Project Manager – Engineering (Reactive & Planned Works)

Powered by Water, Driven by Purpose
South West Water keeps the South West flowing with safe, reliable drinking water and wastewater services across some of the UK’s most stunning landscapes.
We’re proud to be part of Pennon Group, a leader in the UK water sector, working towards a greener future. Our goals? As well as lowering our carbon footprint, we’re working with partners to plant 300,000 trees, restore peatlands and supporting farmers and landowners to improve water quality and wildlife.
Whether you’re starting out or seeking a new challenge, our scale and ambition create opportunities for you to shape your own career.
Ready to make a splash? Join our team today.
Are you an organised, hands-on professional who thrives in a fast-moving environment? We are seeking a Project Manager to join our busy engineering team, supporting the delivery of a high volume of planned and reactive projects across the construction and water sectors.
About the role
This is a field-based role requiring regular travel, operating in a fast-paced environment where priorities can shift quickly. It offers an exciting opportunity to play a key role in delivering critical works—often to tight timescales—while gaining exposure to a broad range of technical disciplines and real-world project challenges.
If you enjoy problem-solving, performing under pressure, and taking projects through from concept to completion, we would be delighted to hear from you.
What you'll be doing:
Managing and supporting delivery of multiple fast-turnaround engineering projects
Coordinating teams, contractors, and stakeholders to keep projects on track
Taking ownership of project timelines, costs, and quality outcomes
Supporting mobilisation of works, including temporary solutions when needed
Monitoring progress and proactively resolving issues before they impact delivery
Handling reactive and emergency works, including occasional out-of-hours support
Forecasting costs and keeping projects aligned with budgets
Ensuring smooth handover to operations and completing project close-out documentation
Championing health & safety compliance across all activities
What we are looking for:
Essential
Experience within the construction and/or water industry
Strong time management skills, with the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously
Excellent communication skills, with a proactive, can-do attitude
Ability to think laterally and solve problems efficiently
Sound working knowledge of health and safety requirements
Comfortable working under pressure in a fast-paced environment
Proficient in Microsoft Office applications, including Excel, Word, and Outlook
Experience in managing or supporting project budgets and cost control
Full UK driving licence and willingness to travel to sites
Flexibility to accommodate emergency or reactive work outside normal working hours
Technical Knowledge (one or more of the following):
Mechanical or Electrical systems
Instrumentation, Control and Automation
Civil Engineering
Process or scientific systems
Clean or wastewater site operations
What's in it for you:
We know our people drive our success — so we’re committed to offering an excellent range of benefits, including:
Generous holiday allowance + bank holidays
Discretionary bonus
Competitive contributory pension
Share-save scheme
Health benefits & wellbeing support programmes
Group discounts
Cycle to Work scheme
Financial support services
Development and training opportunities
… and much more!
Closing Date: 10th June 2026
We may close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of applications. We encourage you to apply as soon as possible.
Please note that the successful candidate will be subject to a mandatory DBS check as part of the onboarding process.
Be yourself, we like it that way. Together, we will build a culture of belonging, where inclusion is instinctive. Diversity is our strength and a reflection of our communities. We care, we value everyone, we celebrate uniqueness.
Our core values, which are essential to our success, are:
Be Rock Solid - Build trust and be trusted. Be the one we all look to and can depend on.
Be You - We want you to bring your best everyday. Be yourself and make your mark in your individual way.
Be the Future - Embrace change. Drive Progress. Own the challenge.

- Division
- South West Water
- Department
- Engineering, Technical and Scientific
- Locations
- Bournemouth, Bristol
- Yearly salary
- £45,000 - £55,000
- Employment type
- Full-time
About South West Water
We look after the water and wastewater services for 1.8 million customers across Cornwall, Devon, the Isles of Scilly and parts of Dorset and Somerset.
From treatment and maintenance, to innovation and improvements, we're busy every day finding and fixing leaks, unblocking sewers and going bigger and further in our environmental work to be a company you can be proud of.