Southern Water
Water and wastewater services provider
Commercial Quantity Surveyor
More locations: Worthing, UK
About the job
- A Bachelor's degree or equivalent in quantity surveying or a similar discipline.
- Solid commercial management experience, preferably in the water or utilities industry.
- Knowledge of standard forms of contract, particularly NEC.
- Working knowledge of the Microsoft Office suite, including advanced Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint.
- Significant experience in cost management and/or quantity surveying for large projects or framework arrangements.
- Experience managing supplier and contractor relationships.
- Experience identifying and managing risks.
- Experience with contract terms and conditions, project lifecycles, and commercial models.
- Experience monitoring and assuring compliance with internal governance procedures.
- Experience delivering continuous improvement to commercial processes and procedures and supporting transformation activities.
- Excellent verbal, written, and group presentation skills.
- Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to engage and influence senior stakeholders.
- A proactive working style.
- A continuous improvement mindset.
- Highly organised, with the ability to multitask.
- Ability to build sustainable relationships as a trusted advisor.
- Strong commercial acumen, problem-solving ability, and analytical and data-presentation skills.
- Ability to deliver against financial targets and timescales.
- Ability to manage commercial performance and cost drivers in a complex environment.
- Support the Senior Commercial Manager in delivering commercial management services to NEC 4 Networks and Capital Delivery Frameworks.
- Operate within commercial and cost-management, pre-contract, and post-contract best practices and techniques.
- Work with Procurement, Project, and Field Managers to support contract strategy, contract creation, pre-contract assurance, and agreement.
- Align commercial management activity with quality management and other audits, liaising with stakeholders to ensure audit activity reflects contractual pricing, terms, conditions, and service-delivery specifications.
- Develop and implement standardised audit and site-visit procedures, undertake targeted ad hoc audits, and support auditors on site visits.
- Work with Project and Field Managers and contractors to set target costs or fixed prices as appropriate for the contract form.
- Work with Project Managers, Engineers, Contract and Supplier Managers, Contract Owners, and contractors to identify business, process, project, and contract risks and implement mitigating actions.
- Provide Project Managers with commercial guidance and advice on contract difficulties, cost variance, inadequate contract performance, and emerging issues.
- Professional qualification and full membership, such as MRICS, or a plan to achieve full membership.
- Commercial management experience in the water or utilities industry.
About the company
Southern Water provides water supply and wastewater services in parts of southern England, including Kent, Sussex, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. It collects, treats and distributes drinking water and also collects and treats wastewater through a network of treatment works, reservoirs and pipes. The company stands out as a regional water and sewerage utility with private ownership and substantial capital investment, while it has faced regulatory scrutiny and fines for its operational and environmental performance. Its goal is to deliver reliable water and wastewater services that meet regulatory requirements and provide value to investors.
Company Size
1,001-5,000
Company Stage
Growth Equity (Non-Venture Capital)
Total Funding
$2B
Headquarters
Worthing, United Kingdom
Founded
1989
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Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- Macquarie committed another £300 million on 22 June 2026, funding AMP8 delivery.
- S&P affirmed BBB- in August 2026, citing stronger credit metrics and stable outlook.
- Lightsonic deployment targets Ofwat’s 2030 leakage cuts after three years of lower leakage.
What critics are saying
- Environment Agency opened July 2026 criminal proceedings against Southern Water and seven ex-staff.
- Southern Water was fined £2.4 million on 22 September 2026 for Kent pollution.
- Another December 2026 court case over Herne Bay and Canterbury pollution threatens escalating penalties.
What makes Southern Water unique
- Macquarie and Asterion injected £2.8 billion since 2021, stabilising Southern Water’s balance sheet.
- Southern Water’s Lightsonic trial uses Openreach fibre as distributed leak sensors.
- The company operates scarce South England assets across 2.7 million customers and chalk streams.
