Head of Operational Control

Location:

Hybrid working between Worthing (2-3 days pw) and home.

Contract Type:
Permanent

Hours:

37 hours per week, Monday - Friday

Salary:
Competitive salary commensurate to experience + car allowance, bonus and benefits

Southern Water is delivering one of the most ambitious transformation and investment programmes in the UK water industry. At the heart of this is our 24/7 control environment, and the Head of Operational Control for Wastewater plays a pivotal role in shaping both how we operate today and how we evolve for the future.

This is a hands‑on leadership role overseeing a large operational workforce of around 110 colleagues working varied shift patterns. You’ll lead a function that manages both proactive and reactive operational activity, ensuring robust incident prevention, timely response, and consistently high levels of safety, customer service and compliance. The role requires strong visibility in Durrington (Worthing) to stay close to the team and the operational rhythm.

You will drive a culture of continuous improvement and operational resilience, helping build a more proactive approach within the control function while ensuring processes and procedures are rigorously followed. This is an exciting chance to influence a critical part of our service and elevate the way we manage wastewater operations across the business.

• Leading the delivery of a consistently excellent 24/7 operational control service across wastewater.
• Providing strong, regular leadership to a predominantly shift‑based workforce, ensuring communication and engagement remain high despite varied working patterns.
• Maintaining and enhancing compliance, pollution reduction performance, customer outcomes and incident response effectiveness.
• Driving a proactive culture, identifying opportunities to anticipate risk, strengthen protocols and improve how the control room operates.
• Ensuring clear, consistent processes and regulatory requirements are understood and followed.
• Collaborating effectively across multiple operational, technical and regulatory teams.
• Representing Southern Water positively with partners, regulators and stakeholders.
• Managing a £12m annual OPEX budget and contributing to broader strategic planning.
• Supporting organisational change and guiding the team through a high‑change operational environment.
  
  Participating in the Senior Leader standby rota (typically 1 week in
  8).

• Significant experience leading complex operations in a fast‑paced 24/7 environment.
• Proven people leadership capability, particularly within large or shift‑based teams, with the ability to build engagement, tackle people issues and maintain strong team culture.
• A proactive mindset with the ability to identify improvements, drive change and push capability forward.
• Strong influencing and stakeholder‑management skills across diverse operational teams.
• Track record of delivering measurable operational and cultural improvements.
• High resilience, sound judgment and the ability to remain effective under pressure.
• Comfort working in environments with strict protocols, procedures and real‑time operational decision‑making.
• Experience in water, utilities, power, transport, emergency services, financial services, or other regulated/real‑time operational environments.
• Awareness of incident management frameworks and regulatory expectations.
• Experience collaborating with regulators or major external stakeholders.

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.

Our mission is to protect and enhance life through water and we need passionate people to help us achieve it. If you’re inspired by our purpose and believe you can contribute, apply today. You don’t need to meet every criterion; what matters most is your drive to make a difference.

If this role isn’t quite what you’re looking for but are keen to be contacted about opportunities at Southern Water, you can register your details here:
Introduce Yourself ( Introduce Yourself)

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.