Agile Process Excellence Improvement Specialist

The mission for the Agile Process Excellence (APEx) team is promote a continuous improvement culture at Thames Water to drive a simpler, better, faster business that delivers within its means. From a central Strategic Transformation function, APEx has a business-wide remit for developing change capability in our colleagues so we can deliver value for our Customers.

Our APEx Toolkit consists of industry best practice methods, standards and approaches curated by our experienced and technically proficient APEx team. As an Improvement Specialist, you will be expected to share your passion for improvement and bring these tools to life through practical application, training and coaching, to nurture skills and capabilities in our colleagues.

Reducing complexity and waste is central to what APEx is about and our Business Process Simplification (BPS) Programme approaches this from the level of end-to-end value-streams and business architecture, spanning the entire organisation. BPS is a special opportunity to transform Thames Water’s high-level business processes holistically and strategically to deliver meaningful value.

The APEx team have recently commenced ‘Discovery’ for two end-to-end value-streams (Meter to Cash and Source to Pay), and recognising the scale and importance of delivering BPS successfully, we are looking for an additional Improvement Specialist to join the APEx team (bringing the total number within the team up to 6) to help deliver process excellence and build change capability at Thames.

What you’ll be doing as a APEx Improvement Specialist
As an APEx Improvement Specialist, you’ll be a key member of our core APEx team, providing expert support and coaching to our Turnaround initiatives. Your role will involve delivering hands-on improvement expertise, conducting process intelligence and root cause analysis, performing maturity assessments, and facilitating accredited skills transfer and training. You will play a critical role in embedding new ways of working and building cross-functional capabilities that support our long-term goals.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide hands-on improvement expertise to Turnaround initiative teams, shaping improvement approaches and embedding agile ways of working.
• Build strong relationships with initiative leaders, teams, and sponsors to ensure efficient and effective support.
• Facilitate accredited training programs in agile methodologies, change acceleration, and Lean problem-solving.
• Create and maintain tools, frameworks, methods, and practices to a high standard and quality.
• Conduct process intelligence and root cause analysis, utilising techniques such as value stream analysis, process mining, and experience flow mapping.
• Identify and validate improvement opportunities to generate business cases for change.
• Develop and manage workplans, resource plans, and deliverables as part of the overall APEx program.
• Contribute to Turnaround communications and promote APEx and continuous improvement across the company.
• Provide periodic updates and deep dives for the Executive Turnaround Committee and other forums as required.
• Perform initiative and team maturity assessments to identify opportunities for targeted APEx support.

Base Location: Reading /Hybrid
Working Pattern: Full time

What you should bring to the role

• Extensive experience with delivery methodologies such as Lean, Agile, and Six Sigma on business projects and improvement activities.
• Strong team-working abilities, capable of operating independently or as part of a small, specialist team.
• Proven experience in a cross-functional environment with a range of internal teams and stakeholders.
• Strong problem-solving capabilities, with a rigorous, data-driven approach to analysis and change management.
• Analytical, detail-oriented, and logical, with the ability to break down complex problems and determine critical drivers of performance or quality.

Leadership Behaviours:

• Collaborative team player who consistently lives the Thames Water values.
• Highly motivated, independent, and goal-oriented with a proven ability to inspire cross-functional change and collaboration.
• Flexible and resilient, able to deal with changes, challenges, and setbacks while maintaining a positive mindset focused on outcomes.
• Skilled at engaging and influencing a range of business teams, stakeholders, and decision-makers.
• Capable of balancing available capacity with the demands of the turnaround initiative teams and managing relevant stakeholders.

What’s in it for you?
This is an opportunity for professional growth and development, with the chance to make a significant impact on the future of Thames Water and the communities we serve.

• Competitive salary - Offering between £65,000 - £77,000 per annum dependent on experience
• Annual Leave - 26 days holiday per year increasing to 30 with the length of service (Plus bank holidays)
• Car Allowance
• 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

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 fast-tracked career opportunities, flexible working arrangements and excellent benefits.

Whether you’re interested in a role in one of our call centres or science labs, we’re looking for people like you with real passion and a burning desire to make things better.

So, 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.

Our overarching aim is to ensure that Thames Water is great, diverse and inclusive place to work. We welcome applications from everyone and offer extra support for those who need it throughout the recruitment process. Our aim is to remove any real or perceived barriers to success, so if you need assistance, 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, 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.