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Benefits
Health Insurance
Paid Vacation
Flexible Work Hours
Hybrid Work Options
Growth & Insights and Company News
6 month growth
↑ 13%1 year growth
↑ 13%2 year growth
↑ 13%Southern Water trials fibre based leak detection. Southern Water is deploying Lightsonic technology to identify leaks across its fresh water network, using existing fibre-optic infrastructure operated by Openreach. The move comes as almost three-quarters of England is in drought, while Southern England faces particular water stress. Lightsonic's approach has already helped save more than four million litres of water a day across 650km of the UK water network. By turning telecommunications fibre running alongside pipes into acoustic sensors, the deployment is intended to help protect supplies, cut field time and strengthen network resilience. A response to water stress. The programme arrives against a challenging backdrop for water utilities. The press release cites the Environment Agency and Defra, which reported that almost three-quarters of England is in drought following the driest July on record. Reservoir levels have fallen to exceptionally low levels, putting pressure on resources across all regions. Leakage remains a substantial issue across the national network. Around 2.6 billion litres of water is lost through leaks in England each day, according to the release, equivalent to more than 1,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools. The challenge is compounded by the age of the asset base: 60% of water mains are 45 years old, while 13% are more than a century old. Southern Water supplies drinking water to 2.7 million customers across Kent, Sussex, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Its deployment is designed to support ongoing efforts to reduce avoidable losses before they place further pressure on reservoirs and abstraction. Wayne Novelli, Leakage and Network Strategy Manager at Southern Water, said: "We've reduced leakage across our network for three consecutive years and continue to invest in innovative techniques and technologies to find and fix leaks even more effectively," Wayne Novelli, Leakage and Network Strategy Manager at Southern Water, said: "We've been impressed by the leakage reduction metrics and proven success of Lightsonic's technology and are looking forward to working with the team as we head into winter - when colder conditions can result in more leaks - to trial a new way of detecting and tackling them." Using fibre as sensors. Lightsonic converts telecommunications fibre networks installed alongside water pipes into acoustic sensing infrastructure. The system uses acoustic data from the fibre to detect leaks in nearby pipelines and provide location information for operational teams, enabling technicians to investigate and stop leaks more quickly. Rather than requiring a separate sensor network to be installed, the model uses Openreach's existing fibre infrastructure. This offers a practical route to wider coverage while reducing the disruption and expense associated with deploying dedicated monitoring equipment across extensive water networks. The company states that its technology can detect 1.2 million litres of water leaks a day per 100km of network covered annually. Lightsonic also reports that technicians can find four times as many leaks in fewer field hours, helping maintenance teams focus resources where they are most needed. The system categorises leaks by severity, supporting repair prioritisation and a faster response to failures. Building on earlier deployments. Southern Water selected Lightsonic following the technology's initial work with Affinity Water and Openreach. Across 650km of the UK water network, the companies have helped save more than four million litres of water a day, providing a basis for the latest deployment. The initiative is also positioned to support Southern Water's response to the Ofwat requirement for a 17% reduction in leakage by 2030. Continuous monitoring could help the utility suppress losses over time, protecting available supply and easing demand on reservoirs and abstraction during worsening climate conditions. Tommy Langnes, CEO at Lightsonic, said: "Ageing infrastructure, leaking networks and mounting climate pressure are converging, causing major water stress," Tommy Langnes, CEO at Lightsonic, said: "By utilising existing fibre optic infrastructure, we have a solution that can be quickly and effectively scaled across the UK to help utility companies get a handle on leaks, secure supply and generate savings that can be reinvested to upgrade our aging network. The industry needs a quick and comprehensive response and that is what we offer." Infrastructure with wider value. For Openreach, the work demonstrates how full-fibre assets can support services beyond connectivity. The combination of fibre reach and distributed acoustic sensing offers the potential for continuous monitoring without the cost and physical disruption of building a separate network of sensors. Trevor Linney, Director of Network Technology at Openreach, said: "The results of our existing pilots with Lightsonic show that our new full fibre infrastructure can deliver value far beyond broadband - and could prove to be a real game changer in solving real-world challenges like water conservation. "Combining Lightsonic's technology with the reach of Openreach's Full Fibre network makes continuous utility monitoring genuinely scalable, without the cost and disruption of building a separate sensor network." A more resilient supply network. Southern Water's latest trial places leakage reduction alongside longer-term infrastructure resilience. The utility operates in an environmentally sensitive region that includes 700 miles of coastline, 87 designated bathing waters and chalk streams such as Hampshire's River Test and Itchen. As drought conditions, ageing assets and supply pressures converge, earlier leak identification can give water companies a more efficient means of protecting treated water before it is lost. The Southern Water deployment provides a timely example of how established communications infrastructure can be put to work in conserving a resource under increasing strain.
