Development Growth and Strategy Manager

What you’ll be responsible for

As the Development Growth Manager, you will be responsible for directing activity relating to all development plan consultations and early engagement with stakeholders such as Local Authorities, Developers and Customers, in line with statutory deadlines. You will also take the lead in managing the Company’s response to any changes in guidance and legislation affecting the way we respond to new development and growth (i.e. changes to guidance on the protection of the environment), representing the Company internally and externally on the relevant Steering Groups. To enable you to do this, you will need to work collaboratively with colleagues across the business, particularly colleagues in our Wastewater and Water Assets teams, providing advice to our customers and keeping them informed of progress.
 

• Ensuring Development Growth activity such as pre-consultation site assessments, responses to formal development plans, and other early engagement activity are responded to within the recognised regulatory and statutory deadlines.
• Influence investment decisions within the Business and the programme of development by LPA’s so that the two align and ultimately protect the Company’s corporate standing and service to customers.
• Lead on the response and implementation of any changes in guidance (e.g. from our regulators) impacting the way the planning team responds to new development and growth.
• Through your direction you will manage the data from Strategy and Asset Capability and ensure the Local Authority is informed on the current & future Asset Management Plans and also updated on asset data currently available.
• Manage expectations with external stakeholders engaged in planning activity i.e. LPA, government, regulatory bodies; promoting a more proactive and informed planning function.
• Engage with Senior Officers in over 30 LPA’s to ensure they understand the Company’s approach to engagement at development plan stages and make certain they adhere to our advice.
   

Who you’ll work with

Internal

•    Developer Services Team
•    Water & Wastewater Assets Teams
•    Clean and Wastewater Operations
•    Health & Safety, Legal & Estates Teams
 

External

•    Regulators (Natural Resources Wales, Welsh Government)
•    Customers (Private, Business Customers, Retailers, Developers, Solicitors, Design Consultancies)
•    Local Authorities (Planning, Building Control, etc.)
•    Contractors, Land Agents, etc.
 

About you

Experience, Knowledge & Skills:
 

• Professional qualification desirable and educated to degree level or equivalent  
• Extensive experience in water industry and comprehensive knowledge of planning function 
• Good communication skills – both verbal and written 
• Experience of stakeholder management 
• Ability to work to tight regulatory and project deadlines 

Good to know

This is a hybrid role and you will be required to visit the office around 2 days a week or more depending on the business needs/requirements.

Benefits

As well as a market competitive salary, 33 days  annual leave (pro rata, including public holidays), we offer a range of employee benefits and rewards including:

• Variable pay schemes (your salary will always stay the same, but depending on the performance of the company you could receive a yearly bonus)
• Enhanced employer pension contributions – Up to 11% employer contributions
• Enhanced family friendly policies
• Progression opportunities, including the ability to apply for funded training and coaching and mentoring programmes
• Reduction on gym memberships and high street shopping
• Cycle to work scheme
• Car-leasing scheme
• Health CashBack scheme
• An employee assistance programme for employees and their immediate family

Whilst also working for a not-for profit company that truly cares about earning the trust of customers everyday, and about looking after our beautiful environment.

Who we are

Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water keep 3 million people healthy each day with safe, reliable water, and take away wastewater to clean, before returning it safely to our beautiful rivers and seas.

To be able to deliver high quality, essential services which help to protect the health of our customers, colleagues and our environment, we need the right people to deliver on our vision.  This is achieved by living our core values and demonstrating the core behaviours that underpin them.  The security of our people, assets and information is key to us, so we are looking for people who understand and comply with the company’s required security objectives.

We know that the most successful teams are the most diverse teams. Equality, diversity and inclusion provide the very foundation to our culture at Welsh Water. We want every individual to feel confident, proud and able to bring their whole selves to work. 

To ensure an improved representation in our workforce, applications are particularly welcome from minority groups including Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people, Females, LGBT+, Non-binary and people with disabilities. Together we continue to build a workplace that not only celebrates the diverse voices of our colleagues but also represents each customer we serve.

In essence, ours is a company based on trust, openness, respect, commitment and honesty. A company that our colleagues are proud to work for.