OT Maintenance Manager

Powered by Water, Driven by Purpose

South West Water keeps the South West flowing with safe, reliable drinking water and wastewater services across some of the UK's most stunning landscapes.

We're proud to be part of Pennon Group, a leader in the UK water sector, working towards a greener future. Our goals? As well as lowering our carbon footprint, we're working with partners to plant 300,000 trees, restore peatlands and supporting farmers and landowners to improve water quality and wildlife.

Whether you're starting out or seeking a new challenge, our scale and ambition create opportunities for you to shape your own career.

Ready to make a splash?  Join our team today.
Make a Difference Where Technology Meets Essential Services
Are you an experienced Operational Technology (OT), ICA or Automation professional looking for an opportunity to lead a skilled team while helping deliver critical services to millions of customers?

We're looking for an  OT Maintenance Manager  to lead the maintenance, performance, resilience and security of our operational technology assets across water and wastewater treatment operations. This is a fantastic opportunity to combine technical expertise, people leadership and continuous improvement in a role that directly supports essential infrastructure across our region.
What you'll be doing:
As OT Maintenance Manager, you'll lead a team of OT Maintenance Engineers, ICA Technicians and Maintenance Technicians, ensuring our operational technology and instrumentation assets remain reliable, secure and available 24/7, 365 days a year.

Key responsibilities include:

Leading and developing a high-performing team of OT and ICA professionals
Managing planned and reactive maintenance activities to maximise asset availability and performance
Building strong relationships with operational teams to understand priorities and site criticality
Driving the maintenance, reliability and optimisation of instrumentation, control and automation systems
Providing technical leadership and support on complex operational issues and incidents
Using data, trend analysis and root cause investigations to improve system reliability and inform investment decisions
Supporting OT governance, cyber security and compliance requirements
Ensuring the highest standards of health, safety and wellbeing across your team
Managing budgets and contributing to operational and capital expenditure planning
Supporting continuous improvement initiatives and the development of future OT capabilities
What we are looking for:
We're keen to hear from candidates with a strong background in industrial control systems, automation or ICA maintenance who are passionate about leadership and operational excellence.  Experience working with process control and electrical systems
Knowledge of PLCs, programming, industrial communications and instrumentation maintenance

Experience with in drinking water, wastewater or similar industrial process environments
Understanding of risk assessments, method statements and safe systems of work
Strong technical problem-solving and fault-finding capabilities
Experience leading teams and driving performance
Full UK driving licence
Eligible to successfully complete UK Security Clearance (SC)
Qualifications   Minimum of five GCSEs (or equivalent), including Mathematics, English and a Science subject
Relevant industrial control, instrumentation, electrical or automation qualification/apprenticeship
ONC/HNC or equivalent in a related discipline
Compliance with current IEE regulations
Desirable   IOSH or NEBOSH qualification
Supervisory or management qualification

Experience with in Critical National Infrastructure environments
Previous ICA maintenance leadership experience
Experience managing telemetry, instrumentation…