Initiative Delivery Lead - Wastewater Treatment

-; City of Edinburgh; Remote; GBP 38,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading water utility company is looking for an Initiative Delivery Lead to oversee operational improvement initiatives in wastewater treatment. The successful candidate will have strong project management experience and a deep understanding of wastewater processes. This role offers a salary of up to £45,000 and requires regular travel to various sites while being primarily remote. Join us in delivering water for life and ensuring operational excellence.

Benefits

Company and performance-related bonus

Generous pension up to 11% company contribution

25 days annual leave

Life assurance equal to 4x salary

Salary sacrifice electric car scheme

Health Cash Plan

Full funded eye tests

Two paid volunteering days a year

Discounts with over 800 popular retailers

Qualifications

• In-depth knowledge and experience in wastewater treatment operations.
• Proven ability to lead operational improvement projects.
• Experience with data analysis and operational continuous improvement methodologies.

Responsibilities

• Lead operational improvement initiatives across wastewater treatment sites.
• Engage with frontline teams and boost safety and performance.
• Consolidate and analyse wastewater performance data.

Skills

Strong project management experience

Excellent communication skills

Proficient in Microsoft Office

Resilient and adaptable

Ability to influence decision makers

Education

Project Management or Operational Management qualifications

Lean Six Sigma Green Belt

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft PowerPoint

Microsoft Word

Job description

Overview

Closing Date: 2025-08-29

Initiative Delivery Lead — Employment Type: Permanent • Hours: 37 hours per week • Salary: Up to £45,000 per annum based on experience

Location: Remote role with the requirement to travel to our sites regularly.

Join Southern Water at an exciting time of growth and innovation. Southern Water is embarking on an ambitious five year journey of strategic growth and investment and we want you to be part of it. If you're based in Kent, Sussex, or Hampshire and are willing to travel to various sites, this could be your next career move.

What you’ll do

• Lead operational improvement initiatives across wastewater treatment sites, driving efficiency, cost savings, and impactful results.
• Regularly visit sites to engage with frontline teams and use proven continuous improvement frameworks to boost safety, performance, and operational resilience.
• Consolidate and analyse wastewater performance data to enhance accountability and prioritise continuous improvement efforts.
• Support prioritisation of capital investments, ensuring funds are targeted to maximise safety, efficiency, and system resilience.
• Facilitate collaborative working groups to solve complex problems and influence positive change across multiple levels of the organisation.

What we’re looking for

• Strong project management experience, with a solid understanding of wastewater treatment processes.
• Proven ability to lead operational improvement projects and drive change in fast-paced environments.
• Excellent communication skills; confident in presenting technical details as well as high level summaries tailored to diverse audiences.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word) with strong analytical and data handling capabilities.
• Resilient and adaptable, capable of thriving under pressure and managing shifting priorities.
• Ability to influence decision makers and foster behavioural change.
• Full driving licence is essential.

Key qualifications and skills

• In-depth knowledge and experience in wastewater treatment operations.
• Strong technical aptitude to quickly grasp and apply new technologies.
• Competence in identifying, prioritising, and planning continuous improvement activities.
• Experience with data analysis and operational continuous improvement methodologies.
• Risk and compliance expertise, particularly related to wastewater compliance and change management.
• Understanding of financial governance and benefits reporting in projects.

Desirable

• Project Management or Operational Management qualifications/experience.
• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or Lean Practitioner certification.
• Background in scientific or engineering disciplines.

Package

This role will be full time, Monday to Friday, 37 hours a week.

We are offering a salary of up to £45,000 per annum depending on skills and experience, plus other benefits including:

• Company and performance-related bonus
• Generous pension up to 11% company contribution
• 25 days annual leave
• Life assurance equal to 4x salary
• Salary sacrifice electric car scheme (after 6 months service)
• Health Cash Plan
• Full funded eye tests
• Two paid volunteering days a year
• Occupational health service
• Discounts with over 800 popular retailers
• Digital GP service
• Study support may be available for job-related qualifications
• Competitive maternity leave and flexible return to work options
• Cycle to work scheme
• Private medical insurance (Senior Grades only)

Does this opportunity excite you but you're not 100% sure if you meet all the requirements for the role? Or are you concerned that 'normal' office hours aren't possible given your personal circumstances? Whilst we can't accommodate every flexible working request, we'll try to find a practical solution. So why not engage with us and find out more about this role?

Our customers are at the heart of everything we do, because delivering water for life is our core purpose. To achieve this, we need 24/7 support in place to resolve incidents quickly and efficiently. All our employees understand the importance of out-of-hours incident support — because when problems appear, fixing them is our top priority. Joining the Southern Water family means you'll become part of our incident support team. During your interview, your manager will speak to you about any incident support rotas that apply to your position.

Privacy Statement:

Please note: If you are an existing Southern Water employee, you will need to confirm within your application that your Manager is aware of your application.

All applicants must be eligible to live and work in the UK. You will need to provide evidence of eligibility (e.g. a passport or long birth certificate and proof of NI) and current proof of address (dated within the last 3 months), will be required as part of the recruitment process. If you do not meet these criteria, your application will not be considered.

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