Closing Date
2025-09-10
Job Title: Project Management Centre of Excellence Lead
Location: Falmer (Hybrid Working)
Salary: From £70k
Are you passionate about building capability, driving consistency, and championing project excellence? Do you thrive in transformational environments where you can influence strategy, upskill teams, and create lasting impact?
We’re looking for two exceptional Project Management Centre of Excellence Leads to join our Capital Delivery team and help shape the future of how we deliver complex, high-value projects across water and wastewater.
These are high-impact roles with a blank canvas – perfect for experienced programme or project leaders ready to step into a strategic, influential, and people-focused position.
Job Overview
These are brand-new positions offering the opportunity to join at ground level and shape what our Project Management Centre of Excellence will look like. You’ll create and lead meaningful change – developing strategy, setting standards, and driving continuous improvement across the entire project management lifecycle. As a champion for the PM community, you’ll build and lead internal networks that promote collaboration, share best practice, and strengthen capability in line with industry benchmarks.
A key part of the role is shaping the future talent pipeline. You’ll design and implement training programmes, career pathways, and support frameworks that help us develop, retain, and empower our project professionals. You’ll also take ownership of our relationship with the Association for Project Management (APM), ensuring we’re aligned to their standards and continuously improving our Corporate Membership standing.
Responsibilities will include:
1. Develop and deliver the strategic plan for project management capability across Capital Delivery.
2. Define and implement clear, consistent PM standards, aligned with APM’s Body of Knowledge.
3. Conduct project health checks and provide assurance to senior leadership.
4. Lead on continuous improvement of project delivery processes, tools, and guidance.
5. Chair and grow the PM Community, engaging delivery partners and sharing best practice.
6. Own and manage training programmes, certifications, and induction materials.
7. Act as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) in project management – influencing cross-functional stakeholders including H&S, Commercial, Governance, PMO, and Operations.
About You
We’re looking for a qualified and experienced project or programme leader, ideally with strong alignment to APM standards. You’ll be a natural leader and influencer – someone who can bring people together around a shared vision and drive meaningful change. With a strong track record of improving project delivery performance, you’ll also have experience in building capability from the ground up – from shaping strategy to delivering impactful training. Excellent stakeholder engagement skills are a must, with the confidence to work across all levels of the organisation and with external delivery partners.
Package
This role will be full time Monday to Friday 37 hours a week.
Southern Water operate a hybrid approach to working between our Falmer office and home.
We are offering a salary from £70k per annum depending on skills and experience as well as other benefits including:
• Company and performance-related bonus
• Generous pension up to 11% company contribution
• 25 days annual leave
• Life assurance equal to 4x salary
• Salary sacrifice electric car scheme (after 6 months service)
• Health Cash Plan
• Full funded eye tests
• Two paid volunteering days a year
• Occupational health service
• Discounts with over 800 popular retailers
• Digital GP service
• Study support may be available for job-related qualifications
• Competitive maternity leave and flexible return to work options
• Cycle to work scheme
Does this opportunity excite you but you’re not 100% sure if you meet all the requirements for the role? Or are you concerned that ‘normal’ office hours aren’t possible given your personal circumstances? Whilst we can’t accommodate every flexible working request, we’ll try to find a practical solution. So why not engage with us and find out more about this role?
Our customers are at the heart of everything we do, because delivering water for life is our core purpose. To achieve this, we need 24/7 support in place to resolve incidents quickly and efficiently. All our employees understand the importance of out-of-hours incident support – because when problems appear, fixing them is our top priority. That’s why our people join together and support when and however needed to make sure our customers get the service they deserve. Joining the Southern Water family means you’ll become part of our incident support team. During your interview, your manager will speak to you about any incident support rotas that apply to your position.
Privacy Statement:
Please note: If you are an existing Southern Water employee, you will need to confirm within your application that your Manager is aware of your application.
All applicants must be eligible to live and work in the UK. You will need to provide evidence of eligibility (e.g. a passport or long birth certificate and proof of NI) and current proof of address (dated within the last 3 months), will be required as part of the recruitment process. If you do not meet these criteria, your application will not be considered.
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