Head of Portfolio Demand and Mobilisation

As the Head of Portfolio Demand and Mobilisation, you will play a key role within the Digital Transformation function at Thames Water, leading the end-to-end demand management, business engagement, and mobilisation of strategic digital and technology initiatives. Working closely with the Chief Information Officer (CIO), Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), Digital Leadership Team, senior business stakeholders, and external partners, you will ensure business demand is effectively shaped, prioritised, and mobilised into delivery.

This role contributes to Thames Water's Digital Transformation by providing strategic leadership across portfolio demand, governance, stakeholder engagement, and mobilisation activities. You will lead the Portfolio Demand and Mobilisation team, acting as the front door into Digital, ensuring initiatives align with organisational objectives, investment priorities, and business outcomes while driving collaboration, standardisation, and continuous improvement across the portfolio.

What you'll be doing as the Head of Portfolio Demand and Mobilisation

• Lead, mentor, and develop the Portfolio Demand and Mobilisation team, fostering a culture of collaboration, continuous improvement, and strategic business partnership.
• Act as a trusted advisor to senior business stakeholders, influencing strategic decisions and articulating the long-term value of digital and technology initiatives.
• Lead the end-to-end demand management process, ensuring business demand is effectively shaped, scoped, prioritised, estimated, and mobilised into delivery.
• Own the Digital front door, providing a clear engagement model for business stakeholders, customers, and vendors.
• Develop and maintain integrated business and Digital roadmaps that align strategic objectives, investment priorities, and delivery plans.
• Oversee the mobilisation of complex business and technology programmes from initial concept through to delivery handover, supporting benefits definition and early impact assessments.
• Build strong strategic relationships with business leaders, project sponsors, and external vendors to maximise value and delivery outcomes.
• Support governance frameworks and demand management processes to enable effective prioritisation, investment decisions, and resource allocation across the portfolio.
• Work closely with Enterprise Architecture and Digital stakeholders to develop solution options and secure business alignment.
• Drive standardisation and reusability across business capabilities and Digital services.
• Support AMP planning and annual budgeting processes, ensuring investment decisions align with strategic priorities.
• Influence alignment between Business and Digital roadmaps to maximise value delivery across the organisation.
• Promote continuous improvement across portfolio demand, mobilisation, and business engagement processes.

Base location
- Hybrid
- Clearwater Court, Reading.

Working pattern - 36 hours Monday to Friday.

What you should bring to the role

• Significant senior leadership experience within digital, technology, or transformation environments, with responsibility for end-to-end demand management, mobilisation, and stakeholder engagement.
• Proven experience leading enterprise-wide demand management processes, including shaping, scoping, estimating, prioritising, and mobilising strategic initiatives.
• Strong experience building trusted relationships with Executive Leaders, Senior Leadership Teams, sponsors, and business stakeholders.
• Experience developing integrated roadmaps and strategic investment plans within large, complex organisations.
• Demonstrable experience mobilising complex, high-value digital and technology programmes from concept through to delivery.
• Experience leading, mentoring, and developing multidisciplinary teams within portfolio, demand, or transformation functions.
• Strong commercial awareness with experience supporting large-scale investment decisions, portfolio prioritisation, and governance.
• Excellent communication, influencing, and stakeholder management skills with the ability to build consensus across Business, Digital, and supplier communities.
• Ability to balance strategic thinking with operational delivery in a fast-paced and evolving environment.

Technical experience and skills

• Strong knowledge of portfolio demand management, mobilisation, governance, and strategic planning within large-scale digital environments.
• Experience establishing and operating governance frameworks to support portfolio prioritisation, investment decisions, and resource allocation.
• Strong understanding of business case development, benefits realisation, impact assessment, and risk management.
• Experience developing integrated business and technology roadmaps aligned to strategic objectives.
• Ability to influence solution design and business alignment through collaboration with Enterprise Architecture and delivery teams.
• Strong understanding of portfolio management, resource planning, and organisational change…