Area Services Manager

Location: Banbury or Witney (with travel across Cotswolds, Cherwell, and Oxford)
Contract: Permanent | Full-Time (36 hours/week, Monday–Friday)
Salary: £47,000 – £52,000 per annum (depending on experience)
Driving licence and access to a vehicle required

Are you passionate about leading teams, promoting exceptional Health & Safety standards, and making a difference in a fast-paced, ever-changing environment?

If you thrive in a dynamic operational setting where no two days are the same and enjoy being a key player in delivering essential public services, this could be the role for you.

We are looking for a driven and experienced Area Services Manager to join our Thames Valley North Wastewater Operations Team at Thames Water. This is a critical leadership role where you will provide specialist technical support in maintenance across multiple sites and support strategic change to improve performance, compliance, and asset resilience.

What you’ll be doing as an Area Services Manager

• Lead a team of technical specialists supporting performance managers across the region.
• Develop and implement robust maintenance strategies to improve asset efficiency and reduce failure rates.
• Own the maintenance delivery plan and work closely with operations teams to ensure effective site performance.
• Provide technical input into site improvement projects to deliver efficient, cost-effective solutions.
• Monitor plant performance, investigate critical failures, and ensure corrective actions are in place.
• Drive down maintenance serviceability costs while enhancing operational resilience.
• Identify, escalate, and mitigate risk across sites.
• Participate in the out-of-hours escalation rota to support 24/7 operations.
• Health & Safety: Promote a culture of safety and well-being, ensuring full compliance with Health & Safety policies and statutory inspections.
• People Leadership: Coach, lead, and develop your team, aligning with Thames Water values and building a strong team culture.
• Performance Management: Drive high standards in work management, technical capability, and safety awareness.
• Financial Oversight: Manage budgets and implement cost-efficiencies in operational delivery.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Deliver an exceptional service to customers and stakeholders through proactive communication and issue resolution.

What should you bring to the role?

• A strong background in industrial mechanical or electrical maintenance, ideally in utilities or facilities management.
• Qualifications such as BTEC/NVQ Level 3 (or equivalent) in Mechanical/Electrical, and preferably a BTEC HNC or similar. ICA experience is also valuable.
• Proven experience in leading and developing technical teams, including mentoring apprentices.
• Solid understanding and application of Health & Safety legislation; NEBOSH is preferred (or willingness to obtain).
• Comfortable using IT systems such as Excel and SAP for data review and decision-making.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.

What’s in it for you?

• Competitive salary: £47,000 – £52,000 per annum, depending on skills and experience.
• Annual Leave: 26 days per year, increasing to 30 with length of service (plus bank holidays).
• Contributory Pension: Defined Contribution scheme with up to 12% employer contribution (2x employee contribution).
• Personal Medical Assessments: Available annually to all employees.
• Benefits on Tap: Access to discounts, cashback, and instant vouchers.
• Generous Paternity Leave: 4 weeks paid, plus an optional 2 weeks unpaid.
• Enhanced Maternity Leave: 26 weeks full pay and 13 weeks half pay.
• Performance Development: Ongoing reviews to support your growth and success.
• Wider Benefits Scheme: Includes a benefits hub offering savings, wellbeing support, and exclusive offers.

Find out more about our benefits and perks

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 their 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 fast-tracked career opportunities, flexible working arrangements and excellent benefits.

Whether you’re interested in a role in one of our call centres or science labs, we’re looking for people like you with real passion and a burning desire to make things better.

So, suppose 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. In that case, 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.

Our overarching aim is to ensure that Thames Water is a great, diverse, and inclusive place to work. We welcome applications from everyone and offer extra support for those who need it throughout the recruitment process. Our aim is to remove any real or perceived barriers to success, so if you need assistance, 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.

Disclaimer: Due to the high volume of applications we receive, we may close the advert earlier than the advertised date, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.