Engineering Improvement Manager

yorkshirewater.com; Bradford, Leeds; Hybrid; GBP 53,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

A regional water services provider in Bradford is looking for an Engineering Improvement Manager to drive improvements across Asset Delivery and Engineering teams. This position offers a competitive salary between £53,167 and £65,000, plus benefits like a company car allowance and annual bonuses. The role requires solid experience in leading operational teams and managing change. This opportunity supports flexible working patterns to balance work and life commitments.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Company car benefit

Annual bonus

Attractive pension scheme

25 days annual leave plus wellness day

Health cash plan scheme

Qualifications

• Experience in change management in a fast-paced operational environment.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks effectively.
• Collation and interpretation of key performance indicators.

Responsibilities

• Support improvements across Asset Delivery and Engineering teams.
• Shape business strategies for maximized programme benefits.
• Connect tactical outcomes to long-term strategic requirements.
• Lead projects focused on operational readiness and impact.

Skills

Leading and managing operational teams within water / wastewater

Stakeholder management

Excellent communication skills

Leadership skills across direct and matrix teams

Analytical skills

Job description

Benefits

• Competitive salary: £53,167 - £65,000 depending on experience
• Company car benefit/allowance scheme (£500 per month / £6,000 per year for a full‑time employee)
• Annual incentive related bonus (up to 10% of annual salary)
• Attractive pension scheme (up to 12% company contribution)
• Life assurance cover of 4 times pensionable salary
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays – plus an extra wellness day!
• A great benefits package – choose from health cash plan scheme, critical illness insurance, dental insurance, life assurance flex and partner cover
• Retail savings scheme
• Online GP service, cycle to work scheme, gym membership discounts and many more!

Location: Bradford, hybrid working (1–2 office days per week in Bradford), pending office move to Leeds (LS10) in the summer of 2026

Work type: Permanent, 37 hours per week, Monday – Friday

We have an exciting opportunity for an Engineering Improvement Manager to join the Asset Delivery – Engineering Team at Yorkshire Water and be a part of helping Yorkshire Water provide the best service to our customers. Could this be you?

What we do: Everyone has an idea of what a water company does. Here in Yorkshire, we make sure that over 5.4 million people living in the region and the millions of visitors each year can rely on our services, with clean and safe drinking water on tap and wastewater safely removed. We look after communities, protect the environment, and plan to look after Yorkshire’s water, today, tomorrow 24/7, 365 days a year. We provide essential water and wastewater services to every corner of the Yorkshire region and play a key role in the region’s health, wellbeing and prosperity.

New environmental legislation, unprecedented levels of investment and changing expectations from customers mean that this is an exciting time to discover opportunities within the water industry. Major Projects DPC schemes are a key part of how we plan to meet changing expectations of customers and regulators.

Responsibilities

• Support improvements across Asset Delivery and Engineering teams to drive efficiencies across our strategic programmes
• Shape business strategies that maximise programme success and benefits
• Connect early tactical outcomes to long‑term strategic requirements, ensuring learning flows into future design
• Work with PMO and Continuous Improvement teams to plan readiness activities and ensure people, process and technology impacts are fully considered
• Track and manage outputs against success criteria, removing impediments to delivery
• Maintain and prioritise the team backlog to support efficient execution
• Participate in and lead relevant workshops and identify opportunities for continuous improvement
• Ensure stakeholders are identified, engaged, and clear on impacts and responsibilities
• Champion change across all levels, promoting proactive adoption
• Lead, coach and support SMEs to maximise the value of their expertise
• Ensure compliance with legislation and best practice
• Build organisational capability aligned to business vision, measuring progress and learning
• Govern the enterprise change portfolio, providing insights and supporting benefits realisation
• Identify interdependencies across strategic initiatives and engineering to mitigate risks
• Lead projects focused on operational readiness and commercial impact, ensuring a collaborative transformation approach
• Develop and embed metrics and MI to inform decisions and demonstrate impact
• Support training design and delivery
• Build a community of influencers to advocate Engineering Improvement
• Foster relationships and influence behaviours to embed holistic, agile ways of working
• Collaborate with stakeholders to align design and deployment of integrated solutions
• Engage colleagues across the organisation to maximise successful change adoption
• Operate within Engineering Performance, supporting change across the Asset Delivery directorate

Qualifications

• Experience leading and managing operational teams within water / wastewater
• Strong knowledge and experience of business processes and systems linked to planning and scheduling and or dynamic maintenance
• Previous experience managing change in a fast‑paced operational environment
• Strong stakeholder management and experience managing a wide network effectively
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to engage, influence and inspire to create collaboration and alignment
• Strong leadership skills able to lead both direct and matrix teams across the business
• Ability to work in a face‑paced delivery and manage multiple tasks effectively
• Proactive, self‑motivated, organised and takes personal accountability
• Collation, interpretation and understanding of key performance indicators associated with work management
• Able to demonstrate the ability to work in a team and under your own initiative
• Analytical skills and the ability to turn data into insight and then to actionable ideas
• Communication skills to simplify complexity and ensure the business can deliver change and realise the benefits
• Experience managing project teams to deliver business objectives within defined milestones
• Experience in operational and asset management disciplines

Additional skills you will bring

• Experience in the water industry or similar utility
• Experience in business transformation methodologies
• Experience leading transformation programmes in large organisations
• Experience working on large‑scale, technology‑enabled change programmes
• Ability to analyse and interpret operational performance data linked to work management systems and processes

Although we operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, it’s important to us that we support flexible working patterns and job share options (when we can), to help you make the best of both your work and home life. We know that juggling childcare responsibilities or achieving the right work/life balance isn’t always easy!

Do we sound like your cup of tea? If you have experience as an Engineering Improvement Manager and want to help us deliver great service for our customers while looking after the environment, then apply today to find out what a career with Yorkshire Water can offer you.

Pre‑employment checks will be required, including a Basic Disclosure Check. Depending on the role, you may also be required to go through the security vetting process for either a Counter‑Terrorist Check or Security Check clearance.

All roles are subject to a medical questionnaire and further medicals when required.

We are committed to removing barriers and ensuring our recruitment process is accessible to everyone. We offer a range of adjustments to make your application experience as comfortable and straightforward as possible. If you have an accessibility need, disability or condition that requires changes to the recruitment process, please include this information in your application.

We reserve the right to close this position once suitable candidates are identified, so advise that you complete and submit your application as soon as possible.

Equal Opportunity Statement – Kelda Group values equality, diversity and inclusion. We welcome applications from all individuals, regardless of gender, marital status, parental status, sexual orientation, race, colour, ethnic or national origin, disability, age, religion or belief and trade union membership.

For more information about the role and the application process, please apply online and complete the application process.