Transformation Manager

Thames Water Ltd; Reading; Hybrid; GBP 51,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous pension scheme

Health & wellbeing benefits

Career development opportunities

Hybrid working

Job summary

Thames Water is delivering one of the most significant transformations in its history. We’re looking for Transformation Managers who can bring energy, structure and momentum to complex change across our operations.

You’ll turn insight into practical action, help teams adopt new ways of working and deliver lasting improvements for our customers, colleagues and communities. As a Transformation Manager, you’ll support the delivery of high-priority transformation programmes in a fast-moving and

Qualifications

• Demonstrable experience delivering transformation, change, business improvement or operational improvement programmes.
• Programme or project management capability, including planning, governance, delivery monitoring, risk and issue management and dependency management.
• Experience delivering change of meaningful scale and complexity, with clear evidence of your contribution and the outcomes achieved.
• Experience sustaining delivery over an extended period and maintaining momentum when priorities or requirements change.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to turn data and insight into practical action.
• The ability to bring clarity, structure and direction to fast-moving or ambiguous environments.
• Experience engaging, influencing and constructively challenging stakeholders across different levels of an organisation.
• Experience working through matrix or virtual teams, including situations where you don’t have direct line-management responsibility.
• Experience supporting people through organisational, cultural or behavioural change and helping new ways of working become embedded.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain complex information succinctly.
• A pragmatic, resilient and organised approach, with strong attention to detail and a focus on delivery.

Responsibilities

• Turning strategic objectives into clear and practical delivery plans.
• Supporting complex transformation programmes and workstreams from definition through to implementation and embedding.
• Using data and insight to identify opportunities, simplify processes and improve operational performance.
• Establishing proportionate governance, delivery controls and measures of success.
• Monitoring progress, identifying risks and issues and taking action to keep delivery on track.
• Managing dependencies across multiple initiatives and escalating concerns clearly.
• Engaging and influencing stakeholders across different functions and levels of the organisation.
• Supporting matrix and virtual teams through sustained periods of change.
• Helping teams prepare for and adopt new ways of working, including cultural and behavioural change.
• Creating clear, high-quality programme documentation, updates and communications.
• Communicating complex information clearly and succinctly to different audiences.
• Applying programme, project and change methodologies in a practical and proportionate way.

Skills

Transformation management

Change management

Programme governance

Data-driven

Stakeholder management

Delivery planning

Problem solving

Communication

Matrix/virtual teams

Travel flexibility

Job description

Thames Water is delivering one of the most significant transformations in its history. We’re looking for Transformation Managers who can bring energy, structure and momentum to complex change across our operations. You’ll turn insight into practical action, help teams adopt new ways of working and deliver lasting improvements for our customers, colleagues and communities.

What you’ll be doing a Transformation Manager

As a Transformation Manager, you’ll support the delivery of high-priority transformation programmes in a fast-moving and sometimes ambiguous environment. You’ll work across operational, technical, digital, data and business teams, bringing people together around shared outcomes and ensuring change is practical, measurable and embedded for the long term.

Depending on the programme, you may lead a workstream, support a wider matrix team or take personal ownership of specific delivery activity

Your key responsibilities will include:

• Turning strategic objectives into clear and practical delivery plans.
• Supporting complex transformation programmes and workstreams from definition through to implementation and embedding.
• Using data and insight to identify opportunities, simplify processes and improve operational performance.
• Establishing proportionate governance, delivery controls and measures of success.
• Monitoring progress, identifying risks and issues and taking action to keep delivery on track.
• Managing dependencies across multiple initiatives and escalating concerns clearly.
• Engaging and influencing stakeholders across different functions and levels of the organisation.
• Supporting matrix and virtual teams through sustained periods of change.
• Helping teams prepare for and adopt new ways of working, including cultural and behavioural change.
• Creating clear, high-quality programme documentation, updates and communications.
• Communicating complex information clearly and succinctly to different audiences.
• Applying programme, project and change methodologies in a practical and proportionate way.

Working pattern: Full-time – Monday to Friday 36 hours per week

Necessary requirements for the role:

• You’ll typically be expected to work from the Reading office around two days per week.
• You’ll also be expected to work from the London office around two days per month.
• You must be able to travel across the Thames Water catchment area when required.

