Water Resource Management Technical Lead

Job title Water Resource Management Technical Lead  Division Strategic Water Resources Location Hybrid - Clearwater Court - RG1 8DB
Contract type Permanent Full/Part-time Full-time Hours 36 hours a week, Monday to Friday Salary Competitive salary between £77,000 & £95,000 per annum depending on experience, plus generous benefits package Job grade C Closing date 30/01/2026

We are looking to recruit a Senior Technical Leader who will direct and oversee the technical development and validity of the company's water resources strategy and its implementation through the company's Water Resources Management Plan (WRMP) and Business Plan.

This is a fantastic opportunity to take a directing role in the future direction of water resources in the South-East of England. You will be a leader in the Water Resources Management Team, who are responsible for ensuring a cost-effective balance of supply and demand options to deliver water to our customers to the year 2100.

This activity is critical to the ongoing success of Thames Water, ensuring we deliver what our customers expect of us, including a safe and reliable supply of water, environmental benefit and reductions in leakage and customer usage.

You will be responsible for the technical delivery of our next water resource management plan (WRMP
29).

Oversee a team of skilled water resources specialists to successfully develop the plan, and work closely with 5 other water companies that form part of Water Resources South East to produce the Regional Plan.

Seek to influence the development of planning methodologies for the WRMP both by working directly with the Environment Agency and through the Water Resources South East (WRSE) regional planning group.

You will have responsibility for steering the overall production of the WRMP documentation suite, including the statement of response and the WRMP Annual Review.

You will lead and coordinate the activities of independent technical and legal experts in reviewing work undertaken to promote large strategic supply options.

You will also be involved in the delivery of our current water resource management plan (WRMP
24), which includes the largest rollout of customer metering in the UK water industry, plans to reduce leakage by 50%, and includes the need to develop multi-billion-pound strategic resource options.

• This is a ‘Hybrid’ role with the base location being Clearwater Court in Reading, and with an expectation of 2 days in the office or on site.
• Working pattern or hours is Monday to Friday, 36 hours a week.
• Some travel will be expected across the Thames Water estate

We are looking for a water industry expert with a substantial knowledge base, both of water assets and the water resources system, alongside the legislative and policy environment within which water resources planning is undertaken.

• Significant in-depth technical experience in the water industry.
• Expert knowledge and experience of critical water issues for the water industry (e.g. water resources planning, water resources options, leakage, metering and water efficiency).
• Experience of influencing and working collaboratively with regulators and non-governmental organisations.
• Experience with strategy development and securing buy-in from all levels across the business
• Ability to work across departments, teams and technical specialists at all levels of the company.

• Line management experience and experience managing external providers
• Degree or professional qualification in a relevant discipline, for example, hydrology, environmental science or water resources management.
• Experience working in other aspects of the water industry/capital projects, for example, operations, strategy & regulation, capital delivery, or infrastructure consenting
• Experience in giving expert evidence, withstanding critical cross-examination and delivering a plan suitable for external scrutiny
• Experience managing budgets and large technical projects, involving multiple stakeholders
• Previous end-to-end delivery of strategic plan…