SuDS Programme Lead

Closing Date

Job Title: SuDS Programme Lead                                                                                 

Location: Flexible (Hybrid, with travel to regional sites)

Contract Type: Permanent

Hours: 37 hours per week

Salary: circa £60,000

Storm overflows are very provocative and not acceptable to our customers and stakeholders. We want to lead the charge in resolving the current situation. That’s where our Clean Rivers & Seas Task Force comes in, implementing pioneering and industry-leading solutions to reduce spills and reliance on overflows whilst also enhancing the environment for our communities. Currently delivering a £45million pathfinder programme which rapidly expands to £1.5billion over next 10 years. The programme has been very successful, and we are now expanding the team so we can continue to work in partnership to deliver a larger programme of sustainable and innovative interventions to reduce the use of storm overflows.

Job Overview

An exciting new role in Southern Water, leading our SuDS Programme in the West, Central or East region. Building excellent partnerships with Local Authorities to delivery sustainable drainage systems which manages surface water in communities, for the purpose of storm overflow reduction, prevent community flooding and to provide wider environmental benefits such as climate adaptation, biodiversity and placemaking. You will drive the programme in your region to deliver SuDS at scale, taking each catchment from technical overview through to feasibility, designs and construction. You’ll be the key contact for the Local Authority on this programme and liaise directly with our technical and delivery colleagues to ensure the right solution is installed in the right place and the right time. This is early in the programme’s existence, which will serve customers and communities for decades. It therefore needs someone who is driven, has unwavering passion for doing the right thing and won’t let obstacles stand in their way.  

• Drive the implementation of SuDS in your region. Working expertly with internal and external stakeholders to deliver solutions that reduce storm overflows, prevent flooding and offer a host of additional benefits. This involves leading workshops, ensuring surveys and designs are completed to requirements, communicating to all parties and problem solving.
• Build and maintain an excellent working relationship with Local Authorities in the region
• Work closely and collaboratively with Technical and Delivery colleagues to ensure the solutions being delivered as part of the SuDS Programme are the right solution, in the right place, at the right time.
• Ensure budgets, governance and progress are being tracked/managed successfully and programme hits key milestones and KPIs
• Learn about the latest SuDS best practice and bring that knowledge into the programme

About You

• Passion to delivery results that benefit the environment and communities
• Great knowledge, understanding and/or passion for SuDS
• Experience working with local authorities, suppliers and stakeholders
• Programme management / project delivery, including managing a budget and adhering to governance
• Experience with the installation of SuDS and awareness of surveys, designs, considerations required
• Able to review approaches objectively and openly testing and challenging assumptions and beliefs
• Strong relationship and stakeholder skills
• Ideally experience working in a water company or with water companies (or a regulated business) and/or experience in an environmental and/or delivery role

This is a unique opportunity to join a high performing and highly engaged team who are delivering a large innovative programme in partnership using sustainable and nature-based approaches to reduce the use of storm overflows and improve the environment. We know that over-use of storm overflows is a problem, so we are excited to invite you to be part of the solution!

Package

This role will be full time Monday to Friday with either one day a week in our Durrington/Falmer office with a flexible approach to working. Role does include travel to regional site visits/meetings. We are offering a salary circa £60,000 as well as other benefits including:

• 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

Join our Clean Rivers & Seas Task Force and see how far your career could progress with a company committed to career progression, training and development opportunities, our customers and the environment.

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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