The essential criteria to help you succeed in this role is:

• Demonstrable experience delivering transformation, change, business improvement or operational improvement programmes.
• Programme or project management capability, including planning, governance, delivery monitoring, risk and issue management and dependency management.
• Experience delivering change of meaningful scale and complexity, with clear evidence of your contribution and the outcomes achieved.
• Experience sustaining delivery over an extended period and maintaining momentum when priorities or requirements change.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills, with the ability to turn data and insight into practical action.
• The ability to bring clarity, structure and direction to fast‑moving or ambiguous environments.
• Experience engaging, influencing and constructively challenging stakeholders across different levels of an organisation.
• Experience working through matrix or virtual teams, including situations where you don’t have direct line‑management responsibility.
• Experience supporting people through organisational, cultural or behavioural change and helping new ways of working become embedded.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain complex information succinctly.
• A pragmatic, resilient and organised approach, with strong attention to detail and a focus on delivery.

Additional skills and experiences would be great to have/bring:

• Experience within utilities, infrastructure, manufacturing or another regulated or capital‑intensive environment.
• Previous consulting or professional‑services experience.
• Experience supporting operational turnaround, efficiency or business improvement programmes.
• Experience of technology‑enabled, digital or data transformation, while keeping people and operational adoption at the centre of delivery.
• Experience coaching colleagues in project, programme or change‑delivery practices.
• A relevant business, engineering, human resources, project, programme or change‑management qualification.

What’s in it for you?

• Competitive salary from £50,940 t0 £65,000 per annum, dependent on experience.
• 26 days holiday per year, increasing to 30 days with length of service, plus bank holidays.
• Performance‑related pay plan linked to company performance measures and targets.
• Generous pension scheme.
• 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.

Base location: Hybrid, Reading/Home

Working pattern: Full-time – Monday to Friday 36 hours per week

Transformation Manager

Company: Thames Water Salary: £50,940 to £65,000 a year Hours: Full-time Location: Reading, RG1 8DB Job type: Permanent Posting date: 24 Oct 2026 Closing date: 6 Nov 2026

Summary

Thames Water is delivering one of the most significant transformations in its history. We’re looking for Transformation Managers who can bring energy, structure and momentum to complex change across our operations. You’ll turn insight into practical action, help teams adopt new ways of working and deliver lasting improvements for our customers, colleagues and communities.

What you’ll be doing a Transformation Manager

As a Transformation Manager, you’ll support the delivery of high-priority transformation programmes in a fast-moving and sometimes ambiguous environment. You’ll work across operational, technical, digital, data and business teams, bringing people together around shared outcomes and ensuring change is practical, measurable and embedded for the long term.

Depending on the programme, you may lead a workstream, support a wider matrix team or take personal ownership of specific delivery activity

Your key responsibilities will include:

• Turning strategic objectives into clear and practical delivery plans.
• Supporting complex transformation programmes and workstreams from definition through to implementation and embedding.
• Using data and insight to identify opportunities, simplify processes and improve operational performance.
• Establishing proportionate governance, delivery controls and measures of success.
• Monitoring progress, identifying risks and issues and taking action to keep delivery on track.
• Managing dependencies across multiple initiatives and escalating concerns clearly.
• Engaging and influencing stakeholders across different functions and levels of the organisation.
• Supporting matrix and virtual teams through sustained periods of change.
• Helping teams prepare for and adopt new ways of working, including cultural and behavioural change.
• Creating clear, high‑quality programme documentation, updates and communications.
• Communicating complex information clearly and succinctly to different audiences.
• Applying programme, project and change methodologies in a practical and proportionate way.

Base location: Hybrid, Reading/Home

Working pattern: Full-time – Monday to Friday 36 hours per week

Necessary requirements for the role:

• You’ll typically be expected to work from the Reading office around two days per week.
• You’ll also be expected to work from the London office around two days per month.
• You must be able to travel across the Thames Water catchment area when required.

The essential criteria to help you succeed in this role is:

• Demonstrable experience delivering transformation, change, business improvement or operational improvement programmes.
• Programme or project management capability, including planning, governance, delivery monitoring, risk and issue management and dependency management.