Change Delivery Lead

Southern Water; Durrington; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 61,000; Full time

Job summary

Southern Water is seeking a practical Change Delivery Lead to join our Smart Install Programme. You will work with business stakeholders, project colleagues and analysts to translate requirements into clear delivery actions.

The role sits at the heart of delivery, focusing on internal changes, process and billing improvements, with support from a Project Manager and Business Analyst. Hybrid work from Worthing and home, 37 hours per week.

Qualifications

• Experience delivering change within a complex organisation.
• Strong stakeholder management across operational, technical and functional teams.
• Ability to gather and translate business requirements into practical recommendations and actions.
• Good planning, organisation and problem-solving skills with governance awareness.

Responsibilities

• Build strong relationships with business stakeholders and delivery partners.
• Translate business, process, technology and capability requirements into practical delivery activity.
• Lead internal change and improvement projects including process, system and billing changes.
• Shape plans, milestones, risks, dependencies and governance requirements with PM/BA.
• Assess readiness and identify barriers to implementation.
• Coordinate activity across functions and escalate issues as needed.
• Develop stakeholder engagement and adoption approaches for initiatives.
• Ensure new processes and tools are embedded and handed over to operations.
• Track delivery and benefits to drive improvements.
• Support stage gates, governance forums and lessons learned.

Skills

Relationship management

Stakeholder engagement

Requirements gathering

Change delivery

Project governance

Communication

Leadership

Education

Change management qualification

Tools

MS Office

Digital tools

Job description

Closing Date

2026-11-08

Job Title: Change Delivery Lead

Location: Hybrid working from our Head Office in Worthing (c2 days pw) and working from home

Contract Type: Permanent

Hours: 37 hours per week, Monday - Friday

Salary: Up to c£55,000 commensurate with skills and experience

Are you a confident relationship-builder who can turn complex business needs into practical delivery and keep change moving?

There has never been a better time to join Southern Water as we invest in the future of our water and wastewater infrastructure, tackle climate change, minimise our environmental impact and reduce our carbon footprint.

Job overview

We are looking for a practical and delivery-focused Change Delivery Lead to join our Smart Install Programme. Sitting at the centre of delivery, you will be working with business stakeholders, subject matter experts and project colleagues to understand requirements, translate them into clear actions and help drive internal projects through to completion.

The programme is already live and moving at pace. Your initial focus will be on internal delivery activity, including process and billing improvements, working closely with the Smart Operational Centre and colleagues across the business. You will have support from a Project Manager and Business Analyst, but will still need the judgement and flexibility to operate across change, project delivery and business analysis when required.

What you’ll be doing

• Building strong relationships with business stakeholders, subject matter experts, operational teams and delivery partners.
• Gathering, understanding and translating business, process, technology and capability requirements into practical delivery activity.
• Leading internal change and improvement projects, including process, system and billing-related changes.
• Working with the Project Manager and Business Analyst to shape plans, milestones, risks, dependencies and governance requirements.
• Assessing business impacts and readiness, identifying barriers to implementation and helping teams prepare for change.
• Coordinating activity across functions, resolving delivery challenges and escalating risks or issues where needed.
• Developing appropriate stakeholder engagement, communication, learning and adoption approaches for each initiative.
• Ensuring new processes, systems, tools and ways of working are embedded effectively and handed over into operational teams.
• Tracking delivery, adoption and benefits, using insight and feedback to recommend improvements.
• Contributing to stage gates, governance forums, status reporting and lessons learned activity.
• Championing practical, people-centred change and identifying opportunities to improve or automate ways of working, including through digital and AI-enabled tools.

What you’ll bring to the role

• You will be comfortable working in a fast-moving programme where priorities can shift and progress depends on bringing different parts of the business together.
• Strong relationship management is essential, alongside the ability to listen, interpret what is needed and turn it into a clear and workable plan.
• Experience delivering change, project or business improvement activity within a complex organisation.
• Strong stakeholder management and relationship-building skills, with the confidence to work across operational, technical and functional teams.
• The ability to gather and interpret business requirements, ask the right questions and translate detail into practical recommendations and actions.
• Good planning, organisation and problem-solving skills, with an understanding of project governance, risks, dependencies and stage gates.
• Experience supporting change impacts, readiness, communication, learning or adoption activity.
• Excellent communication, facilitation and influencing skills.
• A collaborative and flexible approach, with the ability to work independently while making effective use of specialist support around you.
• Water industry or strong Southern Water business knowledge. This is particularly important because the programme is already in flight and the successful candidate will need to get up to speed quickly.
• A formal qualification in change management, project delivery, business analysis or continuous improvement would be useful, but is not essential.
• We are equally interested in people with strong business knowledge, the right mindset and the potential to develop their project delivery capability.

About Southern Water

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.

Our mission is to protect and enhance life through water and we need passionate people to help us achieve it. If you’re inspired by our purpose and believe you can contribute, you don’t need to meet every criterion; what matters most is your drive to make a difference.

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.