Senior Procurement Programme Manager

Senior Procurement Programme Manager – Southern Water

Closing Date:

Location:

Durrington (Hybrid: 2–3 days per week in office)

Contract Type:
Permanent

Hours:

Full time (flexible working considered)

Salary:
Competitive plus benefits

Southern Water’s Procurement Excellence & Sustainability discipline delivers effective governance, reporting, analytics, insights, sustainability, capability development and compliance to support the efficient and ongoing enhancement of the Procurement Function’s operation.

• Manage a team to deliver tight management across company programmes that require Procurement’s involvement, and Procurement’s own internal programmes and projects.
• Provide ongoing, meaningful communications to the business.
• Develop a robust, value‑creating Business Engagement model with stakeholders.
• Oversee budgetary control (CAPEX).

This role suits someone highly organised, able to manage multiple projects and their ambiguities, and a highly effective communicator. You’ll drive procurement excellence across the Procurement function and wider Southern Water business—leading the planning and delivery of Procurement’s programmes/projects and internal change, owning company‑wide communication and business engagement activity, and ensuring key deliverables for transformation programmes requiring Procurement involvement. You will also run the governance cadence that keeps decision‑making crisp and accountable—bringing together programme delivery, PMO, change management and communications so that Procurement Excellence is visible, measurable and sustained across Southern Water.

• Lead planning and delivery of Procurement’s programmes/projects and internal change, ensuring outcomes are visible and measurable.
• Own all business‑wide Procurement communications and the stakeholder engagement model; line‑manage the Communications Lead.
• Provide tight oversight of programme governance (including PMO cadence) and keep decision‑making crisp and accountable.
• Maintain CAPEX budget oversight and financial controls for Procurement programmes.
• Coordinate Procurement’s contribution to company‑wide transformation initiatives.
• Ensure Procurement engagement and communications align with governance and PA23 regulations.
• Coach, develop and line‑manage team members.

Hybrid working: 2–3 days per week in the Durrington office. Travel:
Minimal, ad‑hoc travel to meet stakeholders.

• Degree (or equivalent experience) in a business/management discipline.
• CIPS (or equivalent) strongly preferred; strong Procurement background.
• Proven people leadership and team management experience.
• Programme/PMO/change management literacy; able to manage ambiguity across multiple concurrent initiatives.
• Stakeholder engagement excellence; confident communicator across senior leadership.
• Budget management experience.

• Working knowledge of PA23 and regulated governance frameworks (utilities, banking or similar).
• Experience delivering procurement transformation and enterprise‑wide communications.
• Familiarity with P2P/Source‑to‑Pay solutions (e.g., Source Pay) and cross‑functional programme delivery.

Southern Water is at the forefront of transforming Britain’s water industry, investing significantly to enhance resilience, sustainability, and service excellence. With £7.8bn planned investment for 2025–30, this is an unparalleled opportunity to join a business committed to delivering a generational shift in the way water services are managed. You will be joining at a time of significant change, working alongside a highly skilled leadership team with a clear vision for the future.

We offer an environment where senior professionals can make a meaningful impact, influence major strategic decisions, and drive long‑term value creation.

At Southern Water, we believe diverse perspectives drive innovation. If you’re passionate about making a positive impact and think you can bring value to our team, we’d love to hear from you—even if you don’t tick every box. Your unique skills and experiences could be exactly what we need.

We welcome applicants from all backgrounds, identities, and experiences. We do not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, or any other protected characteristic. If you need reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know.