vastern Rd, Reading RG1 8DB.

Working hours: 36 hours.

What you should bring to the role

  • Previous experience at a senior level within sponsorship, operations, asset management or investment planning areas, ideally within the utility sector.
  • Be an established leader, able to create and deliver a clear direction for others to follow and drive the change required to deliver the business outcomes.
  • Ability to influence stakeholders, often with competing objectives, whilst maintaining strong collaborative relationships and open communication.
  • Passionate about putting customers, communities, and stakeholders first every day.
  • Knowledge of the stages of the project lifecycle and excellent project management skills with the ability to multi-task and work flexibly to manage conflicting priorities.
  • Ability to operate in a complex environment, navigating and dealing with uncertainty.
  • Be degree-level educated or equivalent appropriate professional body qualification.
  • Have best practice Asset Management e.g., IAM qualifications / prior experience.
  • A good commercial/financial track record developed within a regulated environment is desirable.
  • A good understanding of EBITDA, capex, opex, and price control processes is desirable.
  • Have a full UK driving licence.

Please provide a covering letter with your application, detailing your relevant experience and interest in the role.

What’s in it for you?

  • Competitive salary £76,000 - £96,000, plus bonus, car allowance, healthcare, and other benefits
  • Annual Leave - 26 days holiday per year increasing to 30 with the length of service (Plus bank holidays)
  • Car Allowance.
  • Annual Bonus.
  • Private Medical Health Care.
  • Contributory pension – Defined Contribution - Maximum of 12% -2x employee contribution.
  • Personal Medical Assessments – Open to all once a year.
  • Wider benefits scheme including our benefits hub, which is packed full of offers and information to save you money and support your wellbeing.

Who are we? 

At Thames Water, our purpose is crystal clear - to deliver life’s essential service so our customers, communities and planet can thrive. 
 
Water is life’s great leveller. Every living thing needs it, every single day. From people to plants, birds to bees, farms to factories, we all need it to thrive, and we’re committed to taking care of it for us all. 
 
But keeping water flowing is becoming harder. From scorching summers to wetter winters, extreme weather affects everything from our pipes to our local rivers. We need to keep millions more kettles boiling, public services operating, washing machines spinning, showers running and more, so every drop is more precious than ever. Are you ready to play your part? 

Working at Thames Water 

At Thames Water, we recognise that people are at the heart of our business. To help us succeed in providing life's essential service, we need a range of skills and capabilities, representative of society throughout our business. 

We seek to attract and retain a cultural mix of people who can offer different but complementary attitudes, values, talents, and knowledge. We understand the importance of appreciating and harnessing the unique skills, experiences, backgrounds, and differences that each individual brings. 

Our over-arching diversity and inclusion aim is to ensure Thames Water is a diverse and inclusive great place to work. We encourage applications from everyone and offer extra support for those who need it throughout the recruitment process. 

Find out more about working at Thames Water. 

When a crisis happens, we all rally around to support our customers. As part of Team Thames, you’ll have the opportunity to sign up to support our customers on the frontline as an ambassador. Full training will be given for what is undoubtedly an incredibly rewarding experience. It’s also a great opportunity to learn more about our business, meet colleagues and earn some extra money along the way. 

Disclaimer: due to the high volume of applications we receive, we may close the advert earlier than the advertised date, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.