Programme Manager - Operations

Programme Manager – Operations (37 hours per week, Permanent)

Location:

Contractual base in Salvus House, Durham / Pearl House, Peterborough with hybrid working opportunities

Salary: £65,000 – £75,000 plus a discretionary bonus potential of up to 8% of annual salary

Job Level: C

Reporting to:
Director of Operations

We want our people to have a great work-life balance and support flexible working in terms of a hybrid model and varying start and finish times in some teams where possible. Please discuss this further with the hiring manager during your interview.

Wave is a leading national business water retailer helping over 300,000 customers across the UK to benefit from the non-household water market. We’re dedicated to helping businesses lower water use, be more water efficient and reduce costs – all which helped us earn the Water Retailer of the Year award in 2021, reclaim the title in 2023 and most recently celebrated the win again in 2025, where the judges highlighted our commitment to social value and sustainability as well as our market‑leading customer service.

Our vision is to be the most customer‑focused utility delivering value and efficiency in everything we do, making a positive difference to the environment and society.

The culture at Wave is like nowhere else. We’re committed to a happy, healthy place to work, and have a working environment which supports continuous learning and development, one where people can really flourish. Our people are at the centre of everything we do. Joining us means you’d be part of a team of over 300 people working flexibly across two UK based offices.

You’ll find a real focus on employee wellbeing and some great benefits too. We expect great things from you and we give great things back.

• Excellent pension scheme – we will double match your contribution, up to a maximum of 5% employee contribution and 10% from Wave
• Bonus potential
• Perkbox membership with a vast range of perks – high street savings (fashion retailers, supermarkets and restaurants), discounted cinema tickets, travel and holiday discounts and online fitness classes
• Income protection scheme
• Personal accident insurance
• 4x salary life assurance
• Free onsite parking

• 24 days holiday rising to 26 (plus bank holidays)
• A day off for your birthday
• Half a day on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve
• The option to buy holidays
• 1 day paid volunteering

• Hybrid/Flexible working
• Healthcare cashback and treatment scheme
• Cycle to work scheme
• Annual conference and Christmas party
• 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme
• Free flu shots

• Enhanced maternity and paternity pay
• Enhanced shared parental and adoption leave
• We care about you as an employee and have a range of resources available to both you and your family

This is a senior role driving Wave’s operational strategic delivery plan and the wider smart programme in the water industry, which is undergoing major transformation with smart meter deployment. The Programme Manager will:

• Lead complex programmes:
  Oversee all work streams, managing timelines, risks, budgets, and stakeholder requirements to deliver maximum value and customer satisfaction.
• Enable collaboration:
  Ensure internal teams and external partners work together effectively, maintaining compliance and risk management.
• Support strategic projects:
  Contribute to other key initiatives across operations to align with business strategy and budget.
• Bring expertise:
  Proven experience in leading large, cross‑functional change programmes, strong agile methodology knowledge, and excellent communication and influencing skills.
• Desirable:
  Utility sector experience and familiarity with programme management tools and methodologies.

In short, it’s about turning strategic vision into actionable steps, driving change, and ensuring successful delivery in an evolving industry.

You’ll be working directly with your colleagues and the Operations Director as well as other teams across Wave and external parties. Monitoring delivery of key actions and milestones, aligning communications across teams as well as taking in new information…