Innovation Lead

As an Innovation Lead, you'll help build a culture at Wessex Water where ideas are explored, developed and progressed into real value. Your role is about encouraging the curiosity, collaborative behaviours and design‑thinking mindset that help people work through problems, test possibilities, and create meaningful impact across the organisation.

You'll support colleagues to shape early ideas into well‑defined opportunities, work across teams to tackle complex challenges and grow the confidence and skills needed to innovate as part of everyday work. This shift is essential as we embrace new technologies and respond to the environmental, regulatory reform and operational challenges facing the water sector.

We're building a more open and connected ideas culture, one where people feel motivated to experiment, think differently and contribute to improvements that benefit our customers, our communities and the environment.

If you're driven by helping people unlock their ideas, build innovative habits and turn thoughtful thinking into real outcomes, we'd be glad to hear from you.

What you'll do

Reporting to the Head of Innovation, you will:

• lead the implementation and launch of our new ideas management platform and process, helping colleagues capture, develop, prioritise and progress ideas
• design and embed clear workflows for idea capture, evaluation and prioritisation
• facilitate workshops and conversations to help colleagues explore problems and develop opportunities
• support teams to turn early thoughts into structured requirements and business‑case foundations
• connect insights across departments and identify opportunities for collaboration
• build innovation capability through toolkits, communications and engagement campaigns
• maintain strong external relationships with partners such as UKWIR, Spring, Water Innovation Fund, academia and innovators.

What you'll need

There's no requirement for water‑sector experience; what matters most is your mindset and approach.

Ideally, you will:

• hold a degree or equivalent experience in a relevant field (e.g. design, engineering, business, environmental science, social science, innovation or similar)
• have experience in innovation, design, engineering, research, problem‑solving or similar work where ideas and collaboration play a central role
• feel confident facilitating workshops and guiding individuals and groups through early‑stage idea exploration and development
• think in systems, understanding processes, interdependencies and wider organisational impacts
• communicate clearly, written and verbal, and can structure ideas in a way that simplifies complexity
• enjoy working across a wide range of disciplines and environments, from engineers, scientists and analysts to field crews, operational teams and office‑based colleagues
• be comfortable helping people try approaches that may be new or unfamiliar, unlocking the potential already in the organisation
• build strong relationships and work well with diverse teams, roles and working contexts
• take a genuine interest in helping others develop their ideas, building their confidence and capability
• bring curiosity, openness and a commitment to supporting a culture where innovative behaviours are encouraged, reinforced and celebrated.

What you'll receive

• A combined pension contribution of up to 20%.
• Career progression and professional development opportunities.
• 25 days' holiday rising to 28 with length of service.
• The opportunity to sell up to five days of holiday every year.
• The opportunity to buy up to ten days of holiday each year (subject to conditions).
• A healthcare package that allows you to claim back healthcare costs.
• Life assurance of up to eight times your salary.
• The opportunity to lease a new electric car through salary sacrifice (subject to conditions).
• Cashback and discounts from more than 3,000 retailers.
• One paid volunteering day each year.
• Enhanced family leave and pay arrangements.
• Access to an interactive health and wellbeing platform.
• Support from trained mental health first aiders.
• A £1,000 referral fee if you recommend someone who is successfully recruited by us. 

Who we are

YTL UK is part of the international YTL Group based in Kuala Lumpur. The UK companies include:

• Wessex Water – one of the top-performing water and sewerage companies in England and Wales, serving 2.9 million people across the South West
• YTL Developments – a major UK developer currently redeveloping a 350-acre former airfield into an award-winning, exciting mix of houses, apartments, schools, commercial space, restaurants and hotels, to make a truly sustainable new community
• YTL Construction UK – a top 20 UK contractor providing fully integrated services to infrastructure, residential, commercial, industry, energy and environmental sectors
• YTL Arena – the development and operation of an entertainment complex that includes a 20,000 capacity arena, conferencing and exhibition space
• plus a number of other retail, environmental and specialist businesses.

Our people tell us that YTL UK is a great place to work, which is why so many of them stay with us! You will have a unique opportunity to develop and progress your career within such a diverse group.

We are passionate about diversity and inclusion – with that in mind, all applicants are welcome. We are delighted to have signed the Armed Forces Covenant and are a Disability Confident Employer.

If you require reasonable adjustments to be made during the recruitment process, please inform a member of our Recruitment team.