Role: Head of River Health

Salary & Benefits(3a): Salary up to £90K dependant on experience, plus £5k per year car cash allowance, annual incentive related bonus (up to 15% of annual salary), private health care (for self and partner), attractive pension scheme (Up to 10% company contribution), life assurance cover of 4 times pensionable salary and 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays and a wellness day. We also offer a fantastic flexible benefits package, where you can choose from benefits such as health cash plan scheme, critical illness insurance, dental insurance, life assurance flex and partner cover.  Colleagues also have access to a retail savings scheme, online GP service, cycle to work scheme, gym membership discounts and many more!

Location: Regionally based, this is a flexible hybrid arrangement. Our hybrid setup typically requires an average of 2-3 office or on-site days per week for this role. This could be slightly more when collaborative efforts, training or meeting deadlines demand it. For those who prefer to work on-site, our offices are open Monday-Friday during working hours.  

Working Hours: Permanent.  37 hours per week Monday to Friday, expectation to participate in a senior leader standby rota.

We have an exciting opportunity for a Head of River Health to join the wastewater directorate at Yorkshire Water and be a part of providing the best possible services to our customers and the environment. Could this be you?

What we do:

5.5 million people in Yorkshire rely on the services we provide.  Every day over 2 million homes across the region return over 1 billion litres of wastewater, which we collect, treat and recycled through 53,000 KM of pipework. Protecting public health and the environment is at the heart of what we do.

Interested in making a huge difference to the environment? Yorkshire Water are planning its largest ever environmental programme, unprecedented levels of investment and changing expectations from customers means that this is an exciting time to join a sector and contribute to a thriving Yorkshire, right for customers and right for the environment. This exciting role will lead the creation of our largest environmental programme, embracing nature-based solutions, reducing carbon, improving rivers and bathing waters as well as reducing the risks of sewer flooding in Yorkshire – What’s not to like!

Yorkshire Water will be investing over £4bn into the environment, this role is key to ensuring we get the most environmental benefit, continue to improve our operational performance and environmental contributions, this role will be the Chief Architect of our river health strategy which includes pollution reduction and storm overflow improvement, community engagement with local interest groups as well as providing assurance and performance reporting of how we are doing.

Do this well and there will be lots of other opportunities for you as we continue to deliver against our long-term strategy. If you want a career in a business that cares about doing the right thing for the environment in a business with a real and meaningful purpose, then Yorkshire Water is the place for you.

The Head of River Health is responsible for driving exceptional performance in storm overflow and pollution management to enhance the river health in Yorkshire. They provide visionary leadership in developing and implementing strategies to address these challenges and lead Yorkshire Water to be a leader in the sector. The role involves collaboration with the Environment Agency, industry partners, and NGOs to achieve the best possible outcomes and ensure Yorkshire Water is meeting all environmental commitments. This position is part of the Wastewater leadership team community and contributes to the strategic planning of the company and will need to be great at working with others across the business to deliver success.

Do this well and you will contribute to making a real difference to the lives of customers in this beautiful region.

Where you fit in:

As our Head of River Health, you will:

• Strategic Leadership: Provide visionary leadership in the development and implementation of strategies that address storm overflow and pollution challenges. Lead a significant step change in performance, positioning the organisation as a leader in the industry.
• Performance Accountability: Assume full accountability for driving improvement and ensuring strong delivery across various business performance metrics and obligations related to storm overflow and pollution. Serve as the key business expert in this area and key point of contact for senior external stakeholders.
• Collaboration and Relationship Management: Establish strong relationships and collaborate with operational teams, leadership, and external partners. Fostering collaboration, build trust, and ensure effective coordination.
• Transformation and Sustainability: Lead the organisation's transformation efforts, driving the adoption of greener and more resilient practice and also embracing data and insight to understand where the priorities are. Overall being a champion of initiatives that tackle river health and climate change which contribute to wider environmental benefits.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Cultivate and maintain effective relationships with clients and internal stakeholders, ensuring their needs and expectations are met. Drive a culture of collaboration, open communication, and customer-centricity.
• Strategic Planning and Investment: Lead the development, publication, and annual review of the company's Environmental Performance Reporting, delivery strategies, and investment plans. Align these plans with long-term investment goals, including DWMP, new developments, asset resilience, strategic risk, and security.
• Process Optimization and Innovation: Design and implement robust processes that simplify operations, improve efficiency, and enhance environmental sustainability. Foster a culture of continuous improvement and adaptability to new regulations and industry standards.
• Team Development and Empowerment: Develop a high-performing team, fostering a culture of excellence, collaboration, and innovation. Empower team members to work smarter, embrace technological advancements, and maximize the potential of the new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system.
• Capital Investment Management: Oversee capital investment decisions, ensuring they are targeted, effective, and aligned with the organization's strategic objectives. Evaluate investment opportunities, prioritize initiatives, and monitor their progress and impact.
• Health and Safety: Take personal responsibility for self and others with respect to health and safety, risk management and control of work to ensure compliance with the YW Safety Policy. Accountable for adherence to Company standards, policy and procedure and following Business Process Management ethos, to ensure regulatory and legal compliance and maintenance of ISO accreditation.

What skills & qualifications you will need:

• Strong people leader experienced in managing large technical teams and driving change.
• Degree level qualification in a science/Engineering-based discipline or equivalent technical experience.
• Highly developed coaching approach to managing people.
• Experience of strategic thinking, establishing clear strategic direction and implementing plans.
• Excellent communication and experience of influencing at senior level (Director level/Head of department/General manager level)
• Good analytical skills, can compile, assess, interpretate and communicate data.
• Can manage conflicting priorities and balance the needs of multiple stakeholders.
• Experience of creating complex and ambitious business cases.
• Demonstrable experience of creating high performing, engaged and capable teams.

You will also benefit from having:

• Experience in Utilities leadership.
• Experience of working in a regulatory environment that deliver better services, lower costs, and increased revenues.

The company is committed to support flexible work patterns and job share options, where possible, to give you more control over your time and responsibilities. Whether you have child-care responsibilities or are looking for the ideal work-life balance our flexible options can offer work patterns that suit your needs

If you’re an experienced Senior Leader and want to help us deliver exceptional service for our customers whilst protecting the environment, then apply today to find out what a career with Yorkshire Water can offer for you.

If you feel this opportunity is suitable and you match the skills required, then please apply online and complete the application process. Please upload an up-to-date copy of your CV and outlining your relevant experience for the role and current remuneration package.

Advert closing date: 8th May

Assessment dates: To be announced shortly.

Company information

All our roles are subject to a medical questionnaire, and further medicals when required.

If successful for the role, you will be required to undergo pre-employment checks that will include a Basic Disclosure Check, carried out through a Third-Party Company, prior to commencing employment. Depending on the role, you may also be required to go through the security vetting process for either a Counter Terrorist Check or Security Check clearance.

We are proud to serve the Yorkshire region and are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment that is reflective of the communities we serve. We strongly encourage candidates of all different backgrounds to apply.

Kelda Group reserve the right to close this position before the published closing date, should the need occur. We therefore advise that you complete and submit your application as soon as possible.