Innovation Project Managers

Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water; Cardiff; Hybrid; GBP 45,000 - 61,000; Full time

Job summary

Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water is seeking an Innovation Project Manager (2x positions) in Cardiff. The role leads complex cross-functional innovation and business improvement activities, ensuring controlled delivery from business case to handover, with clear ownership and measurable benefits.

Working in a hybrid environment (3 days in Cardiff), you will collaborate with sponsors, operations and partners to deliver pilots, deployments and embedment activities that generate value for money and ROI.

Qualifications

• Project management qualification or equivalent experience managing projects in a governed delivery environment.
• Significant experience

Responsibilities

• Lead the delivery of assigned workstreams within complex innovation and business improvement projects within scope, time, cost and quality.
• Maintain project plans, budgets, forecasts and ROI tracking, ensuring governance and alignment with strategy.
• Coordinate cross-functional teams, suppliers and partners to maintain momentum and clear ownership.
• Apply appropriate delivery methodologies, including waterfall, agile and hybrid approaches.
• Manage supplier performance and contract issues, ensuring value for money and timely delivery.
• Prepare governance papers and reports to senior stakeholders with evidence and recommended actions.

Skills

Project management

Education

Project management qualification

Job description

Job Requisition Number
9003

Work Type
Permanent (37 Hours Per Week)

Job Function
Project Management

Salary Range
£52,793.00 Per Annum

Base

Closing Date

South East Hub (Cardiff / Hybrid 3 Days / Week)

23:59 on 25/10/2026

What you’ll be responsible for

Job Title: Innovation Project Managers (2x Positions Available)

Please note: References to "Scale & Embed" have been removed from this role title as they are no longer applicable following recent organisational changes.

This role is the Innovation Project Manager responsible for managing approved, complex and cross-functional innovation and business improvement activity through controlled delivery or adoption, with significant operational, environmental, customer, financial, regulatory or service impact.

Depending on the assignment, projects may focus on pilot and validation activity, or implementation, adoption and embedment activity. Once assigned, the role owns controlled delivery for that stage of the project lifecycle from an approved business case, mandate or delivery brief through to the agreed handover, closure or decision point. The role works with Innovation Managers, business sponsors, operational teams, enabling functions, suppliers and partners. It brings people from different teams together around one shared objective and ensures delivery is well governed, progress is visible, evidence is robust and impacts are controlled. It also ensures value for money and return on investment are actively managed, with outcomes handed over with clear ownership, benefit measures and next steps.

What You'll Do

• Lead the delivery of assigned workstreams within complex innovation and business improvement projects, ensuring agreed outcomes are delivered within approved scope, time, cost, quality, risk and governance parameters.
• Manage delivery plans, requirements, budgets, forecasts, benefits, ROI tracking, governance controls and delivery documentation, ensuring alignment with business strategy, regulatory commitments and investment objectives.
• Maintain project controls including RAID logs, milestones, change control, reporting and approvals, ensuring compliance with DCWW and PfMO/ePMO governance processes.
• Lead and influence cross-functional teams, suppliers and partners, coordinating resources, maintaining delivery momentum and ensuring responsibilities are clearly understood and delivered.
• Apply appropriate project delivery methodologies, including waterfall, agile and hybrid approaches, to ensure effective and consistent project delivery.
• Control project budgets, forecasts and spend, reporting variances and ensuring value for money, benefit realisation and return on investment.
• Manage supplier and partner performance, resolving delivery, commercial and contractual issues while ensuring agreed costs, quality and timescales are achieved.
• Coordinate assurance activities, reviews, testing, acceptance, user validation and service readiness activities to support successful implementation, transition and handover.
• Support the delivery of pilots, proofs of concept, trials, business adoption and change activities, ensuring objectives, risks, benefits, success measures and stakeholder requirements are effectively managed.
• Prepare and present reports, recommendations, lessons learned and governance papers to senior stakeholders, using evidence, insights and performance data to support delivery decisions, benefits realisation and continuous improvement.
• Undertake any other duties as required to meet the needs of the business.

About you

Essential Qualifications, Experience, Knowledge & Skills

Qualifications

• Project management qualification or equivalent experience managing projects in a governed delivery environment.

Experience

• Significant experience