Southern Water harness Openreach's UK fibre broadband network to detect leaks. Wednesday, Sep 23rd, 2026 (11:40 am) - Score 80 Utility company Southern Water, which supplies drinking water to millions of customers across the South of England, has announced that they've deployed Lightsonic's technology that works by harnessing Openreach's (BT) existing fibre optic broadband network to help detect underground water leaks in pipes. As Ispreview has reported before (here, here, and here), fibre optic cables aren't only useful for transmitting data using pulses of laser light. Such cables can also be used to detect subtle changes in those light signals (e.g. polarisation) as they move along the fibre, which can help to monitor Earthquakes, Tsunamis and even with locating underground water leaks via Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) or Distributed Fibre Optic Sensing (DFOS). NOTE: England and Wales currently lose c.3 billion litres of treated water daily through leaks. Openreach 's full fibre (FTTP) broadband network covers c.23.5 million UK premises and they're aiming to reach 25m by December 2026, before targeting" up to "30m by 2030. Earlier this year Ispreview reported on how Lightsonic and Openreach had been trialling such a technology in the UK with Affinity Water, which in its first three months had already been used to pinpoint 100+ leaks and was estimated to have saved 2 million litres of water a day. Since then Ispreview understand that the solution is now saving "over" 4 million litres of water per day and that's across just 650km of the UK's water network. The trial used "spare" fibres in Openreach's network to create a system capable of providing real-time data for multiple utilities, allowing costs to be shared. But the future plan always envisaged this solution being expanded to work across Openreach's active fibre network too (this hasn't happened yet), rather than having to install a dedicated sensing fibre network. The latest development is that Southern Water have now deployed a more mature version of this technology. This announcement comes as almost three-quarters of England is in drought, which has made it even more important than usual to find and plug water leaks in the network. Currently around 2.6 billion litres of water is lost through leakage across the country's network every day. England also has an ageing water network with 60% of water mains 45 years old and 13% more than 100, which are prone to leaks. Discover more Download Interactive Maps Telecom news updates Trevor Linney, Director of Network Technology at Openreach, said: "The results of its existing pilots with Lightsonic show that its new full fibre infrastructure can deliver value far beyond broadband - and could prove to be a real game changer in solving real-world challenges like water conservation. Combining Lightsonic's technology with the reach of Openreach's Full Fibre network makes continuous utility monitoring genuinely scalable, without the cost and disruption of building a separate sensor network." Wayne Novelli, Leakage and Network Strategy Manager at Southern Water, said: "Ispreview has reduced leakage across its network for three consecutive years and continue to invest in innovative techniques and technologies to find and fix leaks even more effectively. Ispreview has been impressed by the leakage reduction metrics and proven success of Lightsonic's technology and are looking forward to working with the team as Ispreview head into winter - when colder conditions can result in more leaks - to trial a new way of detecting and tackling them." At present the language above suggests that Southern Water may initially be deploying this as a "trial", much like Affinity Water did, before later expanding its availability across more of their network. Developing the technology to work well at scale was a key focus of the earlier trial and this contract suggests they may be able to deliver on such a promise. Lightsonic said their solution with Openreach typically detects 1.2 million litres of water leaks per day per 100km of network covered annually. Southern Water supplies an area of c.4,450 sq. km and serves 2.7 million customers, so there's a huge potential for leak reduction, although it's unclear how much of that this method could actually reach (not every area will have fibre or even spare fibres in the vicinity). Discover more Order Telecom Hardware Internet connection guides Broadband speed test However, it's worth remembering that Openreach aren't the only fibre game in town, and it's possible that Ispreview might also see rival networks - belonging to several different operators - being harnessed in the future in order to further improve such systems or to provide a bit of competition to Lightsonic. But for now, it's an Openreach dominated solution and that makes sense given the size of their UK fibre network.
