Closing Date
2026-04-24
Job Title: Programme Management Officer
Location: Durrington (Worthing) – hybrid working (typically 2 days onsite, Tuesday to Thursday)
Contract Type: Permanent (flexible working considered)
Hours: Full time, Monday to Friday
Salary: Up to £45,000 a year
About the role
We are looking for a proactive and adaptable Programme Management Officer (PMO) to support a growing portfolio of Procurement and Commercial programmes. This is a hands‑on, specialist PMO role providing portfolio visibility, coordination and decision‑ready insight across complex change and transformation initiatives such as Source to Pay (S2P), Electric Vehicles, Accommodation and future programmes as our portfolio continues to evolve.
You will use your PMO experience and judgement to shape and improve day‑to‑day ways of working, ensuring they are proportionate, effective and aligned to delivery needs.
You will act as the glue that holds programmes together—ensuring effective planning, reporting, governance, and stakeholder alignment across multiple workstreams.
This role offers a high level of autonomy and trust. You will be encouraged to apply your PMO experience and judgement to improve how the portfolio operates day‑to‑day, rather than following rigid or overly bureaucratic processes. Your work will directly inform senior decision‑making and governance across Procurement & Commercial.
What you will be responsible for:
1. Providing programme and portfolio support across Procurement and Commercial initiatives, maintaining a consolidated and accurate view of progress, risks, issues and dependencies
2. Owning and maintaining programme and portfolio information (including RAID, change and key trackers), ensuring data quality and credibility
3. Acting as a central interface between Procurement, Commercial, Corporate Transformation, Digital, and Finance teams
4. Consolidating programme and project reporting to provide a clear, portfolio-level view of progress and performance
5. Coordinating programme and workstream meetings where required, including agenda preparation, action tracking and follow‑up (minute‑taking where appropriate)
6. Capturing lessons learned and supporting continuous improvement across programme delivery approaches
7. Applying PMO experience and judgement independently to propose and implement practical improvements to portfolio reporting, coordination and governance
8. Producing portfolio‑level insight and narrative to support senior leadership and governance forums, enabling informed prioritisation and decision‑making
What you’ll bring to the role:
Essential
9. Proven experience in a PMO, programme support, or project support role
10. Relevant PMO, programme or portfolio support experience within a complex organisation
11. Comfortable working autonomously and applying PMO judgement in environments where ways of working continue to evolve
12. Ability to work confidently across programmes of different sizes and complexities
13. Excellent stakeholder engagement and communication skills
14. Strong MS Office skills, particularly Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
Desirable
15. Experience with MS Project, Planner, or similar tools
16. Experience working within or alongside Procurement or Commercial teams (highly desirable)
17. Experience within utilities, the water industry, procurement, or commercial environments
This role offers excellent exposure across Procurement, Corporate Transformation, Digital and Finance, making it an ideal opportunity for someone looking to deepen their PMO capability while building strong relationships across the business.
About Southern Water
Southern Water is at the forefront of transforming Britain’s water industry, investing significantly to enhance resilience, sustainability, and service excellence. With £7.8bn planned investment for 2025–30, this is an unparalleled opportunity to join a business committed to delivering a generational shift in the way water services are managed.
You will be joining at a time of significant change, working alongside a highly skilled leadership team with a clear vision for the future. We offer an environment where our people can make a meaningful impact, influence strategic outcomes, and continue to develop their careers.
At Southern Water, we believe diverse perspectives drive innovation. If this opportunity excites you but you’re not sure you meet every requirement, or if you need flexibility around working hours, we encourage you to apply or have a conversation with us. Your experience and potential could be exactly what we’re looking for.
If this role isn’t quite right for you but you’d like to hear about future opportunities at Southern Water, you can register your details here: Introduce Yourself (myworkdaysite.com).
Our Commitment to Diversity
We welcome applicants from all backgrounds, identities, and experiences. We do not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, or any other protected characteristic. If you require reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know.
Additional information:
In line with Southern Water’s security requirements, successful candidates will be required to provide evidence of their identity, eligibility to work in the UK, and verification of their employment and/or education history for the past three years. Appointment to this role is subject to the successful completion of all pre-employment checks, which may include a DBS check and security vetting.
Some roles may also require out-of-hours incident support as part of our commitment to delivering water for life. This will be discussed further during the interview process.
#LI-AW1
#LI-Hybrid