DescriptionWe are Uisce Éireann. Every day, we are responsible for the delivery of secure, safe, and sustainable water services for the people of Ireland. As Ireland’s national regulated water utility, our vision is a sustainable Ireland where water is respected and protected, for the planet and all the lives it supports.
Our purpose at Uisce Éireann is to rise to the challenge of delivering transformative water services that enable communities to thrive. That means we are proud to take on the responsibility of protecting our water supply and passing on a safe and secure water system to a rapidly growing population and empowering Ireland’s social and economic growth.
We are passionate about empowering our people, enabling them to make a positive impact on communities across Ireland. We are guided by a shared vision and purpose, grounded in values that define who we are and shape how we work, where we deliver for customers and communities, we work better together, we do the right thing, we aim high, and we keep each other safe. Our behaviours define how we interact, communicate, and succeed together. These values and behaviours apply to each one of us, across every role, location, and level.
Our goal is to attract and develop skilled and talented people from diverse backgrounds, who bring a dynamic range of expertise and insights to our work. With a strong, values-driven workforce, we ensure Uisce Éireann can continue advancing Ireland’s water services and meeting the needs of the communities we serve for generations to come.
The Role:
The Strategy, Resilience & Regulation Directorate is responsible for driving the development of Uisce Éireann’s Corporate Strategy; advancing and implementing Enterprise Risk and Resilience policies and frameworks; leading regulatory engagement with the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU); and providing commercial and governance oversight of key expenditure proposals and Board submissions.
The team works closely with the Uisce Éireann Executive to develop and support the embedding of regulatory decisions and practices within Uisce Éireann. The team supports the Uisce Éireann Executive develop and implement the Enterprise Risk and Resilience policies and framework and supports all audit, governance, and compliance activities.
The Directorate co-ordinates stakeholder management of regulatory bodies in relation to regulatory policy, legislation and standards at a national and European Union (EU) level; and represents Uisce Éireann at national and EU level in relation to regulatory policy and standards. The team is made up of a cross-functional mix of staff with economic, financial, engineering, and business backgrounds, with extensive experience of regulatory and utility operations.
Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, the Strategy, Resilience and Regulation Director is also responsible for being an active member of the Executive team, taking part in constructive discussions on all aspects of the Uisce Éireann business and implementing the agreed decisions to take the organisation forward.
Main Duties and Responsibilities:
Directly oversee business planning and price controls, including submissions and all associated stakeholder engagement.
Lead the implementation of an integrated strategic planning framework that explores a range of strategic options, identifies strategic priorities and translates them into a comprehensive strategic plan, to include clarity on purpose, vision, strategic objectives and actions for the Uisce Éireann organisation.
Lead all regulatory engagement with the CRU to drive successful outcomes, including business planning and revenue controls, performance analysis and reporting; tariff design and modelling; and the development of effective regulatory policies.
Directly oversee the development of the Risk & Resilience functions (incorporating Enterprise Risk Management, Crisis Management, Business Continuity and Management Systems) to deliver the capability and maturity appropriate to the nature, scale and complexity of Uisce Éireann.
Provide insights and expertise to the Board of Directors on all matters within the Directorate, including Board committee’s as required
Lead the company’s compliance with relevant requirements in the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies and ensuring Risk and Resilience compliance with applicable national obligations.
Directly oversee the Expenditure Approval Committee processes to provide commercial and governance oversight of key investment proposals.
Lead the development of commercial strategies, leveraging existing assets and capabilities to grow the business with particular focus on the organisation’s commercial revenue.
Lead the assessment of developments in the national and international utility environment to analyse potential implications for Uisce Éireann, providing a strategic lens allied to commercial insight.
As a member of the Executive team for UÉ display visible and high impact leadership and promote a culture of collaboration and alignment with all areas of the organisation
General Duties and Responsibilities:
Collaborate with key internal stakeholders across the Uisce Éireann business, including but not limited to; Executive Team, Senior Managers and Strategy, Resilience & Regulation teams.
Build and maintain trusted external relationships with regulators, industry partners, local authorities and other relevant stakeholders.
Responsible for promoting and delivering health and safety commitments across Uisce Éireann and its supply chain, reinforcing positive behaviours and delivering health and safety objectives and requirements to the highest industry standards.
Support the delivery of the Uisce Éireann Transformation Programme, driving results required within the Directorate and supporting organisation-wide objectives.
Provide visible leadership for the Strategy, Resilience and Regulation Directorate, coaching and developing the team to achieve its full potential and deliver business objectives, promoting collaboration and highlighting the behaviours that are expected from everyone.
Other duties as required.
Knowledge, Skills and Experience:
Relevant third level qualification and/or accreditation is desirable.
A minimum of 10 plus years’ experience in the water, utilities or similar industries is desirable, along with 5+ years working at a senior manager level.
Excellent leadership and people skills required, and a demonstrable ability to attract and develop a high performing committed team.
Significant leadership, change & transformation experience, ideally in a similar utility, regulated industry or multi stakeholder environment.
Extensive experience in managing relationship with external bodies.
Able to work to deadlines and adapt to changing conditions and ambiguity, generating effective and pragmatic solutions to new situations and problems as they are presented.
Can quickly establish credibility and respect and build strong working relationships and influence effectively at all levels, both internally and externally.
A proven track record of working in a commercially focused environment and working collaboratively across multiple functions and business areas.
Excellent communicator with the capability to handle complex and difficult situations with thought and confidence.
Proven track record of successful delivery against Business Objectives within a complex and large organisational context and a demonstrated ability to align resources across these environments.
Strong negotiation skills with win/win mindset.
Financially and commercially astute.
Experience of implementing policies, systems and controls and overseeing the implementation of progressive policies.
The closing date for receipt of applications for this vacancy is 03/04/2025.
Please note that applications submitted after this closing date will not be accepted.
*Please be advised that if successful you will be placed on a salary range based on your skills and experience. Please note the Market reference point (midpoint) of the range is generally the upper end of the offer where someone is deemed to be fully competent to take on the duties of the role, and leaves room for the employee to progress through the pay range as their experience develops further.
Uisce Éireann is an equal opportunities employer.
We are committed to providing a diverse and inclusive place of work and have a robust strategy and framework called ibelong to enable this. We are an equal opportunity employer and through our recruitment process we welcome and encourage applications from interested and suitably qualified individuals regardless of gender, age, racial or ethnic origin, membership of the traveller community, religion or beliefs, family or civil status, sexual orientation/gender identity or disability.