Operational Readiness Lead

Hello! Thanks for stopping by. Let us tell you about all the great reasons to join us here at Yorkshire Water:

• We offer a competitive salary, depending on experience £34,122 - £42,379 (band 4c)
• Annual incentive related bonus (£1000 maximum bonus opportunity for the performance year)
• Attractive pension scheme (up to 12% company contribution)
• Development opportunities in line with the Operational Readiness Lead progression plan
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays – plus 2 extra wellness days!
• Life assurance cover of 4 times pensionable salary
• A great benefits package – choose from health cash plan scheme, critical illness insurance, dental insurance, life assurance flex and partner cover. 
• Retail savings scheme 
• Online GP service, cycle to work scheme, gym membership discounts and many more!

Location:  This role will initially be based in Bradford but we’re moving our office to Leeds Valley Park in September 2026, so you’ll be based there in the future - Hybrid Working (2-3 days office a week – Bradford/Leeds)

Work type: Permanent. 37 hours per week, Monday – Friday.

We have an exciting opportunity for an Operational Readiness Lead to join the Asset Delivery & Engineering at Yorkshire Water and be a part of helping Yorkshire Water to provide the best service to our customers. Could this be you?

What we do:

Everyone has an idea of what a water company does. Here in Yorkshire, we make sure that over 5.4 million people living in the region and the millions of people who visit our region each year, can rely on our services, and have clean and safe drinking water on tap and that their wastewater is taken away. But for us, it’s so much more than this.

We look after communities, protect the environment, and plan to look after Yorkshire’s water, today, tomorrow 24/7, 365 days a year. We provide essential water and wastewater services to every corner of the Yorkshire region, and play a key role in the region’s health, wellbeing, and prosperity.

New environmental legislation, unprecedented levels of investment and changing expectations from customers means that this is an exciting time to discover opportunities within the water industry. Asset Delivery & Engineering are a key part of how we plan to meet the changing expectations of customers and regulators. 

The Operational Readiness Lead is responsible for ensuring that individual capital projects deliver all readiness activities and products required for a safe, stable, and timely operational handover. Working within the Operational Readiness framework established by the Operational Readiness Manager, the role provides proactive, hands-on coordination of readiness activities throughout the project lifecycle, from Solution Design through to Handover. Acting as the key link between capital delivery, asset management, and operations, the Operational Readiness Lead ensures that engineering teams, project managers, contract partners, and operational subject matter experts fulfil their responsibilities and deliver readiness outputs to the required standard and timescales. This role is critical to Yorkshire Water’s goal of reducing handover cycle times to less than 90 days post-Beneficial Completion by driving the completion of operational readiness activities in parallel with construction, rather than after project delivery.

Where you fit in:

As our Operational Readiness Lead you will

• Coordinate and track all Operational Readiness activities across an allocated portfolio of capital projects, ensuring readiness deliverables—including asset data, operations and maintenance (O&M) plans, training plans, maintenance capability requirements, and operational expenditure (OPEX) budget validation—are completed to the required standard and prior to Beneficial Completion.
• Engage with engineering, project delivery, asset management, and operational teams to drive accountability for readiness deliverables, ensuring responsibilities are fulfilled in line with the RACI framework and escalating non-compliance or delivery risks to the Operational Readiness Manager.
• Identify, track, and manage Operational Readiness risks at project level, maintaining accurate and up-to-date risk registers, implementing mitigation actions where appropriate, and escalating risks that cannot be resolved within the project team.
• Represent Operational Readiness at project governance meetings, design reviews, and stage-gate assessments, providing an objective view of readiness status and ensuring any accepted gaps or deferred deliverables are formally recorded, risk-assessed, and assigned agreed closure dates.
• Support the development, definition, and validation of readiness criteria for new project types, emerging technologies, or novel asset configurations, helping to ensure the Operational Readiness framework remains effective, proportionate, and fit for purpose.
• Build and maintain strong working relationships with contract partners and key stakeholders, ensuring Operational Readiness requirements are clearly understood, appropriately incorporated into project scopes and contracts, and effectively monitored throughout the project lifecycle.

What skills & qualifications you will need:

• Experience of, or direct involvement in, commissioning, operational handover, and asset transition activities within a capital delivery environment.
• Demonstrable ability to coordinate and influence multi-disciplinary teams, ensuring delivery against defined frameworks, standards, and organisational requirements.
• Proven project management experience, with the ability to plan, track, and coordinate activities across multiple stakeholders and competing priorities.
• Good understanding of the Capital Delivery Lifecycle, including the key stages, governance requirements, and dependencies associated with successful project delivery and handover.
• Operational experience or a strong understanding of operational requirements at handover, including the risks associated with inadequate readiness, asset information, training, maintenance arrangements, and operational capability.

Although we operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, it’s important to us that we support flexible working patterns and job share options (when we can), to help you make the best of both your work and home life. We know that juggling childcare responsibilities or getting that ideal work/life balance isn’t always easy!

Do we sound like your cup of tea?  

If you’ve got experience as an Operational Readiness Lead or looking to step up into this role and want to help us deliver great service for our customers whilst looking after the environment, then be sure to apply today to find out what a career with Yorkshire Water can offer you.  

Closing date – 23rd July

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.

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

We are committed to removing barriers and ensuring our recruitment process is accessible to everyone. We offer a range of adjustments to make your application experience as comfortable and straightforward as possible.

If you have an accessibility need, disability, or condition that requires changes to the recruitment process, please include this information in your application. We will then discuss any reasonable adjustments required.

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.

No agencies please.