Strategic Asset Manager

Salary: £65,000 - 70,000 per annum (DOE) | Company Benefits | Travel Allowance

Location: Walsall, West Midlands | Hybrid

Contract: Full Time | Permanent | 37.5 hours per week

South Staffordshire Water, which operates across two regions as Cambridge Water and South Staffs Water is a privately-owned regulated water only company.

South Staffs Water supplies a population of nearly I.3 million. The area of supply stretches from the edge of Ashbourne in the north, to Halesowen in the south, and from Burton on Trent in the east, to Kinver in the west.

The Role

At South Staffordshire Water, we're looking for an experienced and strategic leader to join us as our Strategic Asset Manager. This is a pivotal role responsible for defining our long-term asset strategies and transforming asset performance, condition and risk information into clear, evidence-based investment requirements that will shape our future business plans.

Leading our Asset Strategy and Investment Planning teams, you will play a key role in ensuring that future investment decisions are targeted, risk-based, technically robust and deliverable. Working across operational, engineering, regulatory and delivery functions, you'll provide the strategic direction needed to maintain resilient, high-performing assets that continue to deliver excellent service for our customers.

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced asset management professional with strong engineering expertise in water treatment and infrastructure to influence major investment decisions and help shape our PR29 submission and beyond.

This role is primarily based at our central office in Walsall, with travel to Cambridge expected 2-3 times per month.

Key Responsibilities

As Strategic Asset Manager, you will:

• Lead the development of integrated, phased and deliverable long-term investment programmes for PR29 and future regulatory periods.
• Develop and oversee asset strategies across water treatment, storage, pumping, networks and associated infrastructure.
• Assess asset performance, condition, health, criticality and risk to identify future investment needs.
• Translate operational, engineering and asset management evidence into prioritised investment recommendations.
• Provide technical leadership for water treatment assets and processes, including mechanical, electrical, civil and control systems.
• Identify emerging risks relating to asset health, resilience, compliance, water quality and future demand.
• Lead, coach and develop high-performing asset strategy and investment planning teams.
• Balance investment solutions across maintenance, refurbishment, renewal, replacement, optimisation and resilience enhancement.
• Ensure a clear line of sight between asset risk, investment requirements and customer outcomes.
• Collaborate with operational, engineering, regulatory, data and delivery teams to develop practical, evidence-based strategies.
• Oversee asset health assessments, deterioration modelling, criticality analysis, option appraisal and investment scenario development.
• Ensure investment proposals deliver value through risk reduction, whole-life cost optimisation, carbon reduction and operational efficiency.
• Produce robust evidence and supporting information for regulatory submissions, business planning and assurance activities.
• Present complex asset risks, strategic choices and investment recommendations to senior stakeholders and governance groups.

About You

We're looking for someone who can combine technical excellence with strategic leadership.

You'll Have

• Significant engineering knowledge of water treatment assets, processes and related infrastructure.
• Proven experience in strategic asset management, engineering, capital investment planning or a related discipline within the water sector or another regulated infrastructure environment.
• Experience leading and developing multidisciplinary technical or asset management teams.
• Strong understanding of asset health, deterioration, criticality assessment, failure mechanisms and risk-based decision making.
• Experience translating operational and engineering evidence into long-term investment strategies.
• Understanding of regulatory business planning and the development of evidence-based investment cases.
• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills, with the confidence to challenge assumptions, data and proposed solutions.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills with the ability to build relationships across technical, operational and corporate teams.
• Outstanding communication skills, capable of translating complex technical information into clear business recommendations.

What You'll Get From Us

• Family-Friendly Leave: Enhanced Maternity, Adoption, Paternity & Shared Parental Leave, Fertility Support, and up to 5 paid Carer’s Days
• Financial & Life Assurance: Company Pension Scheme with salary sacrifice options
• Health & Wellbeing: Employee Assistance Programme and 24/7 Virtual GP access for you and your dependents
• Lifestyle & Perks: Cycle to Work Scheme and My Premier Benefits discounts, cashback, and vouchers
• Professional Development: Hands-on training and ongoing career development opportunities
• Inclusion & Belonging: Active People Networks – Disability & Neurodiversity, Unity+, Women’s Network, Parent & Carer Networking Group and more
• Performance & Recognition: Annual salary review, Reward & Recognition Scheme, and Long Service Awards.

At South Staffordshire Group, inclusion matters. We have a wide range of employee networks which are employee-led communities that bring our people together, support different perspectives and create a strong sense of belonging. Our people are encouraged to get involved as members or allies.

We are committed to building a team that reflects the diversity of the communities we serve.

We warmly welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds, including all genders, ethnicity, sexual orientations, and physical and neurodiverse abilities.

We are happy to discuss reasonable adjustments and encourage you to let us know how we can best support you throughout the recruitment process.