Agile Process Excellence Programme Manager

About the role: 
The mission for the Agile Process Excellence (APEx) team is promote a continuous improvement culture at Thames Water to drive a simpler, better, faster business that delivers within its means. From a central Strategic Transformation function, APEx has a business-wide remit for developing change capability in our colleagues so we can deliver value for our Customers.

Reducing complexity and waste is central to what APEx is about and our Business Process Simplification (BPS) Programme approaches this from the level of end-to-end value-streams and business architecture, spanning the entire organisation. BPS is a special opportunity to transform Thames Water’s high-level business processes holistically and strategically to deliver meaningful value.

The APEx team have recently commenced ‘Discovery’ for two end-to-end value-streams (Meter to Cash and Source to Pay) and recognising the scale and importance of delivering BPS successfully, we are looking for a skilled and talented Programme Manager to join the APEx team to structure and lead this programme.

What you’ll be doing as a APEx Improvement Specialist
As APEx Programme Manager, you will be responsible for defining, managing, and delivering a coherent set of activities across a significant programme of value-stream optimisation and business change within targeted business areas.

You will need to be able to define, in partnership with the relevant senior stakeholders, the programme scope, benefits and business outcomes. You will also need to coordinate with our Digital teams where there are links between BPS business architecture and the system architecture of the Digital roadmap.

You will deliver the BPS programme to the expected standards of time, quality, and budget, including reporting associated plans, risks, and issues to APEx, Turnaround and Executive leadership.

Key Responsibilities:
Programme set-up and management:
Establish and manage a regular programme governance structure, including management of cost, schedule, resources, risk, issue and dependency management. Manage change (scope, time, budget) within agreed tolerances or escalate changes accordingly.

Governance and control:
Use effective governance and control to ensure informed decision-making and effective delivery. Clearly define, document and deliver against the programme vision. Capture lessons learned from the programme, create project closure reports and steer lessons learned workshops. Complete reports as required by the PMO and Thames Water and participate in any assurance activity managed by the PMO.

Stakeholder Management and Communications:
Identify, engage, and manage direct and indirect stakeholders appropriately in the context of their role within the programme, up to and including the Executive Director level. Ensure stakeholders are well-informed and aligned with the programme.

Resource planning:
Work with the Head of APEx to identify and secure the appropriate level and capability of resources required to deliver the programme. Support and direct the programme team to deliver milestones. Manage the approval and sign-off of deliverables.

Cost and benefit management:
Track return on investment and maintain the business case to ensure it remains up to date - identifying, managing, tracking and reporting on benefits achieved by the programme. Factor into design and delivery how the Process Office control will operate to sustain the improvements delivered by the BPS Programme.

Base Location: Reading /Hybrid
Working Pattern: Full time
What you should bring to the role

• Demonstrable hands-on experience of leading the end to end delivery of complex projects and/or programmes.
• Leadership skills and ability to champion the programme management agenda amongst a diverse range of stakeholders. Ability to influence and align stakeholders and team members to a common strategy and plan.
• Desire to build relationships and work collaboratively across a diverse set of stakeholders to achieve a common goal. Skill at managing stakeholder groups and balancing diplomacy and tact with assertiveness. Ability to build trust and demonstrate integrity in all circumstances.
• Ability to engage and communicate persuasively with a broad range of stakeholders, up to and including board level. Ability to manage and inspire programme team members to achieve success Is energetic, determined, positive, goal focused and consistent - even under pressure.
• A self-starter who takes ownership for seeing a deliverable through to completion. Effective at identifying issues early and escalating these appropriately. Ability to prioritise effectively in a high-pressure, uncertain environment to deliver stable performance.
• Confident conveying complex messages and information concerning progress, problems and their solutions. Able to write and present documents which are compelling and unambiguous. Possess excellent written and verbal communication skills tailored to the stakeholder audience. Working knowledge and experience with Microsoft Office (including Project, PowerPoint, Word and Excel).
• Experience in applying standard project/ programme management frameworks (tools, techniques) and competency in developing and maintaining accurate project/ programme plans.

What’s in it for you?
This is an opportunity for professional growth and development, with the chance to make a significant impact on the future of Thames Water and the communities we serve.

• Competitive salary - Offering between £75,000 - £87,000 per annum dependent on experience
• Annual Leave - 26 days holiday per year increasing to 30 with the length of service (Plus bank holidays)
• Car Allowance
• Annual Bonus
• Private Medical Health Care
• Contributory pension – Defined Contribution - Maximum of 12% -2x employee contribution
• Personal Medical Assessments – Open to all once a year

Wider benefits scheme including our benefits hub, which is packed full of offers and information to save you money and support your wellbeing

Find out more about our benefits and perks

Who are we?
We’re the UK’s largest water and wastewater company, with more than 16 million customers relying on us every day to supply water for their taps and toilets. We want to build a better future for all, helping our customers, communities, people and the planet to thrive. It’s a big job and we’ve got a long way to go, so we need help from passionate and skilled people, committed to making a difference and getting us to where we want to be in the years and decades to come.

Learn more about our purpose and values

Working at Thames Water
Thames Water is a unique, rewarding and diverse place to work, where every day you can make a difference, yet no day is the same. As part of our family, you’ll enjoy fast-tracked career opportunities, flexible working arrangements and excellent benefits.

Whether you’re interested in a role in one of our call centres or science labs, we’re looking for people like you with real passion and a burning desire to make things better.

So, if you’re looking for a sustainable and successful career where you can make a daily difference to millions of people’s lives while helping to protect the world of water for future generations, we’ll be here to support you every step of the way. Together, we can build a better future for our customers, our region and our planet.

Real purpose, real support, real opportunities. Come and join the Thames Water family. Why choose us? Learn more.

Our overarching aim is to ensure that Thames Water is great, diverse and inclusive place to work. We welcome applications from everyone and offer extra support for those who need it throughout the recruitment process. Our aim is to remove any real or perceived barriers to success, so if you need assistance, we’re here to help and support.

When a crisis happens, we all rally around to support our customers. As part of Team Thames, you’ll have the opportunity to sign up to support our customers on the frontline as an ambassador. Full training will be given for what is undoubtedly an incredibly rewarding experience. It’s also a great opportunity to learn more about our business, meet colleagues and earn some extra money along the way.

Disclaimer: due to the high volume of applications we receive, we may close the advert earlier than the advertised date, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.