Water Planning Director - Strategy & Operations

Thames Water Utilities Limited; United Kingdom; On-site; GBP 76,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

26 days annual leave

Car allowance

Annual bonus

Pension scheme

Private medical healthcare

Job summary

Thames Water is seeking a Head of Water Planning to lead the central planning capability for Water Operations, uniting strategy, operational delivery, customer outcomes and infrastructure planning across above-ground and below-ground teams.

This high-visibility role requires connecting people, priorities and plans within a complex, regulated organisation and translating them into measurable customer outcomes.

Qualifications

• Significant leadership experience in planning, infrastructure, operations, logistics, utilities or another large-scale service environment.
• Outstanding stakeholder management and influencing skills, with the confidence to build credibility across senior internal and external networks.
• Experience leading leaders and large operational teams through a clear, inclusive and visible leadership style.
• A track record of delivering measurable outcomes in complex operational environments.
• Strong relationship-building skills and the ability to work effectively across multiple functions in a matrix organisation.
• Experience of a regulated environment, or the ability to quickly understand its demands.
• An analytical mindset, sound judgement and strong commercial awareness.
• A clear customer focus and an understanding of how operational decisions affect customer outcomes.
• Experience leading change, transformation, technology adoption or service improvement.
• The ability to balance strategic thinking with hands-on operational leadership.
• Experience managing supplier relationships, contracts and external partnerships.

Responsibilities

• Lead Water Planning across above-ground and below-ground operations, ensuring plans support business priorities and operational performance.
• Build trusted relationships across production, networks, asset management, customer and OSCC leadership teams, creating alignment across the division.
• Lead, coach and develop a large operational function through your leadership team, building an inclusive, engaged and high-performing culture.
• Contribute to senior leadership decisions and help shape the strategic direction of the OSCC and Water business.
• Navigate competing priorities in a complex stakeholder environment, influencing decisions and finding solutions that work for customers and the business.
• Lead change and service improvement, including the adoption of new technology, the future implementation of Salesforce for Above Ground and closer integration of desk-based and field operations.
• Use data, insight and sound judgement to improve decision-making and performance.
• Provide effective commercial oversight of key third-party contracts supporting operational delivery, infrastructure planning, winter resilience and safe working, ensuring suppliers deliver safe, reliable and value-for-money services.
• Represent Thames Water externally, developing productive relationships with highways authorities and infrastructure partners.
• Ensure effective planning supports critical outcomes including leakage, water quality, supply interruptions, maintenance delivery and regulatory compliance.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Change leadership

Strategic thinking

Team development

Job description

Thames Water is seeking a Head of Water Planning to lead the central planning capability for Water Operations, uniting strategy, operational delivery, customer outcomes and infrastructure planning across above-ground and below-ground teams.

This high-visibility role requires connecting people, priorities and plans within a complex, regulated organisation and translating them into measurable customer outcomes.