Production Manager

Thames Water; Guildford; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading water utility company is looking for a Production Manager to oversee the day-to-day water production in the Guildford area. This role involves managing team performance, ensuring health and safety compliance, and engaging with stakeholders. Candidates should have a background in production management and excellent leadership skills. The role offers a competitive salary of up to £60,000 per annum based on skills and experience, along with numerous benefits including annual leave and a pension scheme.

Benefits

Car allowance

26 days holiday per year

Performance-related pay

Qualifications

• Background in process or production management required.
• Experience in performance management of operational teams is essential.
• Valid UK driving license necessary for travel.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the water production plan within budget.
• Manage performance of the operational team.
• Monitor and report on key performance indicators.
• Ensure legal compliance and promote health and safety culture.

Skills

Process or production management

Stakeholder engagement

Leadership skills

Communication skills

Health & safety management

Education

NEBOSH or IOSH qualification

Job description

This is an exciting, high-profile frontline operations role in which you will be overseeing the day-to-day continuous production of safe, clean and palatable drinking water for our customers in the Guildford and South West Surrey region.

This is a diverse and fast-paced role where no two days will be the same. It provides a fantastic opportunity to think differently about how we ensure the reliability and resilience of our assets, whilst developing our people and driving a sustainable operating model.

As well as ensuring this is a robust and safe operation 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, you will also have the opportunity to influence future production by identifying risk and investment needs and working with internal teams to deliver solutions.

What you will be doing as a Production Manager

• Oversee the water production plan for the area within budget and meeting efficiency targets
• Performance management of your team while maintaining a culture of collaboration, capability and continuous performance improvement, with confidence to undertake their tasks and activities.
• Monitor, report, and act against key performance indicators.
• Promote and oversee a strong health and safety culture.
• Identify risks and ensure resilience across your sites and team.
• Liaising with senior stakeholders and operational teams to address any asset failures, water quality failures and demand and supply issues that arise.
• Maintain legal compliance with people, assets and processes at your sites and be the Controller of Premises for the Guildford area.
• Base location will be Shalford Water Treatment Works, with travel required across the 40 sites in the Guildford Area.
• Working hours are 36 hours per week, Monday – Friday, 7.30 am to 3.30 pm.
• Once fully trained, you will take part in an out-of-hours rota covering emergencies in the Guildford area, for which you will receive additional payment.

What you should bring to the role

To thrive in this role, the essential criteria you’ll need are

• A background in process or production management experience, or similar experience in performance management of a large operational team.
• Ability to collaborate and positively engage stakeholders across the business.
• Confidence to present to and influence leaders in the organisation at all levels
• Excellent leadership, people and performance management skills.
• You will have a passion for driving positive behaviours within your team and across the site.
• Good interpersonal and communication skills - both written and verbal are essential for the role.
• Experience with managing health & safety in a site-based or industrial environment.
• A valid UK driving licence and use of a car for business purposes.

Additional skills and experiences would be great to have/bring:

• Knowledge and/or experience of water or waste treatment processes.
• NEBOSH or IOSH qualification, or equivalent, is desirable.
• Excellent organisational and time management skills, a keen eye for detail and the ability to prioritise.
• Strong computer skills are also desirable.

What’s in it for you?

Offering a salary up to £60,000 per annum, depending on your level of skills and experience.

• Car allowance.
• Annual Leave - 26 days holiday per year, increasing to 30 days with the length of service. (Plus bank holidays).
• Performance-related pay plan directly linked to company performance measures and targets.
• Generous Pension Scheme through AON.
• Access to lots of benefits to help you take care of you and your family’s health and wellbeing, and your finances – from annual health MOTs and access to physiotherapy and counselling, to Cycle to Work schemes, shopping vouchers and life assurance.

We’re the UK’s largest water and wastewater company, with more than 16 million customers relying on us every day to supply water for their taps and toilets. We want to build a better future for all, helping our customers, communities, people, and the planet to thrive.

We’re committed to being a great, diverse, and inclusive place to work. We welcome applications from everyone and want to ensure you feel supported throughout the recruitment process. If you need any adjustments, whether that’s extra time, accessible formats, or anything else, just let us know.

Thames Water is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community.