Innovation Lead

South East Water; Snodland; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stakeholder pension scheme

5 weeks holiday + bank holidays

Flexible annual leave

Volunteer days

Cycle to work

Health cash plan

Life assurance

Wellbeing related benefits

Job summary

South East Water is seeking an Innovation Lead in its Transformation, Technology & Insight team to drive and deliver measurable value from new ideas. You’ll partner with customers, suppliers and experts to deploy innovative methods, ensuring regulatory alignment and customer impact.

You’ll lead cross‑functional teams and secure funding for strategic projects, building a resilient future for water services. Join a culture that champions innovation, collaboration and practical change across the

Qualifications

• Degree in Business, Engineering, Innovation, Environmental Science, or related field.
• Ability to influence internal stakeholders and collaborate with partners.
• Strong analytical and problem solving to convert data into insights.
• Experience coordinating innovation activities in regulated environments.
• Experience designing and launching products or services is advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate end-to-end innovation project portfolio to deliver measurable benefits and value.
• Develop, monitor and refresh the Innovation Strategy to align with requirements.
• Build business cases, program designs and budgets for innovations.
• Identify and bid for external funding streams to maximise resources.
• Engage with customers and stakeholders to ensure solutions meet needs.
• Collaborate with supply chain and external bodies to share best practices.
• Facilitate trials, sign-off and rollout of new technologies.
• Track, analyse and report on innovation activities and ROI.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Analytical skills

Project leadership

Communication skills

Adaptability

Change advocacy

Regulated environment

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent

Job description

Summary: Are you someone who sees better ways to work and knows how to make them happen? Do you have the drive to turn big ideas into practical, everyday improvements? At South East Water, we’re changing how we work to build a more resilient future for our customers and environment. As our new Innovation Lead in the Transformation, Technology & Insight team, you’ll be the engine behind that change. You’ll take charge of our innovation projects, tap into key funding opportunities, and make sure every project delivers real, measurable value. From building strong partnerships with outside experts to bringing our internal teams along for the ride, you’ll foster a culture where great ideas actually happen. You will be vital for delivering long‑term resilience, meeting challenging ODIs, and achieving strategic goals cost‑effectively. You'll champion a culture of innovation, work collaboratively with external partners and the supply chain, and ensures that all innovation efforts consider regulatory alignment and customer impact.

Main responsibilities

• Coordinate and manage the end-to-end innovation project portfolio to align initiatives with company goals and deliver measurable investment benefits and value.
• Develop, monitor, and refresh the South East Water Innovation Strategy to ensure alignment with regulatory requirements and customer preferences.
• Build business cases, program designs, and budgets for proposed innovations to secure internal sign‑off and ensure cost‑effective delivery.
• Identify and bid for external innovation funding streams (such as the Ofwat Innovation Fund) to maximize financial resources for strategic projects.
• Engage directly with customers and key stakeholders to gather feedback on planned initiatives and ensure solutions meet customer needs.
• Collaborate with supply chain partners, external bodies, and water industry networks to share best practices and introduce cutting‑edge products or techniques.
• Facilitate the trial, sign‑off, and business‑wide rollout of new technologies to embed innovative practices into daily operations.
• Track, analyse, and report on innovation activities and efficiency outcomes to demonstrate clear ROI and regulatory compliance.
• Horizon‑scan wider industry trends and respond to external policy changes to ensure the organization stays ahead of regulatory shifts and emerging opportunities.

You'll need

• Educated to degree level (or equivalent through relevant work experience) in Business, Engineering, Innovation, Environmental Science, or a related discipline.
• Stakeholder Management & Influence: Ability to build strong relationships, influence internal stakeholders across all levels, and collaborate externally with partners, suppliers, and consultants.
• Analytical & Problem‑Solving: Skilled in distilling data into actionable insights, identifying innovation opportunities, and resolving complex problems.
• Project & Matrix Leadership: Proven capability to facilitate project planning, manage interdisciplinary teams or external resources, and prioritize tasks under tight deadlines.
• Communication & Facilitation: Strong presentation and communication skills with the confidence to present ideas clearly to senior leaders.
• Adaptability & Change Advocacy: Responsive and flexible in dynamic environments, with a passion for challenging traditional thinking and embedding new ways of working.
• Demonstrated experience of coordinating and facilitating innovation activities and portfolios within a regulated environment.
• Experience in working with and managing inter‑disciplinary teams and processes is essential.
• A track record of designing and launching successful products and/or services would be an advantage.
• Employees are required to be flexible and to be prepared to perform duties and other tasks within their capabilities.
• The nature of our business is such that the contents of any job profile are subject to change from time to time.

Grow a career with a meaningful purpose. We know the communities we serve are diverse. We recognise creativity comes from diversity not similarity. That’s why we are enthusiastic about creating inclusion across age, race, gender, ethnicity, religion and identity. You will experience our dedication to equal opportunities and fair treatment for all: through your recruitment, employment and career progression with South East Water.

Benefits package

• Excellent Stakeholder pension scheme, up to 10% employer contribution.
• 5 weeks holiday plus bank holidays per annum, increasing to 6 weeks with length of service.
• Flexible annual leave policy to buy or sell holiday leave.
• Paid volunteering days.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Health cash plan.
• Life assurance.
• Wellbeing related benefits.

Compensation package

£55,000 to £65,000 p.a. dependent onexperience

Be you, belong and valued. Grow a career with a meaningful purpose. We supply top-quality drinking water to 2.3 million customers in the southeast of England. Through a network of 9,000 miles of pipe, we deliver 544 million litres of water every day. It's the skill and expertise of our employees that ensures our water meets the highest standards. We make sure we can meet the needs of our customers both now and in the future. Grow a career with a meaningful purpose.

• Come to work to be safe, valued, and trusted.
• We'll encourage you to create and pursue new opportunities for personal growth.
• A place to be the real you, build deeper connections and enjoy a sense of belonging.
• Be invested in helping us to create a sustainable water supply for now, and in the future.