Senior Sponsor - Major Projects and Programmes

Thames Water; Reading; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading UK water company is hiring a Senior Sponsor to oversee major water and wastewater infrastructure projects in Reading. The role requires experience in operations and investment planning, with a focus on stakeholder engagement. You will be accountable for ensuring projects meet time, cost, and quality requirements while aligning with company goals. This is a full-time hybrid position offering a salary up to £90,000 and generous benefits including car allowance and annual bonus.

Benefits

Car allowance

Annual bonus

26 days holiday

Generous pension scheme

Private medical healthcare

Qualifications

• Experience in operations, asset management, or investment planning, ideally in the utilities sector.
• Experience with sponsorship on large infrastructure projects.
• Ability to deliver clear direction and drive change.

Responsibilities

• Accountability for delivery of water and wastewater projects.
• Working with major projects with significant stakeholder influence.
• Engaging with stakeholders for successful project outcomes.

Skills

Operations experience

Asset management experience

Investment planning

Stakeholder engagement skills

Collaborative approach

Job description

At Thames Water, we make a daily difference to 16 million customers by supplying 2.6 billion litres of water through 32,000 km of pipes, keeping taps flowing and toilets flushing. We believe every drop counts— and so does every project. That’s why we’re hiring a Senior Sponsor to drive key water and wastewater infrastructure projects, ensuring they align with our long‑term goals and deliver real benefits for customers, communities, and the environment.

What you’ll be doing as a Senior Sponsor – Major Projects and Programmes

As a Senior Sponsor – Major Projects and Programmes, you’ll play a key role in delivering multiple water and wastewater projects, managing time, cost, quality, and performance commitments. Working alongside the Senior Principal Sponsor and engaging closely with internal and external stakeholders, you’ll provide end‑to‑end support for planning and execution, ensuring investment decisions align with long‑term goals and business outcomes.

Key responsibilities

• Accountability for the delivery of water and wastewater projects, ensuring alignment with time, cost, and quality.
• Working with major projects with significant political & stakeholder influence.
• Working with teams to resolve risks and trade‑offs in project execution.
• Contributing to business cases for investment and demonstrating alignment with Thames Water’s objectives.
• Assisting in governance and decision‑making processes, ensuring projects progress smoothly through approval stages.
• Managing risks, tracking benefits, and ensuring projects contribute to regulatory and operational goals.
• Engaging with stakeholders to build alignment and drive successful project outcomes.

Base location: Clearwater Court, Reading. Travel within the TV & London Patch.

Hybrid with days in the office or on‑site, depending on projects.

Working pattern: Full‑time, Monday–Friday (36 hours per week)

What you should bring to the role

Essential criteria

• Experience in operations, asset management, or investment planning, ideally within the utilities sector.
• Experience with sponsorship working on large infrastructure projects.
• A collaborative approach, with strong communication and stakeholder engagement skills.
• The ability to deliver clear direction and drive change.
• A commitment to putting customers, communities, and stakeholders first.

Nice‑to‑haves

• Knowledge of best‑practice asset management. (e.g., IAM qualifications or equivalent experience).
• Experience working with major projects with significant political & stakeholder influence.
• An understanding of wastewater compliance at the programme level.
• A track record of successful project delivery.

What’s in it for you

This is a great opportunity to be part of a high‑impact team that shapes the future of water and wastewater infrastructure. You’ll be working in a dynamic environment where you can make a real difference in communities while building your career with Thames Water.

• Up to £90,000 per annum, depending on skills and relevant experience.
• 26 days holiday per year, increasing to 30 with the length of service (plus bank holidays).
• Car allowance.
• Annual bonus.
• Generous pension scheme through AON.
• Performance‑related pay plan directly linked to company performance measures and targets.
• Private medical health care.
• 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.

About Thames Water

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.

Why choose us

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.

Disclaimer: due to the high volume of applications we receive, we may close the advert earlier than the advertised date, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.