System Optimisation Lead: Data-Driven Ops & Resilience

Affinity Water; Hatfield; Hybrid; GBP 59,000 - 72,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

Mentoring & courses

Annual leave 26–30 days

Volunteer days

Life Assurance

Wellbeing support

Tap4Perks discounts

Pension scheme

Job summary

Affinity Water in Hatfield is seeking a System Optimisation Lead to advance a growing analytics and engineering team. You will shape our optimisation strategy across energy, production, abstraction and supply resilience, turning complex challenges into practical, data-driven solutions.

You’ll balance risk and performance, oversee production planning, and drive digital transformation through models and decision-support tools, collaborating with Finance, Customer Delivery and Technology to deliver

Qualifications

• Significant experience in operational optimisation, production operations, engineering, utilities or a similar environment.
• Strong analytical and data-driven problem-solving skills.
• Experience leading teams and influencing stakeholders across different disciplines.
• Experience managing operational expenditure and making financial decisions.
• A collaborative leadership style with a focus on developing people.
• The ability to work confidently with complexity, ambiguity and change.
• Experience developing business cases, operational strategies and continuous improvement initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the System Optimisation team and capability.
• Own the operational optimisation strategy across energy, production, abstraction, bulk water and supply resilience.
• Manage operational expenditure, identifying opportunities to improve cost efficiency while maintaining performance and compliance.
• Oversee production planning, balancing supply and demand and managing operational risks.
• Lead optimisation models, decision-support tools, analytics and digital transformation initiatives.
• Provide technical assurance and challenge across operational performance, resilience and supply strategies.
• Work collaboratively across the business to identify and deliver efficiency improvements.
• Support long-term planning, including water resources, drought resilience and operational investment.
• Represent Affinity Water with regulators, industry groups and external partners.

Skills

Operational optimisation

Production operations

Engineering

Utilities environment

Analytical thinking

Leadership

Stakeholder influence

Cost management

Business case development

Education

Bachelor's degree in Science or Engineering

Job description

Affinity Water in Hatfield is seeking a System Optimisation Lead to advance a growing analytics and engineering team. You will shape our optimisation strategy across energy, production, abstraction and supply resilience, turning complex challenges into practical, data-driven solutions.

You’ll balance risk and performance, oversee production planning, and drive digital transformation through models and decision-support tools, collaborating with Finance, Customer Delivery and Technology to deliver