Major Water Infrastructure Senior Programme PMO Manager

Ofwat; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Work from London or Birmingham offices

Excellent employer pension

25 days’ annual leave + bank holidays

Volunteer days

Professional body fees covered

Job summary

Ofwat is hiring for a PMO leadership role based in London or Birmingham with hybrid working. You will own and lead PMO disciplines, ensuring governance, planning and controls are embedded across major water infrastructure projects.

You will build strong relationships with regulator partners, drive delivery assurance, and mentor junior staff while upholding high standards and proactive problem-solving within a dynamic team.

Qualifications

• Significant demonstrable experience leading PMO programme controls, governance, risk or assurance in complex delivery environments.
• Experience developing and improving organisational PMO capability and governance.
• Professional qualification such as PRINCE2, MSP or P3O, or membership of a relevant professional body.

Responsibilities

• Own and lead PMO disciplines including governance, contract management, planning and controls, and risk and performance.
• Design and maintain governance and control arrangements across MWIP and major projects.
• Provide strategic oversight and assurance of delivery, escalating risks and recommending interventions.
• Provide independent challenge to teams; lead cross-regulatory reviews and lessons learned.
• Build trusted relationships with Major Projects, RAPID, regulators, and delivery organisations.
• Influence senior stakeholders to balance priorities and drive consistent practice.
• Lead and mentor Senior Associates and Associates within the discipline.
• Act as senior subject matter expert and champion an inclusive PMO culture.

Skills

PMO governance

Programme controls

Risk management

Stakeholder engagement

Leadership

Communication

Education

PRINCE2/MSP/P3O qualification

APM membership

Job description

*Office Location: London (E14 4HD) or Birmingham (B5 4UA) with hybrid working*

About Us

We are Ofwat, the Water Services Regulation Authority, a non-ministerial government department responsible for regulating the water sector in England and Wales.

The water sector is entering a new chapter. The government has set out a bold new direction, bringing together expertise from across the sector to deliver better outcomes for customers and the environment. We are collaborating with fellow regulators to respond to recommendations in The Independent Water Commission Report, the Welsh Government’s response to the Green Paper, Shaping the Future of Water Governance in Wales, and the Government’s White Paper, A new vision for water.

Ofwat is working with the government and other regulators to help create a new body for England, bringing together our strengths with those of the Drinking Water Inspectorate, the Environment Agency and Natural England. We are also continuing to work with the Welsh Government to support decisions on the future arrangements for Wales.

While these changes take shape, our mission remains the same: to hold water companies to account, drive performance, and ensure the sector delivers real value for customers, communities, and the environment. If you’re passionate about making a difference, this is a unique moment to join us and help shape the future of water, and together we can continue to make a positive impact.

The Major Projects team has a wide remit, working with the industry on some of the largest and most complex major water infrastructure projects the sector has seen in over thirty years, ranging between several hundred million pounds to several billion pounds. Our aim is to ensure companies are developing and delivering them in a timely and efficient manner, while protecting customers and the environment.

The Regulators’ Alliance for Progressing Infrastructure Development (RAPID) is a dynamic partnership between Ofwat, the Environment Agency (EA), and the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI). RAPID was created to facilitate the development and funding of large-scale strategic water supply options by water companies. We identify and address key issues relevant to these major infrastructure projects and analyse the feasibility of strategic water supply schemes.

This is a unique opportunity to play a role in the delivery of some of the most important capital projects in the water sector. You will have a real input into the oversight of the programme and developing reporting for all levels. These projects are vital to meeting the needs of current and future customers—and your work will directly impact how companies deliver for them. Join us to help secure water supplies for future generations and build a lasting legacy for communities and the environment.

The PMO function spans several disciplines including governance and assurance, planning and controls, framework and contract management, risk and performance. You will be involved with the embedding of the PMO as we grow and you will need to be proactive and champion change. It is a busy environment, so you will help to bring discipline and structure, whilst being problem-solve oriented, proactive and flexible to the needs of the organisation and the programme.

In addition to working closely with the Major Projects and RAPID teams you will develop strong working relationships with our parter regulators (Environment Agency and Drinking Water Inspectorate) and Defra. You will be expected to uphold high standards of delivery and collaborate with water and wastewater companies to support them to deliver the best value for customers. You will have a high degree of autonomy and responsibility, and with our support you will continue to hone your judgement and be expected to exercise it responsibly in line with our strategy and ways of working.

In this role you will report to the Director MWIP PMO and will be expected to:

• Own and lead assigned PMO disciplines, including governance and assurance (including contract management), planning and controls and/or risk and performance.
• Design and maintain proportionate governance and control arrangements across Major Water Infrastructure Programme (MWIP) and Major Projects relevant to the assigned discipline.
• Provide strategic oversight and assurance of delivery against the Major Projects and MWIP plans and objectives, escalating emerging risks and recommending interventions where required.
• Provide independent challenges to programme and project teams where risks or delivery concerns emerge.Own and continuously improve the PMO standards, methodologies, controls and assurance frameworks for the assigned discipline, including leading cross-regulatory/programme reviews and lessons learned activity.
• Build trusted relationships across Major Projects, RAPID, corporate functions, partner regulators, government departments, advisers and delivery organisations.
• Influence senior leaders and delivery teams, facilitating complex discussions to balance competing priorities, resolve differences in viewpoints and drive consistent practice.
• Provide leadership, coaching and professional development to Senior Associates and Associates working within the discipline.
• Act as the senior subject matter expert for the assigned PMO discipline and champion an inclusive, collaborative and continuously improving PMO culture within the team and wider organisation.

About You

Below are some of the key essential experience, skills & knowledge required for this post:

• Lead Criterion 1: Significant demonstrable experience of leading PMO programme controls, governance, risk or assurance within complex programme and project delivery environments, possibly within large infrastructure projects and/or large capital programmes, water sector supply chain organisation, consultancy, regulators, Government, or in another similarly relevant position.
• Lead Criterion 2: Experience of developing and improving organisational PMO capability, standards, methodologies, governance or assurance arrangements within a complex delivery environment.
• A relevant professional qualification such as PRINCE2, MSP or P3O, or membership of a relevant professional body (such as APM).
• Strong understanding of programme planning, resource planning, risk, issues dependencies, change control and delivery assurance.
• Experience of procurement, contractual, supplier and budget management.Experience providing constructive challenge, managing escalation and influencing senior stakeholders across complex environments to build trusted relationships, balance competing priorities and deliver outcomes.
• Experience leading and developing people, professional capability, and continuous improvement.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to distil complex evidence into clear, concise recommendations, executive papers and presentations.

Why You Should Join Us

• People Centric: Our people are at the heart of Ofwat and everything we do - we ensure all voices are heard and treat each other with respect; you'll be given the autonomy and the support to do your role in the best way.
• Innovative Work Environment: We embrace agile and new ways of working and have a culture build on trust, flexibility, and collaboration.
• Development Opportunities: Gain valuable experience and develop your skills in a supportive and dynamic setting.
• Work-Life Balance: Enjoy the flexibility of working from home combined with the benefits of in person collaboration in our Birmingham and London offices.
• Excellent employer pension contributions of nearly 30%.
• 25 days’ annual leave, increasing to 30 with each year of service, plus bank holidays and an extra 2.5 days of privilege leave.
• Access to exclusive discounts on a variety of goods and services, including retail outlets, theatre tickets, holidays, insurance, and a gym membership.
• Fees paid for membership of relevant professional bodies.
• Up to 3 volunteering days per year.
• Generous shared parental leave and pay supporting your family life.