External Partnership Lead

This full-time position as External Partnership Lead, based in Rickmansworth, offers a salary of up to £45,000 depending on experience. The successful candidate will design and implement approaches that cut sewer misuse, especially the improper disposal of fats, oils, grease, rag, and similar harmful substances causing flooding and pollution. By collaborating with schools, hospitals, businesses, and regulators, the postholder will encourage compliance, increase understanding, and shift behaviour to enhance wastewater network performance. Strong stakeholder management, strategic thinking, and communication abilities are essential. This role provides a chance to deliver tangible environmental improvements while working with Thames Water.

We are currently recruiting for an External Partnership Lead to join a busy and growing team here at Thames Water. At Thames Water, protecting our customers, communities, and the environment is at the heart of everything we do.

As an External Partnership Lead , you will lead the development and delivery of strategies that reduce sewer misuse, including the inappropriate disposal of fats, oils, grease (FOG), rag, and other harmful materials that contribute to flooding and pollution incidents. Working closely with schools, hospitals, businesses, regulators, and other key stakeholders, you will drive compliance, raise awareness, and influence behavioural change to improve wastewater network performance.

This pivotal role offers the opportunity to make a measurable impact on environmental outcomes, customer service, and regulatory performance across the Thames Water region.

What you’ll be doing as an External Partnership Lead:

• Manage the strategy and engagement of geographically dispersed schools, colleges, offices to deliver the work efficiently and effectively
• Manage the external stakeholders’ relationships with local authorities, trusts and other relevant parties.
• Be accountable for the management of the targeted approach to schools, colleges, offices, hospitals and other institutions as well as responsible for the education of customers and ultimately enforcement action where required and appropriate.
• Work alongside internal and external stakeholders to deliver high levels of compliance and drive increased awareness of sewer misuse.
• Work closely with your field team to ensure that incidents have been fully understood and all required actions have been completed

Base location – Hybrid – this role will be predominantly remote working with mostly externally meetings within the Thames Water catchment areas. Working pattern or hours - 36 hours a week, Monday to Friday Salary – up to £45,000 per annum dependant on experience

To thrive in this role, the essential criteria you’ll need is:

• A passion to improve our environmental performance.
• Confident presentation skills, as well as strong written and verbal communication skills
• Experience in positively influencing and working collaboratively with all levels of an organisation to achieve improved business outcomes
• Deliver exceptional customer service through an enthusiastic, positive and proactive approach, taking initiative and accountability for your role while working accurately within a busy team
• Excellent planning & organisation skills, with the ability to balance different workstreams
• Excellent IT literacy, including good working knowledge of Microsoft Office
• A strong focus and good working knowledge of health and safety within a field environment
• Full UK driving license

Additional skills and experiences would be great to have/bring:

• Understand Environmental Legislation
• Understanding of the principles of wastewater network operations and particularly how wastewater systems are impacted by sewer misuse

What’s in it for you?

• A salary of up to £45,000 per year depending on experience
• 26 days holiday per year increasing to 30 with the length of service (plus bank holidays)
• Performance‑related pay plan directly linked to company performance measures and targets
• Generous Pension Scheme through AON
• Access to lots of benefits to help you take care of you and your family’s health and wellbeing, and your finances – from annual health MOTs and access to physiotherapy and counselling, to Cycle to Work schemes, shopping vouchers and life assurance. Find out more about our benefits and perks (Please note different T&Cs apply if on secondment)

Who are we? We’re the UK’s largest water and wastewater company, with more than 16 million customers relying on us every day to supply water for our taps and toilets. We want to build a better future for all, helping our customers, communities, people, and the planet to thrive. It’s a big job and we’ve got a long way to go, so we need help from passionate and skilled people, committed to making a difference and getting us to where we want to be in the years and decades to come. Learn more about our purpose and values

Working at Thames Water Thames Water is a unique, rewarding, and diverse place to work, where every day you can make a difference, yet no day is the same. As part of our family, you’ll enjoy meaningful career opportunities, flexible working arrangements and excellent benefits. If you’re looking for a sustainable and successful career where you can make a daily difference to millions of people’s lives while helping to protect the world of water for future generations, we’ll be here to support you every step of the way. Together, we can build a better future for our customers, our region, and our planet. Real purpose, real support, real opportunities. Come and join the Thames Water family.

Why choose us? Learn more. We’re committed to being a great, diverse, and inclusive place to work. We welcome applications from everyone and want to ensure you feel supported throughout the recruitment process. If you need any adjustments, whether that’s extra time, accessible formats, or anything else just let us know , we’re here to help and support .

When a crisis happens, we all rally around to support our customers. As part of Team Thames, you’ll have the opportunity to sign up to support our customers on the frontline as an ambassador. Full training will be given for what is undoubtedly an incredibly rewarding experience. It’s also a great opportunity to learn more about our business and meet colleagues.

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