Innovation Partner

At Affinity Water, we’re proud to supply safe, reliable water to millions of customers - but we know standing still isn’t an option. The challenges facing the water sector demand new thinking, collaboration, and meaningful change and that’s where you come in!

This is a high-energy, people-centred role where you’ll spend roughly 50% of your time driving business change and 50% leading innovation and external engagement across the water sector.

You’ll work closely with our Asset Strategy and Capital Delivery teams, helping them identify, prioritise, and deliver change that genuinely improves how we operate. At the same time, you’ll act as one of Affinity Water’s innovation ambassadors, building relationships, spotting opportunities, and making sure we’re in the right conversations at the right time.

This is a role for someone who loves collaborating with others, tackling challenges head-on, and bringing positive energy to every situation. If you’re driven, curious, and ready to make an impact, this is the perfect opportunity for you.

• Partner with Asset Strategy and Capital Delivery teams to identify and prioritise change
• Lead and deliver business change and transformation projects, end-to-end
• Create clear change roadmaps and keep momentum moving
• Facilitate workshops, interviews and problem-solving sessions with stakeholders (including senior leaders)
• Track benefits, manage risks, and ensure changes are embedded and deliver real value
• Bring structure, pace and clarity to complex change initiatives

• Act as a representative of Affinity Water across the wider water sector and innovation community
• Build and maintain relationships with partners, suppliers, regulators and industry bodies
• Identify innovation opportunities and help position Affinity Water at the forefront of new ideas
• Lead and support Ofwat Innovation Fund bids, from shaping ideas through to submission
• Attend and contribute to industry forums, events and networks
• Make sure we’re talking to the right people, at the right time, about the right things

This role is all about behaviours and mindset as much as experience.

You are someone who:

• Is naturally collaborative and enjoys working with others
• Brings energy, enthusiasm and positivity to everything you do
• Is confident building relationships and influencing across different teams and organisations
• Enjoys problem-solving and turning ideas into action
• Is outgoing, curious, and comfortable representing the organisation externally
• Can juggle multiple priorities while keeping delivery on track

• Strong project management experience — delivering business change or transformation projects
• Experience working in complex organisations (sector experience doesn’t have to be water)
• Comfortable working across both structured delivery and less defined innovation work
• Ability to flex between Agile and Waterfall approaches
• Experience of working with multiple stakeholders at different levels
• Project management qualifications (e.g. APM, PRINCE2, Agile, Lean, Six Sigma) are welcome, but experience is essential

You don’t need water industry experience — if you bring strong project delivery skills, organisational change experience, and the right energy, we want to hear from you!

Closing date: 8th January 2026

• Salary: £65,000 (dependant on skills and experience)
• Hours of work: 8.30am-5.00pm (Mon - Thurs) and 8.30am - 4.30pm (Friday)
• Hybrid - Based in Hatfield 3 days a week
• Car allowance
• Learning and development opportunities, including mentoring and a range of formal courses and open learning resources.
• Entry into the company annual bonus scheme.
• Annual leave from 26-30 rising with length of service, and the option to purchase up to 5 extra days.
• A ‘Celebration Day’ in addition to public holidays that people can use to celebrate a religious festival or other occasion that is important to them.
• A generous 'double match pension scheme' that doubles the contributions you make (company contribution capped at 12%)
• We offer a range of family benefits including enhanced Maternity, Adoption, Paternity, Shared Parental Leave,…