Digital Solutions Lead - Water

YOUR NEW ROLE, WHAT’S INVOLVED? 

As Water Digital Lead, you will evangelise and drive the digital charge across the business. We are constantly looking for opportunities to help our clients achieve better value and resilience through innovating and the use of leading-edge technology. Our vision for a water-secure future pushes us to pursue new opportunities in digital innovation, to design the critical infrastructure needed to treat, manage and protect every precious drop. 

As one of the leading consultancies in the water sector, we are working to solve some of the world's biggest challenges, particularly in the face of a changing climate, asset resilience, industry capacity and supporting the road to Net Zero. We support our clients at every stage of the project lifecycle, from creating a long-term strategic vision, through to advising, planning, designing and implementing solutions to help communities thrive - an impossible mission without effective flood management or a future-proofed water supply. 

Our water team work on some of the most highly significant projects in the UK, for both regulated and non-regulated clients, including Severn Trent Water, South West Water, United Utilities, Yorkshire Water, Northumbrian Water, Northern Ireland Water, Southern Water and Environment Agency - as well as a large portfolio of governmental and international projects. Our international water portfolio enhances our knowledge of global best practice, so clients benefit from cross-sector experience and cutting-edge thinking in the water sector. 

Reporting to the Head of Profession for Water you will develop and implement the strategy for digital delivery for our Water business. Working with the Heads of Discipline, Heads of Technical, Project Directors, Project Managers and being part of the Water Technical Leadership Group, you will drive and support our teams to deliver our scheme outcomes in the digital environment.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Take ownership for the identification and evaluation of emerging digital technologies (including AI) and trends that can enhance the company’s digital services offerings and platforms;
• Collaborate with digital leads from across the UK Business Units to advance our digital capability;
• Actively introduce, develop and enhance digital skills, competence and capabilities to further improve the services we provide to our clients;
• Leading the transformation of our design delivery capability through the embracement of automation;
• Implementing data and information architecture across available systems, and develop database repositories to access and manage geospatial data;
• Provide data science experience, including data interpretation, coding languages and visualisation platforms,
• Collaborating with internal and external stakeholders, including our Computational Engineering Group, Digital Practice Area Network (PAN), Digital Leads, BIM Managers, clients and supply-chain partners, in the pursuit, exploitation and sharing of digital best practice;
• Maintaining up to date knowledge of technology developments, process and delivery innovations and developing and sharing improvements via thought leadership;
• Identifying, assessing and recommending any required hardware and software deployment for the Water discipline;
• Leading the ongoing development of tools and processes associated with embedment and consistent use of Common Data Environment, CAD standards and automated design tools within project delivery teams;
• Defining our processes for checking model information against the Employer Information Requirements (EIR);
• Ensuring high standards of digital delivery; and
• Supporting key bids for the Water discipline.

Key objectives:

• Setting the strategy and delivery plan for digital and AI development within our Water business, aligned with the overall UK digital strategy;
• Driving, monitoring, reporting and improving on the development and implementation of our digital strategy, aligned with existing and future market opportunities;
• Establishing a digital delivery structure for the Water business unit, supporting the fulfilment of digital career paths;
• Working with and influencing stakeholders at all levels across the UK and Water businesses to educate, inform and engage the business with the digital strategy;
• Maintaining an understanding of client needs in the emerging digital world; and
• Interfacing with multi-disciplinary project teams and driving benefits at project level.
   

WE'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU IF YOU HAVE:

• A clear understanding of the wider digital developments and associated benefits in the construction industry;
• Experience of business leadership and strategic development;
• Extensive experience of digital project delivery and BIM Level 2 compliant environments;
• Good knowledge of programming languages and data integration tools;
• Ability to lead others and manage own workload;
• Experience of leading high performing teams through change processes and the ability to influence and motivate others;
• Experience of multi- disciplinary design of linear pipeline infrastructure and treatment projects;
• Experience of management and use of asset data within varying dimensions of modelling;
• Fully conversant with BIM Level 2 environments and ISO19650;
• Appreciation and awareness of a variety of programming, visualisation, modelling and automation packages and their inter-operation;
• Demonstrable thought leadership in digital transformation for example through professional society activities; and
• A confident yet diplomatic operating style - a pro-active decision maker who deals easily with cultural diversity and change