Regional Wastewater Systems Performance Leader

United Utilities; Manchester; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

26 days annual leave plus 4 years: 30

Competitive pension with employercon‑(

Bonus scheme up to 20%

Healthcare plan

Job summary

United Utilities is seeking a Regional System Performance Manager to lead regional teams across System Operations, Regional Performance and Energy Generation. This site-based role shapes regional strategy, translating investment plans into practical improvements that benefit frontline teams and customers.

You will influence long-term planning, ensure regulatory compliance, and drive continuous improvement with a hands-on leadership style across multiple sites in the Greater Manchester area.

Qualifications

• Experience in wastewater, bioresource, sludge treatment, anaerobic digestion, biogas or operational energy generation environments.
• Proven experience leading multi-disciplinary operational teams and driving improvements in performance, resilience, efficiency and compliance.
• Strong understanding of wastewater and bioresource operations, including balancing performance, environmental outcomes and regulatory commitments.
• Ability to translate long-term strategy, business planning and investment priorities into practical improvements for frontline operations.
• Experience influencing investment decisions and prioritising resources for best outcomes in operational performance and asset health.
• Track record of leading transformation and embedding change while maintaining performance focus.
• Strong stakeholder management to build trusted relationships across Operations, Asset Management, Engineering and Planning functions.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills using data to identify root causes and improve system performance.
• Visible leadership that engages with senior stakeholders while staying connected to frontline teams.
• Resilience and judgement to operate in demanding environments and respond to emerging risks.

Responsibilities

• Lead regional teams across System Operations, Regional Performance and Energy Generation to drive safety, operational excellence and continuous improvement.
• Own performance of key operational, environmental and business measures, delivering sustainable improvements across the wastewater system.
• Bridge frontline operations and strategic transformation, translating plans into better outcomes for teams and customers.
• Drive TOTEX-informed decision making to prioritise investments for value, resilience and performance regionally.
• Partner with Wastewater Operations, Asset Management, Engineering and Planning to identify opportunities and mitigate risks.
• Develop and deliver regional improvement plans using performance data to address root causes and efficiency.
• Provide visible leadership across sites and ensure practical realities shape future strategy and investment.
• Champion innovation and new ways of working to improve performance and simplify day-to-day delivery.
• Influence regional and business-wide decisions with expert operational insight on long-term planning and asset health.
• Lead transformation programmes to embed changes that deliver measurable benefits for customers and communities.
• Respond to emerging issues and incidents with direction, including occasional out-of-hours support.
• Drive the vision of making tomorrow easier for operational teams and future-proofing the operation.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Analytical skills

Strategic thinking

Change management

Communication

Job description

United Utilities is seeking a Regional System Performance Manager to lead regional teams across System Operations, Regional Performance and Energy Generation. This site-based role shapes regional strategy, translating investment plans into practical improvements that benefit frontline teams and customers.

You will influence long-term planning, ensure regulatory compliance, and drive continuous improvement with a hands-on leadership style across multiple sites in the Greater Manchester area.