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Yorkshire Water Graduate Scheme – Innovation and Partnerships Project Manager 

 

Salary & Benefits 

 

  • Starting salary: £32,000, rising to £37,000 by end of year 2 

  • Extras: £2,000 signing bonus, annual bonus, 25 days holiday + bank holidays + wellness day 

  • Pension: Up to 12% company contribution 

  • Life assurance: 4x pensionable salary 

  • Permenant substantive role offer upon completion of programme subject to performance 

 

 

Flexible Benefits Package 

 

Includes health cash plan, critical illness and dental insurance, life assurance flex (with partner cover), retail discounts, online GP access, cycle-to-work scheme, gym membership savings, and more. 

 

Location: West Yorkshire with requirement for flexible travel across Yorkshire & Humber. 

 

 Work type:  37 hours per week between a working window of 8:00am-6:00pm Monday – Friday 

 

 

Why Yorkshire Water? 

 

Yorkshire Water delivers essential water and wastewater services to over 5.4 million people. But we’re more than taps and toilets—we protect the environment, support communities, and help shape Yorkshire’s future. 

From tackling climate change to planning for droughts and floods, we’re solving some of the biggest challenges facing our region and we need talented graduates to help us do it. 

 

 

Your Graduate Programme 

 

Our two-year programme offers you five placements across your allocated business area, complemented by a choice of placements to suit your personal development needs in core functions such as Finance, Health & Safety, People, and Procurement, enabling you to have a balanced understanding of the business. You’ll gain hands-on experience, technical and leadership training, and support from mentors, managers, graduate alumni, and our Early in Careers team to support you from the day you make the decision to join us. 

By the end of the scheme, you’ll be ready to step into a permanent role and make a lasting impact. 

We have an exciting opportunity for a Graduate position in the Strategy & Regulation function at Yorkshire Water.  We greatly value the skills and knowledge that our Graduate community bring to our business and the continued contribution they make as they embark on their varied careers across all of our operational and support areas.   

 

 

Your Team: 


 
The Innovation and Partnerships functions cover a number of connected, yet discrete areas, with the opportunity to work across exciting areas, such as identifying and delivering innovation opportunities, championing nature-based solutions, through to contributing to strategies central to Yorkshire Water achieving our vision. 

 

Innovation and Partnership activity is integral to driving the growth of Yorkshire Water through the revenues secured during the Periodic Review process. You and your team have a key role to play in shaping Yorkshire Water’s strategic direction and, as such, take a forward-looking approach to business planning. We are a committed team with a wealth of technical experiences, accountable for meeting Yorkshire Water’s statutory and legal requirements, whilst also securing opportunities for growth and building our influence.  

 

The team delivers a programme that aligns with and addresses current operational and emerging strategic risks, and considering wider challenges facing the industry such as population growth, climate change, affordability and stakeholder expectations. We are increasingly focusing on creating commercial opportunities to support non-regulated growth within our portfolio of activity. Our vision is to deliver opportunities for resilience, improved service performance and business growth through a programme of Research and Development based on a clear articulation of risk and opportunity.  

 

 

Your Role: 

 

As an Innovation and Partnerships Project Manager you will: 

  • Follow all aspects of the Project Management lifecycle and ensure that all projects are delivered to time, cost and quality as well as coordinating input to and then driving the technical direction of the project 

  • Work with colleagues in the Procurement, Legal and Contracts teams to ensure work with partners and the supply chain is completed in a timely and professional manner, and in line with Corporate Governance policies 

  • Work with the Business Sponsor to maximise the chance of successful implementation of projects throughout the lifecycle 

  • Ensure that an effective communication plan exposes projects to maximum potential publicity and dissemination throughout their lifecycle both internal and external to Yorkshire Water 

  • Play an active part in delivering an annual review, which forms part of the wider 5 year price review process 

  • Respond, or coordinate a response to regulatory requests for information 

 
 


Requirements: 
 
 

  • Minimum 2:1 Bachelors degree in a Science, Sustainability or Engineering discipline 

  • Enthusiasm and a drive to succeed 

 
If you have an enquiring mind and want to join our business at a time where you can make a difference to our customers, our environment and join our sustainability led efforts – please apply! 

 

Recruitment Process –  

 

Closing date: 18th November 2025  

Assessment Centres:  15th December 2025  

Start date:  14th September 2026 

 

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.  

 

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.   

 

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. 

What's in it for you?

Career enhancement and development, colleague well-being and a genuinely positive work experience for all are key priorities. We are continuously evolving and improving our ways of working and you will support us in achieving our vision of 'taking responsibility for the water environment for good'.

If you feel this opportunity is suitable and you match the skills required, then please apply on line and complete the application process.

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.

The Kelda Group provides water and sewerage services to domestic and business customers across the UK, managing the following subsidiary companies: - 

Yorkshire Water, is the main subsidiary company providing water and sewerage services to 4.7 million people and 130,000 businesses in the Yorkshire region. Its activities are regulated by the Water Services Regulation Authority, Ofwat Loop Customer Management Ltd specialises in delivering customer service support to Yorkshire Water that includes billing, debt recovery and incident management. Employing more than 600 people, Loop have built up an impressive list of industry awards and achievements since being created in 2000 and is currently listed in the Sunday Times Top 100 list as being one of the best companies to work for.

Kelda Water Services (KWS) manages Kelda's non-regulated water and waste water contract operations. It is now the second biggest player in the UK market for outsourced clean and waste water services.

Kelda Water Services Retail offer quality, integrity and partnership but it is never just about the technologies behind our solutions in water. It is about the structure, delivery and even the financing of those solutions, and about giving our customers a level of convenience they never knew was possible.

KeyLand Developments Limited (KeyLand Developments) is responsible for managing, developing and disposing of the group's surplus property assets, either on its own or in partnership with outside organisations.

Kelda Group values equality, diversity and inclusion we believe that everyone should be treated with respect. We welcome applications from all individuals, regardless of gender, marital status, parental status, sexual orientation, race, colour, ethnic or national origin, disability, age, religion or belief and trade union membership.

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.

Programme Graduate - Partnerships and Innovation

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