Project Manager

Thames Water Utilities Limited; Reading; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension scheme

Holiday entitlement 26–30 days

Performance-related pay

Health & wellbeing benefits

Cycle to Work

Life assurance

Job summary

Thames Water is seeking an experienced Project Manager to join the Retail PMO within the Customer Experience Transformation function on a 19 to 24 month Fixed Term Contract. Hybrid base locations include Swindon or Reading, with a competitive salary and extensive benefits.

You'll lead delivery, governance and stakeholder engagement across customer-focused initiatives, working with cross-functional teams and a Technical PM to ensure value delivery and successful change.

Qualifications

• Demonstrable experience delivering complex projects in customer-focused or regulated environments.
• Strong track record leading end-to-end projects with measurable outcomes.
• Excellent stakeholder management, communication and influencing skills with senior sponsors.
• Experience with Agile or hybrid delivery and robust governance/reporting.

Responsibilities

• Lead project delivery on time, within scope, budget and quality.
• Coordinate delivery with Technical PM and Business Lead to align business and technical work.
• Develop and deliver governance, RAID logs, and progress reporting.
• Manage communications and engagement to support project outcomes.
• Ensure compliance with governance, regulatory and quality requirements.
• Monitor budgets, forecasts and project spend to maximise value.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Communication

Budget management

Change management

Delivery governance

Agile/hybrid delivery

Tools

PRINCE2

Job description

Are you an experienced Project Manager who thrives on turning complex challenges into meaningful results? Do you enjoy bringing people together, driving change and delivering projects that make a real difference to customers?, Thames Water is looking for a highly motivated Project Manager to join our Retail PMO team within the Customer Experience Transformation function on a 19 to 24 month Fixed Term Contract. This is a fantastic opportunity to play a key role in helping to improve customer outcomes.

In this role, you will work closely with a Technical Project Manager, senior leaders and cross-functional teams; you'll lead the successful delivery of high-profile initiatives in a fast-paced and evolving environment. Build strong stakeholder relationships, navigate complexity with confidence and use creative problem-solving to keep projects moving forward and delivering value.

As part of our Retail PMO team, you'll help drive excellence in project governance, delivery and ways of working. You'll ensure projects are delivered successfully and create lasting benefits for our customers, colleagues and the business.

What you will be doing as a Project Manager

• Lead Project Delivery - Deliver projects on time, within scope, budget and quality expectations.
• Manage Stakeholders - Build strong relationships with sponsors, senior stakeholders and business teams, ensuring alignment and effective decision-making throughout delivery.
• Coordinate Delivery - Partner with a Technical Project Manager and a Business Lead to coordinate business and technical delivery activities and ensure successful implementation.
• Problem Solving - Proactively identify and address risks, issues, dependencies and blockers to keep delivery on track.
• Governance & Reporting - Maintain project governance, RAID logs, reporting and progress updates.
• Project Communications - Develop and deliver communication and engagement activities to support successful project outcomes and keep stakeholders informed.
• Compliance & Quality - Ensure adherence to governance, regulatory and quality requirements.
• Financial Management - Monitor budgets, forecasts and project spend to maximise value.

Demonstrable experience of delivering complex projects in a customer-focused, regulated or similar demanding environment.

• Strong track record of leading projects end to end and delivering measurable outcomes and benefits.
• Excellent stakeholder management, communication and influencing skills, including confidence working with senior leaders/sponsors.
• The ability to absorb information quickly, break down complex problems and develop practical solutions.
• Experience of different delivery approaches, including Agile or hybrid methods, alongside robust governance and reporting.
• Sound commercial awareness and experience managing project budgets, forecasts and value.
• Experience preparing teams for change and embedding new ways of working.
• Strong attention to detail, resilience and the ability to create momentum in changing environments.
• Experience of working within customer operations or service delivery environments.

Desirable

• Project Management qualification such as APM, PRINCE2, Agile certification or equivalent.
• Experience of working with contact centre or customer service operations across multiple communication channels.
• Experience of partnering with a Technical Project Manager to deliver technology-enabled business change.

Base Location - Hybrid - Walnut Court, Swindon, or Clear Water Court, Reading

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. It's a big job and we've got a long way to go, so we need help from passionate and skilled people, committed to making a difference and getting us to where we want to be in the years and decades to come.

Learn more about our purpose and values

Working at Thames Water

Thames Water is a unique, rewarding, and diverse place to work, where every day you can make a difference, yet no day is the same. As part of our family, you'll enjoy meaningful career opportunities, flexible working arrangements and excellent benefits.

If you're looking for a sustainable and successful career where you can make a daily difference to millions of people's lives while helping to protect the world of water for future generations, we'll be here to support you every step of the way. Together, we can build a better future for our customers, our region, and our planet.

Real purpose, real support, real opportunities. Come and join the Thames Water family. Why choose us? Learn more.

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. We're here to help and support.

When a crisis happens, we all rally around to support our customers. As part of Team Thames, you'll have the opportunity to sign up to support our customers on the frontline as an ambassador. Full training will be given for what is undoubtedly an incredibly rewarding experience. It's also a great opportunity to learn more about our business and meet colleagues.

Hours: 36 hours per week

What's in it for you?

• A Competitive salary of £55,000 to £60,000 per annum, depending on skills and experience
• 26 days holiday per year, increasing to 30 days with 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.