Innovation Project Manager

This exciting role is pivotal in driving innovation and as the Project Manager you will lead the implementation and execution of ground-breaking projects, ensuring timely delivery within budget and to the highest quality standards.

Your expertise will also be key in supporting the PMO's research, development, and innovation initiatives. Through rigorous oversight and analysis, you will guarantee robust reporting, focusing on quality, time, cost, investment case review, and benefit tracking.

What you’ll be doing as an Innovation Project Manager

• Manage multiple projects and work streams across the innovation portfolio.
• Define and manage project scope, ensuring clear boundaries and effective change control.
• Proactively assess, mitigate, and manage project risks and issues.
• Optimise resource allocation across projects, including budget, personnel, and equipment.
• Ensure adherence to quality standards and implement quality assurance processes.
• Support project assurance reporting both internally and externally, and monitoring through project reviews/health-checks, making adjustments as necessary to ensure the successful completion of the project.
• Ensuring the projects remain in scope and aligned to the innovation portfolio aims and goals.
• Champion a culture of continuous improvement within the Innovation PMO, seeking opportunities to optimise processes and enhance efficiency.
• Stay informed about emerging technologies and industry trends relevant to Thames Water.

Base location: Hybrid - Reading (STW) - RG2 0RP

Working pattern or hours: 36 hours, Monday- Friday
(Please note this is a 10-12 month fixed-term opportunity).

What you should bring to the role

To thrive in this role, the essential criteria you’ll need is:

• Demonstrable experience of successfully managing complex projects from initiation to closure, within budget and agreed timelines.
• Specifically, experience with projects involving a degree of innovation or change management.
• Extensive experience in building and maintaining strong relationships with diverse. stakeholders, including technical teams, business stakeholders, and senior management.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to identify and address complex challenges.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to effectively communicate complex information to diverse audiences.
• A good understanding of engineering, science, or other technical disciplines related to Thames Water's operations.
• Experience using project management tools (e.g., Microsoft Project, Asana, Jira) to plan, track, and report on project progress.

Additional skills and experiences would be great to have:

• A recognised project management certification, such as PRINCE2 Practitioner, APM (Association of Project Managers), or equivalent

What’s in it for you?

• Competitive salary from £50,000 to £60,000 per annum, depending on experience.
• 26 days holiday per year, increasing to 30 with the length of service (plus bank holidays) 
• Performance-related pay plan directly linked to company performance measures and targets
• Generous Pension Scheme through AON
• Access to lots of benefits to help you take care of you and your family’s health and wellbeing, and your finances – from annual health MOTs and access to physiotherapy and counselling, to Cycle to Work schemes, shopping vouchers and life assurance.

Find out more about our benefits and perks

Who are we?

We’re the UK’s largest water and wastewater company, with more than 16 million customers relying on us every day to supply water for their taps and toilets. We want to build a better future for all, helping our customers, communities, people, and the planet to thrive. It’s a big job and we’ve got a long way to go, so we need help from passionate and skilled people, committed to making a difference and getting us to where we want to be in the years and decades to come.

Learn more about our purpose and values

Working at Thames Water

Thames Water is a unique, rewarding, and diverse place to work, where every day you can make a difference, yet no day is the same. As part of our family, you’ll enjoy meaningful career opportunities, flexible working arrangements and excellent benefits.

If you’re looking for a sustainable and successful career where you can make a daily difference to millions of people’s lives while helping to protect the world of water for future generations, we’ll be here to support you every step of the way. Together, we can build a better future for our customers, our region, and our planet.

Real purpose, real support, real opportunities. Come and join the Thames Water family. Why choose us? Learn more.

We’re committed to being a great, diverse, and inclusive place to work. We welcome applications from everyone and want to ensure you feel supported throughout the recruitment process. If you need any adjustments, whether that’s extra time, accessible formats, or anything else just let us know, we’re here to help and support.

When a crisis happens, we all rally around to support our customers. As part of Team Thames, you’ll have the opportunity to sign up to support our customers on the frontline as an ambassador. Full training will be given for what is undoubtedly an incredibly rewarding experience. It’s also a great opportunity to learn more about our business and meet colleagues.

Disclaimer: Due to the high volume of applications we receive, we may close the advert earlier than the advertised date, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.