Sludge Manager

Hello! Thanks for stopping by. Let us tell you about all the great reasons to join us here at Yorkshire Water:

• We offer a competitive salary, depending on experience (up to £60,000)
• A company car allowance scheme
• Annual incentive related bonus (up to 15% of annual salary)
• Private health care (self only)
• Attractive pension scheme (up to 12% company contribution)
• Life assurance cover of 4 times pensionable salary
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays - plus an extra wellness day!
• A great benefits package - choose from health cash plan scheme, critical illness insurance, dental insurance, life assurance flex and partner cover.
• Retail savings scheme
• Online GP service, cycle to work scheme, gym membership discounts and many more!

Work type: Permanent. 37 hours per week, Monday - Friday.

We have an exciting opportunity for a Sludge Manager to join the Bioresources team at Yorkshire Water and be a part of helping Yorkshire Water to provide the best service to our customers. Could this be you?

What we do:

Everyone has an idea of what a water company does. Here in Yorkshire, we make sure that over 5.4 million people living in the region and the millions of people who visit our region each year, can rely on our services, and have clean and safe drinking water on tap and that their wastewater is taken away. But for us, it's so much more than this. We look after communities, protect the environment, and plan to look after Yorkshire's water, today, tomorrow 24/7, 365 days a year. We provide essential water and wastewater services to every corner of the Yorkshire region, and play a key role in the region's health, wellbeing, and prosperity.

New environmental legislation, unprecedented levels of investment and changing expectations from customers means that this is an exciting time to discover opportunities within the water industry. The Bioresources team are a key part of how we plan to meet the changing expectations of customers and regulators.

Ready to lead a high performing team and shape the future of sludge logistics at Yorkshire Water?

We're looking for a dynamic, people focused leader to take ownership of our sludge logistics operation driving performance, championing innovation and delivering critical services that keep our network running smoothly. In this role, you'll build strong partnerships, lead a committed team, optimise major contracts, and make a real impact through smarter technology, safer ways of working and strategic long term planning. If you thrive in a fast paced environment, love solving complex operational challenges, and want the freedom to deliver real improvements, this is a fantastic opportunity to shine.

Where you fit in: As our Sludge Manager you will:

• Lead and inspire the Sludge Logistics Team, driving a high performance culture with clear expectations, strong coaching and meaningful recognition.
• Manage major logistics, treatment and recycling contracts, ensuring value for money, efficiency and continuous improvement.
• Own sludge logistics budgets and forecasting, identifying opportunities to reduce cost and support strategic investment decisions.
• Deliver improvement projects to eliminate reactive tankering overspend (target £1.5m per year).
• Champion Health & Safety by leading investigations, audits and proactive engagement across teams and contractors.
• Build strong partnerships with internal stakeholders and third party providers, leading performance reviews and resolving operational or contractual issues.
• Drive improvements in sludge %DS performance, compliance with Waste Carrier Licence responsibilities and adherence to regulatory requirements. Act as escalation lead for operational incidents and customer concerns, ensuring timely, positive outcomes and strong C-MEX performance.
• Lead technology, process and innovation projects to enhance service resilience, reduce TOTEX and support Yorkshire Water's sludge strategy.
• Provide strategic volume forecasting and long term planning to ensure regional logistics resilience through AMP cycles.
• Maintain on the ground engagement to keep the team aligned, motivated and focused on delivering a world class service.

What skills & qualifications you will need:

• A motivating leader who brings out the best in technical teams and creates a culture where people thrive.
• A natural relationship builder who works brilliantly with colleagues, partners and stakeholders.
• Someone who embraces change, influences behaviours and drives continuous improvement with confidence.
• Commercially sharp, with experience managing budgets, resources and complex contracts to deliver real value.
• A strong communicator who can inspire, influence and lead meaningful business change.
• Passionate about delivering exceptional Health & Safety standards across teams and third party providers.
• Experienced in operational or regulated environments and comfortable navigating commercial and technical challenges.
• Strong fleet logistics experience, including planning, scheduling and fleet management, combined with confidence using technology ideally SAP, Microsoft platforms and data driven tools such as Power BI.

Although we operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, it's important to us that we support flexible working patterns and job share options (when we can), to help you make the best of both your work and home life. We know that juggling childcare responsibilities or getting that ideal work/life balance isn't always easy!

Do we sound like your cup of tea?

If you've got experience in Commercial business planning, resource and budget management and want to help us deliver great service for our customers whilst looking after the environment, then be sure to apply today to find out what a career with Yorkshire Water can offer you. If successful for the role, you will be required to undergo pre employment checks that will include a Basic Disclosure Check, carried out through a Third Party Company, prior to commencing employment.

Depending on the role, you may also be required to go through the security vetting process for either a Counter Terrorist Check or Security Check clearance.

All our roles are subject to a medical questionnaire, and further medicals when required. We are committed to removing barriers and ensuring our recruitment process is accessible to everyone. We offer a range of adjustments to make your application experience as comfortable and straightforward as possible.

If you have an accessibility need, disability, or condition that requires changes to the recruitment process, please include this information in your application. We will then discuss any reasonable adjustments required.

Kelda Group reserve the right to close this position before the published closing date, should the need occur. We therefore advise that you complete and submit your application as soon as possible.

Closing date for this role is 24th March 2026