Closing Date
28/11/2025
Job Title: Area Manager – Water Resources and Production
Location: Brede
Contract Type: 12 Month FTC
Salary: Up to £60,000 depending on skills and experience
Job Overview
Are you ready to lead operations and drive performance across a dynamic region?
Southern Water is seeking an Area Manager to support the Regional Operations Manager in delivering exceptional operational performance and strategic objectives. This is a pivotal role ensuring compliance, resilience, and innovation within Water Resources and Production.
Reporting to the Regional Operations Manager, this is a development opportunity designed to build leadership capacity and prepare you for the next tier of management. Your role will ensure they are supported, coordinated, and empowered to deliver consistently especially as we prepare for the complex and high-profile projects
Responsibilities will include:
* Oversee day-to-day operations across multiple sites, ensuring consistent performance and regulatory compliance.
* Act as deputy to the Regional Operations Manager, providing leadership during periods of absence.
* Collaborate with Field Performance Managers and Technical Coordinators to develop teams through coaching and mentoring.
* Champion health, safety, water quality, and environmental standards.
* Drive continuous improvement, knowledge sharing, and succession planning to build a future-ready workforce.
* Represent Southern Water in internal and external forums, including regulator liaison and contractor engagement.
* Lead change initiatives and foster a culture of adaptability and collaboration.
About You
* Proven leadership experience in utilities, maintenance, or operational environments.
* Strong commercial and financial acumen with the ability to balance competing priorities.
* Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
* Resilient, adaptable, and capable of motivating diverse teams.
* Knowledge of regulatory frameworks, health & safety, and water quality standards.
Package
This role will be full time Monday to Friday 37 hours a week.
Southern Water operates a hybrid approach between our Brede office and home.
We are offering a salary of up to £60,000 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
• Private medical insurance (Senior Grades only)
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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