Head of Major Projects

Overview

Lead delivery of major water infrastructure projects, overseeing strategy, budget, stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

• contract management
• project planning
• financial management
• stakeholder engagement
• governance reporting
• risk management

Tasks

-Lead, mentor, and develop the Major Projects team fostering a culture of excellence, safety, and accountability. -Work with procurement and legal teams to negotiate and manage complex contracts with DPC partners, consultants, and contractors. -Work with SEW PMO to oversee the development of robust project plans, risk registers, and governance structures to ensure effective project control and transparent reporting. -Responsible for the financial performance of the major projects portfolio, including budget setting, forecasting, and cost control. -Engage with the supplier market to build an understanding of and appetite for the delivery model using insights gained to improve and refine our approaches. -Drive innovation and new approaches to unlock programme opportunities, test delivery plans, proactively resolve emerging issues, build confidence with regulators, the investor market and delivery stakeholders. -Ensure effective commercial and contract management, mitigating financial and commercial risks throughout the project lifecycle. -Build and maintain strong, collaborative relationships with all internal and external stakeholders to facilitate smooth project delivery and serve as a primary point of contact for external stakeholders, including Ofwat, RAPID, the Environment Agency, and local communities. -Chair and own Steering Group governance process providing regular and accurate reports on project progress, performance, and key risks to SEW senior leadership team and Board -Promote a safe working environment and ensure all projects adhere to the SEW health, safety, and environmental policies. -Shape and operationalise a programmatic approach to delivery, creating clarity, insight and performance -Ensure the team is equipped with the necessary skills, resources, and tools to effectively deliver the major projects programme. -Manage governance compliance through the RAPID gated process, ensuring all submissions are timely and accurate. -Ensure visibility of risks and issues through routine reporting and be proactive in how these are addressed within SEW and with our wider stakeholder groups. -Manage the DPC competitive tender process, including the evaluation and selection of the Competitively Appointed Provider (CAP).

Requirements

• prince2
• leadership
• commercial
• pfi
• stakeholder
• engineering

What You Bring

-Excellent interpersonal skills, particularly in negotiation, influencing and engagement, with the ability to build trust, confidence and lasting partnerships across organisations. -Strong commercial and contractual knowledge. -Significant knowledge and proven experience of major project delivery, ideally in an infrastructure sector with PFI/DBO or similar financing models managing substantial commercial risk across a complex regulatory environment. -Exceptional communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills. -Excellent leadership and team management skills, with the ability to motivate and develop a high-performing team. -A relevant Professional qualification in project or programme management (e.g., APM Chartered Project Professional, PRINCE2, MoP, MSP) -A leadership style which inspires, motivates, and promotes collaboration to develop high performing, innovative and inclusive teams. -Demonstrable experience in managing multi-million-pound capital programmes and delivering large-scale, complex infrastructure projects, with a significant portion in a senior leadership role. -It is necessary for you to have the legal right to work in the UK when you begin employment with South East Water. -Experienced project delivery professional with a comprehensive understanding of major infrastructure delivery, regulatory landscapes, and large-scale infrastructure delivery models. -A relevant degree in Engineering, Project Management, or a related field. -Additionally, as part of the employment offer, you will need to pass background, identity, and employment referencing checks.

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Benefits

-Life assurance. -Cycle to work scheme. -Health cash plan. -Package starting from £120,000+ (flexibility depending on experience) -Flexible annual leave policy to buy or sell holiday leave. -£9,844 Car allowance -Paid volunteering days. -Senior Management Bonus -Excellent Stakeholder pension scheme, up to 10% employer contribution. -5 weeks holiday plus bank holidays per annum, increasing to 6 weeks with length of service.

About South East Water Uk

-Founded in 1992 and restructured by merger in 2007, it has grown into a major regional water supplier. -Draws from aquifers, rivers and reservoirs, treating at some 83 works before distribution. -Project pipeline includes new reservoir at Broad Oak (operational by 2033), treatment works upgrades in Maidenhead and Maidstone. -Focuses on network resilience—leak detection teams, smart meters, and buffer storage tanks to reduce interruptions. -Environmental engagement includes working with farmers, monitoring SSSIs, and using dogs to protect wildlife during works. -Privately owned under a mix of pension and trust entities. -Notably endured a significant regulator investigation after households experienced supply failures and hosepipe bans.

Sector Specialisms

Security Clearance

-pass background, identity, and employment referencing checks.