Operational Excellence Manager

Together we are Trusted to Serve Scotland. Operational Excellence Manager Help Shape How Scottish Water Performs, Improves and Delivers for the Future Scottish Water is embarking on one of the most ambitious transformation and efficiency programmes in its history. We're looking for an exceptional Operational Excellence leader to define and embed the systems, standards and culture that will help us deliver our SR27 ambitions, improve performance at scale and realise tens of millions of pounds of efficiency opportunities.

This isn't a traditional continuous improvement role. This is an opportunity to shape how a national organisation manages performance, solves problems, delivers change and continuously improves. You'll work across operational, customer, asset and corporate functions, influencing leaders at every level and building the capability needed to sustain improvement long after individual projects have finished.

As Operational Excellence Manager, you'll lead Scottish Water's enterprise approach to operational excellence, performance management and continuous improvement. Reporting to the Head of Transformation, you'll be responsible for developing and embedding a single operational management and improvement system across the organisation. You'll establish the standards, routines and behaviours that help teams deliver better outcomes, improve productivity and realise sustainable efficiencies. You'll lead a team of Operational Excellence specialists while influencing hundreds of colleagues through communities of practice, capability frameworks and leadership engagement.

You'll also shape the methods and standards used across transformation delivery, ensuring consistency, transparency and value realisation across our investment portfolio.

As Head of Operational Excellence, you will lead the development and deployment of Scottish Water's enterprise operational excellence and performance management system. You will drive measurable improvements in productivity, flow, service performance and cost efficiency, while building and leading high-performing operational excellence and continuous improvement teams. A key part of the role will be coaching senior leaders to own performance, problem solving and continuous improvement within their areas.

You will develop and embed Lean-based management systems, visual management, standard work and structured problem‑solving approaches, helping to create a consistent and sustainable approach to performance improvement across the organisation. You will establish and maintain enterprise standards for continuous improvement, project management and agile delivery, ensuring a clear framework for delivering change. Working alongside Finance and business leaders, you will strengthen benefits realisation and efficiency delivery, helping to ensure improvement activity translates into measurable business outcomes.

Supporting the delivery of Scottish Water's SR27 ambitions, you will enable sustainable operational and financial improvement across the organisation. You will also focus on building organisation‑wide capability so that improvement becomes part of everyday work rather than a separate initiative, creating a culture where continuous improvement is embedded in the way we operate.

• You'll bring significant experience leading operational excellence, Lean, continuous improvement or business transformation programmes within large, complex organisations, along with a strong track record of delivering measurable operational and financial performance improvements.
• You will have deep expertise in Lean, visual management, daily management systems, standard work and structured problem solving, as well as experience building enterprise‑wide operating systems, management frameworks or improvement approaches.
• You’ll have the credibility to influence executives, operational leaders and frontline teams alike and the ability to build alignment across a diverse range of stakeholders.
• Strong commercial awareness is essential, including experience of benefits realisation, prioritisation and business case development.
• You’ll…