Head of Programme Development

Competitive Salary, salary depending on skills and experience

Peterborough or Huntingdon – Flexibility of Home working

Permanent, 37 Hours a week

Benefits: Car allowance, 30 days annual leave, double match pension (up to 6%), annual bonus, private healthcare

Anglian Water offers a flexible approach, this role provides you the flexibility to work from home and from an Anglian Water office. Your base location either be in World Wide House in Peterborough or Lancaster House in Huntingdon, and you’ll be working with teams across both offices.  You would be expected to work in the office a minimum of 3 days a week.

Are you ready to make a lasting impact on the future of water supply in the East of England?

Anglian Water is undertaking an ambitious program of major infrastructure development to support the delivery of its Water Resources Management Plan 2024 (WRMP24), WRMP29, and broader long-term strategic objectives. The Head of Programme Development is a key member of the Strategic Asset Management leadership team, tasked with overseeing the early-stage development of major infrastructure projects. This role ensures that projects are effectively initiated and structured to achieve successful delivery outcomes.

The Head of Programme Development is responsible for leading multiple programs from their inception to delivery, ensuring a seamless transition from development into delivery and that requirements for successful commissioning and handover into operation are contracted. This includes defining the initial scope, securing funding and delivery mechanisms, and establishing a clear framework for system integration and operational handover.

The role requires overseeing several complex projects, ensuring all objectives are met on time, within budget, and to the highest standards. This must be achieved while navigating intricate financial, regulatory, and stakeholder landscapes. The position demands a strategic leader with exceptional planning, execution, and stakeholder management skills, capable of driving program success while maintaining alignment with overarching goals.

Key responsibilities include leading the development of commercial models and procurement strategies for program delivery and ensuring smooth transitions to appropriate organisational arrangements and operational capabilities. This involves setting clear objectives, creating detailed project plans, and coordinating cross-functional teams to achieve outcomes effectively.

Collaboration is central to this role, particularly with the Head of Sponsorship, to ensure early-stage development adheres to best practices and maintains consistency across all initiatives. The Head of Programme Development is also tasked with fostering a culture of innovation, continuous improvement, and excellence, incorporating lessons learned and insights from other major infrastructure projects.

What you’ll be doing:

• Ensure each of the projects and developments in programme have clear, documented plans for development in line with best practice

• Ensure development consenting, environmental and land acquisition strategies are appropriate, aligned and coordinated across projects and with the broader Anglian Water estate

• Lead procurement, commercial and financing activities ensuring relevant expertise employed and coordinated from across the business and supply chain

• Lead programme management across the portfolio to ensure scope, cost and schedule expectations are clear, reported on and successfully delivered including appropriate risk management

• Create and develop resourcing, capability and transition plans for each of the projects and ensure this is co-ordinated across the programme and wider business

• Create and develop a capable and competent high performing team, ensuring a strong and positive team dynamic/culture

• Provide active and visible leadership across the entire programme - including direct employees from a wide breadth of inputting Anglian Water departments, external consultants and advisors - to ensure the team is working effectively towards common goals with clear roles and responsibilities

• Ensure the programme develops in regulatory compliance with the Ofwat/RAPID stage gated process

• Provide leadership and guidance to produce required Ofwat/RAPID gated documentation

As a valued employee, you’ll be entitled to:

• 30 days annual leave – rising with length of service

• Car Allowance

• Competitive pension scheme – Anglian Water double-matches your contributions up to 6%

• Bonus scheme

• Flexible benefits to support your wellbeing and lifestyle

What does it take to be successful?

• Major infrastructure planning consenting direct leadership experience is beneficial

• Experienced and inspirational leader of multi-discipline, multi-organisation blended delivery teams

• Extensive experience of managing multiple stakeholder groups both internally and externally 

• Professionally qualified and experienced – for example within a relevant recognised commercial, finance, legal or engineering and/or project management institution

• Able to operate with gravitas and credibility at an executive level, partnering with external stakeholders and uniting different stakeholders to lead cross-functional teams to deliver a significant infrastructure programme

• Water industry experience beneficial

• Ability to take ownership and accountability

• Commercial, procurement & regulatory functional leadership

• Project controls – ability to manage schedule, cost, risk & opportunity

• Ability to collaborate and operate across a matrix programme organisations

• Strategic thinking, plan definition and execution

Why Anglian Water?

This is a rare opportunity to lead critical programmes that will help safeguard water supply for the East of England. Join Anglian Water and be a part of a transformative journey in water resource management.

Closing date: 1 January 2025

Interview Dates: 15 & 16 January 2025

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