Head of Asset Planning

This is a fantastic opportunity to work as Head of Asset Planning in our Water or Waste operations where you be accountable for the development of 5-year asset investment plans to maintain and improve the asset base that reflects the company’s, strategic plans, deliver performance commitments, improve operational efficiency, and reduce risk whilst aligning to dynamic operational requirements.


What you’ll be doing as Head of Asset Planning

As the Head of Asset Planning, you’ll be working closely with Operations and the broader Strategic Planning & Engineering teams (in particular, Programme Sponsors and Heads of Strategy) to ensure alignment of plans, cost and outcomes in AMP whilst also providing input for the longer term.

Key responsibilities include:

• Development of dynamic in-AMP Asset Plans at a systems/catchments/site level that can be clearly explained to stakeholders and Third-Parties externally.
• Accountable for developing Capital Maintenance programmes for planned interventions across critical asset cohorts and for agreeing on the prioritisation of capital maintenance spend in-AMP with Operations.
• Drive cultural change in the regional planning function – building capability and capacity to better understand the infrastructure but remain focused on the primary goal of planning and producing plans to drive results.
• Working with the new Sponsorship function, build intervention programmes that deliver performance and efficiency outcomes to support the operational business plans.
• Support development of future price reviews through the identification of asset risks which will be a key input for the Heads of Strategy.
• Understand the holistic asset risk position across the asset base, ensuring that risk mitigation options are in place and aligned with organisational risk tolerance. This includes risks to performance, H&S resilience and asset health including managing uncertainty effectively across the region.
• Manage and ultimately make decisions regarding the dynamic conflict that occurs in AMP, between finance, performance, compliance and opex efficiency resulting in the change to asset plans and investment.
• Engage with key stakeholders (internal & external) to build support and alignment for the regional programme.

Base Location: Hybrid- Clearwater Court, Vastern Rd, Reading RG1 8DB.

Working Hours: 36 hours.

What you should bring to the role

• Ability to engage with stakeholders, often with competing objectives, whilst maintaining strong collaborative relationships and open communication.
• An established leader, able to create and deliver a clear vision for others to follow and drive the change required to deliver the business outcomes.
• Operated at a senior level within operations or asset management, ideally within the utilities sector.
• Passionate about putting customers, communities, and stakeholders first every day.
• Knowledge of the stages of the project lifecycle and excellent project management skills with the ability to multi-task and work flexibly to manage conflicting priorities.
• Good commercial/financial skills within a multi-stakeholder and regulated environment.
• Be degree-level educated or equivalent appropriate professional body qualification.
• Have best practice Asset Management e.g., IAM qualifications / prior experience.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to influence and negotiate with others through constructive challenge.
• A good understanding of Botex, what drives operational performance and the regulatory/statutory frameworks under which we operate is desirable.
• A full UK driving license is desirable.

What’s in it for you?

• Competitive salary.
• Annual Leave -26 days holiday per year increasing to 30 with the length of service. (Plus bank holidays)
• Annual Bonus.
• Private Medical Health Care.
• Contributory pension – Defined Contribution - Maximum of 12% -2x employee contribution.
• Personal Medical Assessments – Open to all once a year.
• Wider benefits scheme including our benefits hub, which is packed full of offers and information to save you money and support your wellbeing.

Who are we? 

At Thames Water, our purpose is crystal clear - to deliver life’s essential service so our customers, communities and planet can thrive. 
 
Water is life’s great leveller. Every living thing needs it, every single day. From people to plants, birds to bees, farms to factories, we all need it to thrive, and we’re committed to taking care of it for us all. 
 
But keeping water flowing is becoming harder. From scorching summers to wetter winters, extreme weather affects everything from our pipes to our local rivers. We need to keep millions more kettles boiling, public services operating, washing machines spinning, showers running and more, so every drop is more precious than ever. Are you ready to play your part? 

Working at Thames Water 

At Thames Water, we recognise that people are at the heart of our business. To help us succeed in providing life's essential service, we need a range of skills and capabilities, representative of society throughout our business. 

We seek to attract and retain a cultural mix of people who can offer different but complementary attitudes, values, talents, and knowledge. We understand the importance of appreciating and harnessing the unique skills, experiences, backgrounds, and differences that each individual brings. 

Our over-arching diversity and inclusion aim is to ensure Thames Water is a diverse and inclusive great place to work. We encourage applications from everyone and offer extra support for those who need it throughout the recruitment process. 

Find out more about working at Thames Water. 

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, meet colleagues and earn some extra money along the way.  

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.