Smart Metering Project Lead

South Staffs Water; Walsall; Hybrid; GBP 42,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A utility company in the UK seeks a Smart Metering Project Lead to manage its Universal Metering Programme. The role includes project management, customer engagement, and data digitalization, aimed at reducing water consumption and enhancing service. The ideal candidate will have strong project management skills and a focus on driving transformation. This position offers a competitive salary up to £50,000 and various benefits including company vehicle and 25 days holiday.

Benefits

Company Vehicle

25 days holiday + bank holidays

Company pension with employer contributions

24-hour helpline for confidential advice

Eyecare vouchers

Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)

24/7 remote GP access

Qualifications

• Experience in digital customer experience is desired but not essential.
• Strong problem-solving skills with innovative thinking.
• Project management experience for on-time and on-budget completion.
• Understanding of smart metering technology is beneficial but not essential.

Responsibilities

• Overall responsibility for managing the smart project and its multiple workstreams.
• Bringing together experts across key programme areas to ensure targets are met.
• Supporting customer engagement strategy and tracking metrics.
• Managing relationships with AMI Network & Meter providers.
• Supporting customer data strategy with best use technologies.
• Preparing reports and presentations on programme progress.
• Identifying and implementing improvements to the metering process.

Skills

Customer Service

Analytical Skills

Continuous improvement

Project Management

Technical expertise

Job description

Job Advert

Job Title: Smart Metering Project Lead

Salary: To £50,000 depending on experience

Hours: 37 Hours per week

Location: Green Lane, Walsall & Hybrid (in office 3 days per week)

At South Staffs & Cambridge Water we deliver clean and reliable water supplies to around 1.7 million customers within the South Staffs and Cambridge regions.

South Staffs Water have a fantastic opportunity to support our customers as part of the Universal Metering Programme as a Smart Metering Project Lead.

In 2021, South Staffs Water and Cambridge Water were added to the government list of ‘seriously water stressed areas’. We want to make sure we can provide enough high-quality drinking water to meet our customers’ needs whilst protecting our local environments.

As part of this, South Staffs Water and Cambridge Water have committed to deliver a Universal Metering Programme. We’ll be installing 161,500 water meters in customers homes between 2025 to 2030. This will help customers manage their bills, give us operational insights to respond to incidents quicker, and allow better resource management so we can protect the local environment.

Ensuring South Staffs and Cambridge Water’s Universal Metering Programme not only meets its technical objectives but also delivers tangible benefits to customers and the environment is crucial. That is why we are recruiting a full time Smart Metering Project Lead to join us at South Staffs and Cambridge Water. Reporting to the Head of Universal Metering, the successful candidate will focus on ensuring the company’s Smart Metering Programme is mobilised effectively, with a core focus on both customer and cost.

This role isn’t just about overseeing a programme of work – it’s about driving transformation and making a tangible impact for our customers. This initiative is pivotal in reducing water consumption and leakage, whilst blending strategic leadership with hands on management.

Key Responsibilities

• Programme Management: Overall responsibility for managing the smart project and its multiple workstreams – inclusive of customer engagement, operational logistics, smart technology and policies & processes.
• Collaboration to Deliver: Bringing together the experts across each of the key programme areas to ensure our targets are met relating to smart meters connected to a newly created AMI network, the main area being systems integration.
• Customer Engagement: Working with key internal stakeholders to support, track and drive the customer engagement strategy, linking in with key metrics such as CSAT, CMEX and complaints.
• Supply Chain Management: Own the relationship with our AMI Network & Meter providers, creating and monitoring KPIs and SLAs associated with the deployment of smart technologies.
• Digitalisation of Data: Supporting the customer data strategy and implementation of best use technologies to display consumption data in a customer friendly way.
• Reporting and Documentation: Preparing reports and presentations on the progress and outcomes of the programme, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements.
• Optimisation and Improvement: Working with stakeholders (internal teams, external contractors, and customers) to identify and implement improvements to the metering process, systems, or data capture / accuracy.

Skills and Experience

• Customer Service: Able to understand key customer metrics and drivers for satisfaction. Experience of digital experience is desired but not essential.
• Analytical Skills: Analyse data, identify trends, and make recommendations for improvement.
• Continuous improvement: Exhibit strong problem-solving skills, with lots of innovative thinking to solve sometimes unique or challenging problems as quickly as possible.
• Project Management: Experience in managing projects, ensuring on-time and on-budget completion. You should be highly performance driven, with the ability to prioritise, plan, monitor progress and take action to address shortfalls.
• Technical expertise: Having prior experience or understanding of smart metering technology or the UK water sector is beneficial but not essential. It’s more important that you can understand our strategic and tactical targets and measure these effectively.

What You’ll Get in Return

• A competitive salary plus benefits
• Company Vehicle
• 25 days holiday + bank holidays
• Company pension with employer contributions
• 24-hour helpline providing free and confidential advice to you and your family on financial, legal, marital, and health matters
• Eyecare vouchers – via Specsavers
• Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)
• 24/7 remote GP access