Senior Sponsor (Programme Lead) – Rising Mains

Thames Water

  • United Kingdom
  • £61,000-75,000 per year
  • Permanent
  • Full-time
  • 13 hours ago
At Thames Water, we make a daily difference to 16 million customers by supplying 2.6 billion litres of water through 32,000 km of pipes, keeping taps flowing and toilets flushing. We believe every drop counts—and so does every project. That’s why we’re hiring Senior Sponsors (Programme Leads) to drive wastewater infrastructure projects, ensuring they align with our long-term goals and deliver real benefits for customers, communities, and the environment. This role is Hybrid 2-3 days in the office, or on-site, depending on project requirements.What you’ll be doing as a Senior Sponsor – Rising MainsAs a Senior Sponsor (Programme Lead) for Rising Mains you’ll be key in delivering programmes of Capital Maintenance across the Wastewater system, orchestrating time, cost, quality, and performance commitments. Working alongside the Senior Principal Sponsor and engaging closely with internal and external stakeholders, you’ll provide end-to-end support for planning and execution, ensuring investment decisions align with long-term goals and business outcomes.Key responsibilities will include:
  • Accountability for the delivery of £250m to £700m capital maintenance investment over the next 5 years, ensuring alignment with time, cost, and quality to deliver the optimal outcomes for the business.
  • Working with teams across Thames Water to resolve risks and ensuring efficient delivery of the programme.
  • Contributing to business cases for investment and demonstrating alignment with Thames Water’s objectives.
  • Assisting in governance and decision-making processes, ensuring projects progress smoothly through approval stages.
  • Managing risks, tracking benefits, and ensuring projects contribute to regulatory and operational goals.
  • Engaging with stakeholders to build alignment and drive successful project outcomes.
Base Location: ReadingHybrid with days split between the office & on site, depending on projects.Working pattern: Full-time, Monday–Friday. (36 hours per week)What you should bring to the roleTo thrive in this role, the essential criteria you’ll need are:
  • Experience in operations, asset management, or investment planning, ideally within the utilities sector.
  • Experience in sponsoring investment.
  • A collaborative approach, with strong communication and stakeholder engagement skills.
  • The ability to deliver clear direction and drive change.
  • A commitment to putting customers, communities, and stakeholders first.
  • A track record of successful project delivery.
Additional skills and experiences would be great to have:
  • Knowledge of best-practice asset management. (e.g., IAM qualifications or equivalent experience)
  • Previous experience in the water industry
What’s in it for you?This is a great opportunity to be part of a high-impact team that shapes the future of water and wastewater infrastructure. You’ll be working in a dynamic environment where you can make a real difference in communities while building your career with Thames Water. Alongside this, you can expect:
  • Offering a salary between £61,150 to £76,000 per annum, depending on skills and experience.
  • 26 days holiday per year, increasing to 30 with the length of service. (plus bank holidays)
  • Car Allowance.
  • Annual Bonus.
  • Performance-related pay plan directly linked to company performance measures and targets
  • Generous Pension Scheme through AON.
  • Private Medical Health Care.
  • Access to many benefits to help you take care of your 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 ourWho 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 ourWorking at Thames WaterThames 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. 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 . If you need any adjustments, whether that’s extra time, accessible formats, or anything else just let us know, we’re here to .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.

Thames Water