Head of Bioresources

Bristol Water plc; Exeter; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

30 days annual leave + bank holidays

Bonus

Private Healthcare

Company car or cash for car allowance

Competitive contributory pension

Share-save scheme

Health benefits & wellbeing support

Group discounts

Cycle to Work scheme

Financial support services

Development and training opportunities

Job summary

South West Water, part of the Pennon Group, is recruiting a Head of Bioresources to shape the long-term bioresources strategy and deliver safe, compliant services. The role requires leadership across asset portfolios, regulatory interface and major investment programmes.

You will lead technical teams, manage projects end-to-end and drive performance improvements while ensuring environmental and regulatory compliance.

Qualifications

• Senior leadership experience in wastewater/bioresources sectors.
• Experience managing bioresources, sludge treatment or related portfolios.
• Strong knowledge of anaerobic digestion technologies and regulatory frameworks.
• Understanding of asset management, investment planning and regulatory business planning.
• Experience developing long-term strategies and investment cases for complex assets.
• Strong commercial awareness with whole-life cost, risk-based decision making.
• Excellent stakeholder management with senior-level influence.

Responsibilities

• Lead development and delivery of long-term bioresources strategy across assets.
• Develop and implement investment plans and improvement programmes.
• Own and evolve the Advanced Anaerobic Digestion strategy for performance and capacity.
• Sponsor major investment programmes through full project lifecycle.
• Provide technical leadership on sludge treatment, biosolids recycling and PFAS risks.
• Shape regulatory submissions and future price reviews.
• Use data to identify best investment opportunities and optimise performance.
• Collaborate with operations, engineering and regulatory teams to drive improvements.
• Build and lead a high-performing bioresources team.

Skills

Leadership experience

Wastewater/bioresources expertise

Anaerobic digestion

Asset management

Investment planning

Regulatory frameworks

Stakeholder management

Education

Degree in Chemical, Process, Environmental Engineering

Chartered Engineer (IChemE/CIWEM)

Job description

Powered by Water, Driven by Purpose

At Pennon Group, we're proud to serve communities while protecting the environment. Together with our subsidiaries, South West Water, Bristol Water, Bournemouth Water, SES Water, Pennon Water Services and Pennon Power, we're leading the way in water and renewables.

We're proud to be recognised as a leader in the UK water sector, working towards a greener future. Our goals? As well as lowering our carbon footprint, we're working with partners to plant 300,000 trees, restore peatlands and supporting farmers and landowners to improve water quality and wildlife.

Whether you're starting out or seeking a new challenge, our scale and ambition create opportunities for you to shape your own career.

Ready to make a splash? Join our team today.

Turn Waste into a Valuable Resource

At South West Water, we're investing in the future of wastewater treatment, sustainability, and environmental protection. As our Head of Bioresources, you'll play a pivotal role in shaping how we manage, optimise and transform one of our most important asset portfolios.

This is a rare opportunity to lead the strategy, planning and performance of our bioresources operation, ensuring we deliver safe, resilient and compliant services while unlocking opportunities for innovation, efficiency and environmental improvement.

If you're passionate about sustainable resource management, emerging environmental challenges and influencing major investment decisions, we'd love to hear from you.

Due to the nature of the role and the need to build strong relationships across the business, regular presence in our Exeter office is required.

What you'll be doing:

As Head of Bioresources, you'll lead the development and delivery of our long-term bioresources strategy, ensuring our assets can meet current and future regulatory, environmental and operational requirements.

You'll:

• Lead strategic planning for bioresources assets across capital maintenance, growth and enhancement programmes.
• Develop and implement long-term asset strategies, investment plans and improvement programmes.
• Own and evolve our Advanced Anaerobic Digestion (AAD) strategy, ensuring performance, compliance and future capacity requirements are achieved.
• Sponsor and oversee major investment programmes through the full project lifecycle.
• Provide technical leadership on key challenges including sludge treatment, biosolids recycling, PFAS and emerging environmental risks.
• Shape business planning submissions and regulatory programmes, including future price reviews.
• Use asset health, risk and whole-life cost data to identify the most effective investment opportunities.
• Work closely with operational, engineering and regulatory teams to drive performance and continuous improvement.
• Build and lead a high-performing team with the expertise needed to meet future challenges.

What we're looking for:

We're looking for a strategic leader with a strong technical foundation and a proven track record in wastewater, bioresources or related infrastructure environments.

You'll bring:

• Significant leadership experience within the wastewater or water sector.
• Experience managing bioresources, sludge treatment or related operational and asset portfolios.
• Strong understanding of anaerobic digestion technologies and associated regulatory frameworks.
• Knowledge of asset management principles, investment planning and regulatory business planning processes.
• Experience developing long-term strategies and investment cases for complex infrastructure assets.
• Strong commercial awareness with an understanding of whole-life cost, risk-based decision making and performance optimisation.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills with the ability to influence at senior levels.

Qualifications

• Degree in Chemical, Process, Environmental Engineering or a related discipline.
• Chartered Engineer status (or working towards chartership) with IChemE, CIWEM or an equivalent professional institution.

Why join us?

This is an opportunity to influence strategic investment across a critical infrastructure portfolio while helping to deliver a more sustainable future for the South West.

• 30 days annual leave + bank holidays
• Bonus
• Private Healthcare
• Company car or cash for car allowance
• Competitive contributory pension
• Share-save scheme
• Health benefits & wellbeing support programmes
• Group discounts
• Cycle to Work scheme
• Financial support services
• Development and training opportunities and much more!

Closing Date: 11th September 2026

Please note that the successful candidate will be subject to a mandatory DBS check as part of the onboarding process.

Be yourself, we like it that way. Together, we will build a culture of belonging, where inclusion is instinctive. Diversity is our strength and a reflection of our communities. We care, we value everyone, we celebrate uniqueness.

Our core values, which are essential to our success, are:

Be Rock Solid - Build trust and be trusted. Be the one we all look to and can depend on.

Be You - We want you to bring your best everyday. Be yourself and make your mark in your individual way.

Be the Future - Embrace change. Drive Progress. Own the challenge.