SES Water (part of the Pennon Group) is a local water company dedicated to providing high-quality water and exceptional service to our customers. With a rich history of serving the communities in the Southeast of England, we are committed to delivering a reliable and sustainable water supply, ensuring that our customers have access to safe and clean water every day. At SES Water, we know that diverse teams create better solutions, stronger collaboration, and more innovative thinking. We're committed to building an inclusive workplace where everyone feels supported, heard and able to thrive.
We're now looking for a Senior Project Manager / Programme Manager to lead our non‑infrastructure capital programme across treatment, MEICA and civil assets. This is a key role shaping essential services for our communities and we actively welcome applications which reflect the diversity of our catchment area across engineering and project leadership. If you're a strategic thinker who also thrives in hands‑on project leadership, and you're passionate about delivering safe, efficient and high‑quality engineering solutions, we'd love to hear from you.
What we offer
We offer a range of benefits for your personal and financial wellbeing, including:
* Generous salary: £70,000-£90,000 dependent upon experience
* Group personal pension plan with up to 10% employer contribution
* Life assurance for peace of mind
* Financial education, savings, and loans support
* Perkbox Shares scheme
* Cycle to Work and Car Share schemes and for eco‑conscious commuting
* 25 days of annual leave for work‑life balance
* Health insurance service and MOT discounts at our on‑site garage
* One paid day per year for volunteering in the community
What you'll be doing
* Programme Leadership — Oversee a multi‑year investment programme covering treatment processes, MEICA systems, civil structures and resilience schemes. Shape programme roadmaps, priorities, risk profiles and delivery strategies. Provide reliable reporting and assurance to senior leaders and regulators. Drive alignment across disciplines and champion continuous improvement and innovation.
* Project Delivery — Lead the end‑to‑end delivery of projects typically valued at £1m-£25m. Manage scoping, feasibility, optioneering, design, construction and commissioning. Maintain robust budget, schedule, risk and quality management. Oversee NEC contract administration, procurement and partner performance.
* Technical Leadership — Act as a technical authority in Civil or M&E engineering. Challenge and review design solutions to ensure efficiency and compliance. Mentor junior project managers and influence best‑practice standards.
* Stakeholder & Team Collaboration — Build strong relationships across Operations, Engineering, Commercial, Finance and H&S teams. Communicate progress and challenges clearly to senior management and external bodies. Ensure project outcomes support long‑term operational performance.
* Health, Safety, Environment & Quality — Promote our Zero Harm culture and high engineering standards. Lead CDM compliance throughout the project lifecycle. Ensure environmental protection and sustainability principles are embedded in delivery.
What We're Looking For
* Degree in Civil, Mechanical or Electrical Engineering (or equivalent)
* Experience delivering capital projects, ideally in the water sector
* Strong knowledge of NEC3/NES4 contracts and CDM 2015
* Ability to lead multidisciplinary teams and manage complex portfolios
* Strong communication, relationship‑building and commercial awareness
* Successful candidate must pass National Security Vetting; checks are required prior to joining and may extend onboarding timescale.
Core Values
* Be Rock Solid – Build trust and be trusted.
* Be the one we all look to and can depend on.
* Be You – We want you to bring your best every day. Be yourself and make your mark in your individual way.
* Be the Future – Embrace change, drive progress, own the challenge.
Diversity is our strength and a reflection of our communities. We care, we value everyone, we celebrate uniqueness. Be yourself; we like it that way. Together, we will build a culture of belonging, where inclusion is instinctive.
Please let us know if we can support you during the interview process.
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