Strategic Asset Manager — Water Infrastructure Investment

South Staffs Water; Walsall; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 70,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Family-Friendly Leave

Financial & Life Assurance

Health & Wellbeing

Lifestyle & Perks

Professional Development

Inclusion & Belonging

Performance & Recognition

Job summary

South Staffordshire Water is seeking an experienced Strategic Asset Manager to define long-term asset strategies and translate asset data into investment requirements shaping our plans.

Based in Walsall with hybrid working and travel 2–3 times per month, you will lead the Asset Strategy and Investment Planning teams, ensuring risk-based decisions and robust evidence for regulatory submissions.

Qualifications

• Significant engineering knowledge of water treatment assets, processes and related infrastructure.
• Proven experience in strategic asset management, engineering, capital investment planning or a related discipline within the water sector or another regulated infrastructure environment.
• Experience leading and developing multidisciplinary technical or asset management teams.
• Strong understanding of asset health, deterioration, criticality assessment, failure mechanisms and risk-based decision making.
• Experience translating operational and engineering evidence into long-term investment strategies.
• Understanding of regulatory business planning and the development of evidence-based investment cases.
• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills, with the confidence to challenge assumptions, data and proposed solutions.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills with the ability to build relationships across technical, operational and corporate teams.
• Outstanding communication skills, capable of translating complex technical information into clear business recommendations.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development of integrated, phased and deliverable long-term investment programmes for PR29 and future regulatory periods.
• Develop and oversee asset strategies across water treatment, storage, pumping, networks and associated infrastructure.
• Assess asset performance, condition, health, criticality and risk to identify future investment needs.
• Translate operational, engineering and asset management evidence into prioritised investment recommendations.
• Provide technical leadership for water treatment assets and processes, including mechanical, electrical, civil and control systems.
• Identify emerging risks relating to asset health, resilience, compliance, water quality and future demand.
• Lead, coach and develop high‑performing asset strategy and investment planning teams.
• Balance investment solutions across maintenance, refurbishment, renewal, replacement, optimisation and resilience enhancement.
• Ensure a clear line of sight between asset risk, investment requirements and customer outcomes.
• Collaborate with operational, engineering, regulatory, data and delivery teams to develop practical, evidence‑based strategies.
• Oversee asset health assessments, deterioration modelling, criticality analysis, option appraisal and investment scenario development.
• Ensure investment proposals deliver value through risk reduction, whole‑life cost optimisation, carbon reduction and operational efficiency.
• Produce robust evidence and supporting information for regulatory submissions, business planning and assurance activities.
• Present complex asset risks, strategic choices and investment recommendations to senior stakeholders and governance groups.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Asset management

Engineering knowledge

Stakeholder management

Analytical thinking

Communication

Job description

South Staffordshire Water is seeking an experienced Strategic Asset Manager to define long-term asset strategies and translate asset data into investment requirements shaping our plans.

Based in Walsall with hybrid working and travel 2–3 times per month, you will lead the Asset Strategy and Investment Planning teams, ensuring risk-based decisions and robust evidence for regulatory submissions.