Water Supply Team Manager; Reservoirs

Water Supply Team Manager (Reservoirs)

Working hours 37 hours per week (including participation in a standby rota and 7 day working week on a rotational basis)

Permanent

Salary :
From £43,010 to £50,600 depending on experience

Location Teesside and East Tees area (will also support central area Tyneside and Durham where required)

Are you passionate about protecting the environment and ensuring the safe and reliable operation of critical water assets? We have an exciting opportunity to join our Water Team as a Water Supply Team Manager (Reservoirs), with a strong focus on reservoir operations, working with internal and external stakeholders to deliver excellent Water Services for our customers, communities, and the environment.

In this role, you will lead a team responsible for the safe operation, inspection, and maintenance of reservoirs and associated assets. You will oversee daily workflow activities from our task library, ensuring all planned and reactive work is delivered efficiently and in line with regulatory and safety requirements.

• Manage routine inspections, maintenance, and operational tasks across reservoir sites
• Ensure full compliance with reservoir safety legislation and regulatory standards
• Lead team planning sessions to prioritise work based on risk, safety, and asset condition
• Liaise with internal teams, contractors, and stakeholders to ensure safe and effective delivery of work
• Drive a culture of continuous improvement across reservoir operations

A strong focus on safety, compliance, and risk management is essential, ensuring that reservoir integrity and public safety remain the top priority at all times.

As a manager, you will support and develop your team through constructive feedback, clear expectations, and a culture of trust and accountability, empowering individuals to take ownership of their work and decisions.

We will provide full training to support the technical aspects of reservoir operations, so prior direct reservoir experience is desirable, but not essential.

This role will involve participating in a standby and 7 day working arrangements on a rotation basis.

We are looking for candidates with strong leadership skills, capable of motivating and leading by example while encouraging a culture of empowerment that drives a high-performing team.

Health and Safety is always at the forefront of what we do, so you must have experience of operational safety practices and regulation to ensure “Everyone Home Safe Every Day” through coaching, mentoring, on site safety discussions, permits to work and robust challenging and reporting.

Some Water or relevant industry/operational experience would be desirable with an appreciation of some of the legislation and regulatory commitments we have to comply with. As part of this the successful person must be effective at building internal and external stakeholder relationships with bodies such as the Environment Agency through clear, timely communication.

This is a hands on role, managing a mobile team over a large geographic area, so time management and prioritisation skills are key.

SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) is used daily to proactively monitor asset performance and analyse trends. While previous experience with SCADA isn't essential, the successful candidate should be confident with technology and possess excellent problem-solving skills, as you'll need to quickly address on-site alarms and make quick decisions when necessary.

A comprehensive induction process will be provided to give you with the necessary water knowledge you will need. Therefore, we are looking for someone who is passionate about continuous learning and eager to expand your knowledge.

This role requires the successful candidate to hold a full valid UK driving licence.

Here at Northumbrian Water/Essex & Suffolk Water, we embrace and value Diversity, Inclusion and Equity, and encourage all colleagues to bring their most authentic self to work.

Our colleague network groups include our Rainbow Support Network (LGBTQIA+), REACH (Race, Ethnicity, and Cultural Heritage), WiSTEM (Women in STEM) and Thisability (disability and…