At Affinity Water, we're embarking on an ambitious enterprise-wide transformation to enhance performance, improve customer outcomes, and build a resilient, future-ready organisation. We're looking for a Head of Transformation & Innovation to lead this journey and play a pivotal role in shaping the future of our business on a 12 month FTC.

Reporting directly to the Director of People & Transformation, you'll be responsible for defining and delivering our transformation and innovation strategy, ensuring that every initiative drives meaningful and measurable improvements across the organisation.

This is a unique opportunity for a strategic and influential leader who thrives on solving complex challenges, inspiring change, and creating a culture where innovation flourishes.

As Head of Transformation & Innovation, you will:

Lead Enterprise Transformation

• Develop and deliver a company-wide transformation strategy aligned to business objectives, customer priorities, and regulatory requirements.

• Translate strategic ambitions into a portfolio of high-impact initiatives that drive performance, efficiency, and service excellence.

• Lead complex transformation programmes from concept through to delivery and benefits realisation.

Drive Innovation

• Create and embed an innovation strategy that enables new ideas, technologies, and approaches to be identified, tested, and scaled.

• Foster a culture of continuous improvement, experimentation, and forward-thinking across the organisation.

• Champion innovative solutions that improve customer experiences and business performance.

Deliver Measurable Value

• Own and prioritise the Change & Transformation Portfolio, ensuring investment is focused on initiatives that deliver the greatest impact.

• Build robust business cases and ensure benefits are tracked, measured, and realised.

• Use data, insight, and best practice to support evidence-based decision-making.

Build Capability and Excellence

• Establish strong governance and delivery frameworks across the transformation portfolio.

• Lead and develop a high-performing transformation function and centre of excellence.

• Strengthen organisational change capability through effective frameworks, tools, and methodologies.

Influence at the Highest Level

• Act as a trusted advisor to senior leaders and the Executive Leadership Team.

• Challenge thinking, shape strategic decisions, and drive accountability for results.

• Build strong relationships across the organisation and with external partners.

About You

We're looking for a highly strategic and commercially minded leader who combines vision with execution.

You'll bring:

• Significant experience leading large-scale transformation and change programmes within complex organisations.

• A strong track record of delivering measurable business performance improvements.

• Exceptional stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to influence at executive level.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities, with confidence working with data and insight.

• The ability to move seamlessly between strategic thinking and hands-on delivery.

• Experience building high-performing teams and developing organisational capability.

Ideally, you'll also have:

• Experience in Lean, Six Sigma, Systems Thinking, or Continuous Improvement methodologies.

• PRINCE2 or equivalent programme/project management qualifications.

• Change Management certification (such as Prosci or ACMP).

• Knowledge of emerging technologies and their potential impact on business processes.
  

If you are interested in this opportunity, please provide a cover letter with your application.
Closing date - Friday 3rd July

Benefits:

• Competitive salary dependant on skills and experience

• Learning and development opportunities, including mentoring and a range of formal courses and open learning resources.

• Entry into the company annual bonus scheme.

• Annual leave from 26-30 rising with length of service, and the option to purchase up to 5 extra days.

• A ‘Celebration Day’ in addition to public holidays that people can use to celebrate a religious festival or other occasion that is important to them.

• A generous 'double match pension scheme' that doubles the contributions you make (company contribution capped at 12%)

• We offer a range of family benefits including enhanced Maternity, Adoption, Paternity, Shared Parental Leave, Fertility Support Leave and up to 5 full or 10 half days of paid Carers Leave.

• Menopause policy and Reasonable Adjustment policy to help everyone perform at their best.

• Access to our Wellbeing Centre with support for looking after your physical and mental health.

• Discounts at a Range of Retail Outlets through our Tap4Perks scheme

• Discounts on Dental and Medical Insurance through our Tap4Perks scheme through salary sacrifice

• Up to 4 Affinity days a year to volunteer in the community.

• Life Assurance.

Disability Confident

As a Disability Confident employer, we’re committed to offering interviews to disabled candidates who meet the essential criteria and opt in on the application form. Ask the Talent Acquisition lead for the full job description to see all the criteria. If we have a very high volume of applicants and we’re not able to offer interviews to all, we’ll take a fair and proportionate number of disabled candidates through.

Affinity Water recognises the benefits of greater diversity in our workforce to better reflect the communities we serve. We are committed to building a more inclusive culture where every member of our workforce can thrive.

You can find out what it’s like to work at Affinity Water through our career site https://www.affinitywatercareers.co.uk/ where our colleagues share their career development stories and you can get a feel for our company culture.