Waste Strategy & Planning Manager

We are looking for a Waste Strategy & Planning Manager to join the Waste Integrated Business Planning Team at Thames Water.

The newly established Waste Integrated Business Planning Team will become a 'Team Thames' capability to own and maintain the business plan for the Waste business at Thames Water across the AMP, Annual, and Quarterly planning horizons. The overall purpose of this team is to enable the optimisation of spend across the Waste business to maximize performance across operational, environmental, customer, and financial domains; ensuring senior leaders have the resources needed to deliver exceptional outcomes.

The Waste Strategy & Planning Manager provides strategic oversight of the Integrated Business Plan by delivering insights that drive sustainable investment decisions. This role will be responsible for setting and refreshing the Waste business plan and conducting regular performance evaluations against it. This involves defining options for optimizing the plan, including potential investment scenarios, and working with stakeholders at all levels to foster agreement and alignment.

Key Responsibilities

1. Insights: Deliver strategic insights and recommendations to inform investment decisions and performance commitments.
2. Defining the Waste Business Plan & Updates: Drive and oversee the Waste IBP process, collaborating with the strategy team and sponsors to ensure planning processes reflect operational needs and regulatory requirements.
3. Investment Scenarios & Trade-Offs: Analyze various investment scenarios, balancing trade-offs to optimize capital deployment and risk, and make recommendations for prioritization.
4. Quality Assurance: Implement quality assurance measures to ensure updates are accurate, timely, and aligned with strategic goals.
5. Stakeholder & Communications: Lead internal and external communications regarding Waste IBP updates to enable buy-in and collaboration.

Candidate Requirements

• Experience managing business planning processes within regulated environments.
• In-depth understanding of the water industry and regulatory frameworks.
• Strong analytical skills, including building and maintaining models in MS Excel.
• Proven ability to draft management-ready papers (PowerPoint, Word) to clearly articulate proposals.
• Experience building relationships with internal and external stakeholders and influencing them positively.
• Pragmatic decision-making skills with a focus on value optimization.

Benefits

• Salary between £67,000 - £73,000 depending on skills and experience.
• Car allowance, annual bonus, private healthcare, pension scheme, holiday entitlement, and other wellbeing benefits.

Join us to make a difference in a company committed to building a better future for our customers, communities, and the planet. Thames Water is a diverse and inclusive employer, welcoming applications from all backgrounds. We support your success with flexible working arrangements and career development opportunities.

Note: This job posting may close early due to high application volume. We encourage you to apply promptly.