Commissioning / Outage Manager

Gearing Recruitment Solutions Ltd; Oxford; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A specialized recruitment agency in the United Kingdom is seeking an Outage & Commissioning Manager to oversee planned outages for water and wastewater assets. The role requires strong experience managing outages and coordinating various technical activities under pressure. Candidates should possess excellent planning skills and an engineering background. This position is crucial for ensuring safety and efficiency during service interruptions.

Qualifications

• Experience working on live operational assets and constrained outage windows.
• Strong understanding of permit systems, isolations and operational safety.

Responsibilities

• Plan and coordinate planned outages across water and wastewater assets.
• Manage outage execution on site, controlling interfaces and priorities.
• Ensure commissioning and testing activities align with outage windows.

Skills

Strong experience managing planned outages in the water or wastewater industry

Proven ability to coordinate mechanical, electrical, ICA and commissioning activities

Excellent planning, coordination and stakeholder management skills

Ability to lead under pressure during outage execution

Education

Engineering background (Mechanical, Electrical, Process or ICA)

Project management experience or qualification

Job description

Role Purpose

The Outage & Commissioning Manager / Project Manager is responsible for the planning, coordination, and safe delivery of planned outages across water and wastewater assets. The role focuses on integrating mechanical, electrical, ICA, and commissioning activities within defined outage windows, ensuring work is executed efficiently and assets are returned to service safely and on time.

Key Responsibilities

• Plan, coordinate, and deliver planned outages across water and wastewater assets.
• Develop detailed outage programmes integrating mechanical, electrical, ICA, and commissioning activities.
• Act as the single point of coordination between mechanical, electrical, commissioning, and operations teams during outage planning and delivery.
• Lead outage readiness activities, including isolations, permits, access, and sequencing of works.
• Manage outage execution on site, controlling interfaces, priorities and real-time decision making.
• Ensure commissioning and testing activities are fully aligned with outage windows and return-to-service requirements.
• Coordinate energisation, functional testing and asset reinstatement during outages.
• Identify and manage outage risks, constraints and contingency plans.
• Monitor progress against outage milestones and implement recovery actions where required.
• Ensure safe systems of work are in place and complied with throughout outage activities.
• Liaise with operations and control room teams to ensure safe shutdown and return to service.
• Manage contractors and suppliers working within outage constraints.
• Provide clear communication and reporting before, during and after outages.
• Capture lessons learned and drive continuous improvement in outage planning and delivery.

Knowledge, Skills & Experience

Essential

• Strong experience managing planned outages in the water or wastewater industry.
• Proven ability to coordinate mechanical, electrical, ICA and commissioning activities.
• Experience working on live operational assets and constrained outage windows.
• Strong understanding of permit systems, isolations and operational safety.
• Excellent planning, coordination and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to lead under pressure during outage execution.

Desirable

• Engineering background (Mechanical, Electrical, Process or ICA).
• Commissioning or operational experience within the water industry.
• Project management experience or qualification.
• Experience working with multiple contractors and delivery partners.

If interested, please apply online and a member of the team will be in touch.

GRS (Gearing Recruitment Solutions) operates across sectors including water treatment, wastewater, AMP projects, and energy distribution. Relevant industries: clean water, sludge treatment, pumping stations, chemical dosing, sewage, food processing, breweries, pharmaceutical, process engineering, power networks, HV/LV installations, renewables, solar, wind farms, energy storage systems, oil and gas and petrochemicals.