Bathing Water Partnerships Manager Alliance

Bathing Water Partnerships Manager – (Knaresborough Alliance)

Yorkshire Water is looking for a Bathing Water Partnership Manager to join the Corporate Affairs & Partnership Directorate and help shape the future of bathing water quality. This role will lead the development of a ‘Living with Water’ partnership with North Yorkshire Council to deliver the flagship surface water separation scheme at Knaresborough as part of the Alliance programme.

Location:

Regional / Hybrid Working (1‑2 days in the office a week – Bradford – Relocating to Leeds Summer 2026). Full-time permanent, 37 hours per week, Monday – Friday.

Yorkshire Water serves over 5.4 million people in the region and millions of visitors each year, providing clean and safe drinking water and responsible wastewater services. Beyond basic services, we focus on protecting communities, safeguarding the environment, and planning for sustainable water use 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

With new environmental legislation, extensive investment and rising customer expectations, this is an exciting time to innovate within the water industry. The Corporate Affairs & Partnership Directorate plays a key role in meeting changing expectations from customers and regulators.

A new role within the Bathing Water Strategic Partnerships Team to lead the development of a ‘Living with Water’ style partnership with North Yorkshire Council and facilitate delivery of the flagship surface water separation scheme at Knaresborough as part of the Alliance programme.

• Be accountable for identifying and developing new partnerships and stakeholder relationships to align objectives and investment opportunities to deliver greater benefits for customers and the environment.
• Maintain a portfolio of collaborative projects, overseeing these from inception to completion.
• Work across Yorkshire Water and the partnership teams to find solutions and break down barriers to allow the successful delivery of projects as smoothly as possible.
• Drive delivery individually and through virtual teams across the business and partnership to achieve the partnership goals and aspirations.
• Champion a nature‑first approach.
• Lead with passion, determination and drive to push the boundaries of traditional approaches to deliver efficient and effective partnership and nature‑based solutions.
• Deliver excellent performance by setting clear expectations linked to business and partnership targets, having meaningful performance discussions that recognize and reward the right performance and behaviours, and challenging where performance and behaviours do not meet expectations.
• Deliver bathing water regulatory targets and drive continuous improvement.
• Monitor upcoming regulatory changes and assess impacts on performance and risk.
• Lead on projects and initiatives funded by Yorkshire Water’s bathing water OPEX programme, seeking opportunities to maximise value.
• Support annual performance reporting with accurate, assured data.
• Provide clear updates on risks and opportunities to senior leaders.
• Champion high health & safety standards across all activity.
• Work with fellow Bathing Water Partnership Managers to share best practice and ensure continuity.

• Experience collaborating with a range of stakeholders and influencing others to drive performance improvements.
• Confidence leading and supporting teams in a fast‑paced, changing environment.
• Strong understanding of health & safety processes, systems and best practice.
• Ability to analyse and interpret data, including using corporate reporting systems to track and report bathing water compliance.
• Experience investigating asset or process failures, identifying root causes and recommending effective improvements.
• Previous experience and knowledge of the water industry.
• A good understanding of the Water Industry Regulatory framework and in particular the Revised Bathing Water Directive and its impact on bathing water quality (desirable).
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to present information clearly across all levels of…