Communications Product Owner

Thames Water Utilities Limited; Reading; Hybrid; GBP 52,000 - 57,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

26 days holiday

Generous pension

Benefits package

Job summary

Thames Water Utilities Limited is seeking a Communications Product Owner to lead the evolution of customer communications, delivering simpler, smarter experiences across journeys.

You will own the roadmap, shape vital customer journeys and collaborate with Agile teams to ensure clear, timely communications that build trust and engagement.

Qualifications

• Essential experience in Product Owner, Customer Experience, or Contact Channel management within a large, complex organisation.
• Strong understanding of customer journeys across digital and assisted service environments.
• Experience in Agile delivery teams, backlog management and prioritisation of development.
• Service design expertise, journey mapping, customer research, translating insights into improvements.

Responsibilities

• Define and deliver the vision and roadmap for customer communication and contact channel products.
• Own and continuously improve key customer journeys across digital and assisted service channels.
• Use customer insight, service design and performance data to identify opportunities and drive improvements.
• Translate needs into prioritised product backlogs and actionable requirements.
• Lead the introduction of new communication technologies and ensure adoption.
• Monitor performance via dashboards, KPIs and customer feedback to drive improvement.
• Collaborate with Product, Design, Operations, Communications and Technology teams.
• Manage supplier relationships and ensure roadmaps align with business objectives.

Skills

Product Owner

Customer Experience

Agile delivery

Service design

Journey mapping

Data analysis

Stakeholder management

Leadership

Commercial awareness

Job description

Job title Communications Product Owner Ref 45695 Division Retail Location Hybrid - Clearwater Court - RG1 8DB Contract type Fixed term/Secondment Full/Part-time Full-time Hours 36 hours per week Salary A competitive starting salary of £52,000 and up to £57,000 per annum, depending on skills and experience. Job grade B Closing date 03/09/2026

Fixed-Term Opportunity (13-18 months)

Are you passionate about creating seamless customer experiences and using technology to drive meaningful change?

At Thames Water, we're transforming the way we communicate with millions of customers, and we are looking for an experienced Communication Product Owner to lead the evolution of our customer communication, helping us deliver simpler, smarter and more personalised experiences across every all our journeys.

This is a unique opportunity to combine customer experience, digital innovation and product leadership in a role that sits at the heart of our customer transformation journey.

What you'll be doing as a Communication Product Owner

you'll own and develop the roadmap for customer communications products and services, ensuring they deliver real value for both our customers and the business.

Working within our Customer Contact Experience function, you'll be responsible for shaping vital customer communications that support millions of interactions every year. Collaborating with cross-functional Agile teams, digital specialists and business stakeholders, you'll ensure customers receive clear, timely and effective communications that build trust, drive engagement and improve their overall experience with Thames Water.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Defining and delivering the vision and roadmap for customer communication and contact channel products.
• Owning and continuously improving key customer journeys across digital and assisted service channels.
• Using customer insight, service design and performance data to identify opportunities and drive improvements.
• Translating customer, business and operational needs into prioritised product backlogs and actionable requirements.
• Leading the introduction of new communication technologies and ensuring successful adoption across the business.
• Monitoring performance through dashboards, KPIs and customer feedback to drive continuous improvement.
• Collaborating with Product, Design, Operations, Communications and Technology teams to deliver outstanding experiences.
• Managing supplier relationships and ensuring technology roadmaps align with business objectives.
• Championing customer-first thinking and influencing stakeholders at all levels of the organisation.
• Leading and developing subject matter experts, fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability and innovation.

What you should bring to the role:

We're looking for someone who combines strategic thinking with a hands-on delivery mindset and has a genuine passion for improving customer experiences.

• Essential experience and skills:
• Product Owner, Customer Experience, Service Design or Contact Channel Management experience within a large, complex organisation.
• Strong understanding of customer journeys across digital and assisted service environments.
• Experience working in Agile delivery teams, managing backlogs and prioritising product development.
• Service design expertise, including journey mapping, customer research and translating insights into improvements.
• Experience supporting digital transformation and introducing new customer technologies.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to use data and customer insight to inform decisions.
• Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills, including engagement with senior leaders.
• Experience leading teams, developing colleagues and driving high performance.
• Strong commercial awareness and the ability to balance customer, operational and regulatory requirements.

What you'll love about this role

This isn't just another Product Owner position.

You'll have the opportunity to:

• Shape the future of customer communications for one of the UK's largest utility companies.
• Lead transformational change that impacts millions of customer interactions every year.
• Collaborate with senior leaders and specialists from across the business.
• Drive meaningful improvements that make life easier for customers and frontline teams alike.
• Play a key role in Thames Water's wider digital and customer transformation strategy.

Base location: Hybrid - Clearwater Court - RG1 8DB. Occasional travel to other sites may be required to support business needs.

Hours: 36 hours per week, Monday to Friday.

What’s in it for you?

• A competitive starting salary of £52,000 and up to £57,000 per annum, depending on skills and experience.
• 26 days holiday per year, increasing to 30 days with length of service. (plus bank holidays)
• Performance-related pay plan directly linked to company performance measures and targets.
• Generous Pension Scheme through AON.
• Access to lots of benefits to help you take care of you and your family’s health and wellbeing, and your finances - from annual health MOTs and access to physiotherapy and counselling, to Cycle to Work schemes, shopping vouchers and life assurance.

Find out more about our benefits and perks (Please note different T&Cs apply if on secondment)

Who are we?

We’re the UK’s largest water and wastewater company, with more than 16 million customers relying on us every day to supply water for their taps and toilets. We want to build a better future for all, helping our customers, communities, people, and the planet to thrive. It’s a big job and we’ve got a long way to go, so we need help from passionate and skilled people, committed to making a difference and getting us to where we want to be in the years and decades to come.

Thames Water is a unique, rewarding, and diverse place to work, where every day you can make a difference, yet no day is the same. As part of our family, you’ll enjoy meaningful career opportunities, flexible working arrangements and excellent benefits.

If you’re looking for a sustainable and successful career where you can make a daily difference to millions of people’s lives while helping to protect the world of water for future generations, we’ll be here to support you every step of the way. Together, we can build a better future for our customers, our region, and our planet.

Real purpose, real support, real opportunities. Come and join the Thames Water family. Why choose us? Learn more.

We’re committed to being a great, diverse, and inclusive place to work. We welcome applications from everyone and want to ensure you feel supported throughout the recruitment process . If you need any adjustments, whether that’s extra time, accessible formats, or anything else just let us know, we’re here to help and support .

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 and meet colleagues.