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Crawley residents are saving money on the water bill. By contributor Published 16th Sep 2026, 12:46 BST Every pound counts when household bills are rising, so it's good news that thousands of Crawley residents are now paying around 50 per cent less for their water. Thanks to a partnership between Crawley Borough Council, Southern Water, South East Water and SES Water, 3,818 local households have been identified as eligible for reduced water tariffs and automatically enrolled onto support schemes. Together, the schemes are helping residents save hundreds of thousands of pounds on their water bills, with Southern Water customers alone saving a total of £569,800 which averages £154 per household. South East Water customers have saved a total of £23,502.24 (for drinking water). The scheme is designed to make it easier for residents to access the financial help available to them that they may not be aware of. Rather than completing separate applications, households receiving Council Tax Reduction can be matched securely with water company support schemes, helping ensure that no one misses out on savings they are entitled to. You May Like The project has already made a significant difference across Crawley. Southern Water has enrolled 3,700 customers onto its Essentials tariff, while South East Water has added 114 customers to its social tariff, offering discounts of at least 50 per cent depending on household income. SES Water has also enrolled four local customers onto its water support discount scheme. The partnership is part of the council's wider work to support residents with the cost of living and help people access financial assistance that can make everyday bills more affordable. For many households, lower water bills could mean a little extra breathing space in the monthly budget, helping money go further when it's needed most. Councillor Michael Jones, Leader of Crawley Borough Council, said: "We know that many households are feeling the pressure of rising living costs, so I am delighted that this partnership is helping thousands of Crawley residents reduce their water bills by around 50 per cent. By working closely with our water company partners, we have been able to make sure eligible residents receive the support they are entitled to without having to navigate complicated application processes. "This initiative has already delivered significant savings for local people and is a great example of how organisations can work together to provide practical help where it is needed most. Every pound saved can make a real difference to family budgets, and we remain committed to supporting residents through the ongoing cost of living challenges." Nicola Chitty, Affordability and Vulnerability Lead at Southern Water, said: "This is a fantastic example of what can be achieved when organisations work together to support local communities. By partnering with Crawley Borough Council, South East Water and SES Water, we've been able to identify customers who may be entitled to financial support and make sure they're receiving the help available to them. Building on the success of similar partnerships in Thanet and Portsmouth, this project is helping to ease financial pressures and put money back into the pockets of more households across Crawley." Sam Gawler, Vulnerability Manager at South East Water, said: "We recognise that some of our customers may have difficulty paying their water bills and we want to make sure it is as simple as possible for them to get the help that they need. "By working with Crawley Borough Council, Southern Water and SES Water we've been able to identify those customers living in the Crawley area who may be entitled to financial support through our Social Tariff. This partnership is now helping households save up to 50 per cent on the cost of their water bills. "Further information about our social tariff, including a simple link to find out if you might be eligible, can be found on our website: southeastwater.co.uk/helpwithyourbill." If you are struggling with the cost of living, please do visit www.crawley.gov.uk and search for 'money worries'. Related topics: Sussex
Delayed repairs on historic Sandwich Toll Bridge impact local businesses. The historic Sandwich Toll Bridge has been closed over a month after a Southern Water tanker struck it, causing significant damage. Businesses in the area are concerned about a drop in trade due to the closure of one of the main links between Sandwich and Thanet, with concrete barriers installed since last month. Background and current situation. The incident occurred on August 8, and since then, the bridge closure has disrupted the flow of traffic into the town. Kent County Council (KCC), responsible for the bridge repairs, has announced that they are in the 'essential steps' phase to commence work next month. Nevertheless, Dover District Council's Cllr Dan Friend expressed frustration, stating, "understandably, people are frustrated it remains closed with very little progress." The bridge's closure has led to concerns from local businesses who fear an impact on trade, as key routes to the town have been disrupted. Businesses are urging residents and visitors to continue supporting them, with Cllr Friend emphasising that "Sandwich is very much open for business." Impact on local trade. Last month, traders called for compensation from Southern Water after road closures significantly affected access to Sandwich. The closure of the A256 Ramsgate Road southbound for emergency sewer repairs added to the woes, with a lengthy 31-mile diversion exacerbating the situation. Business owners reported that access difficulties during these works transformed the town into a 'ghost town.' While waiting for repairs, KCC noted that a contractor must be appointed and designs finalised, with necessary approvals secured. As the bridge is a historic structure, conservation specialists' involvement is essential to protect heritage values. KCC anticipates repairs to begin in October 2026, keeping the bridge closed until completion. Efforts toward resolution. Southern Water tankers were addressing burst sewage mains in the area when the toll bridge was damaged. In response, some traders have sought compensation for the disruptions caused. A Southern Water spokesperson referred businesses to their Street Works Policy for compensation eligibility criteria. KCC spokesperson remarked on the importance of proceeding promptly while expressing appreciation for public patience, "We are progressing as quickly as possible and appreciate everyone's patience while the bridge remains closed." Despite the ongoing challenges, Sandwich remains a welcoming destination for visitors, with local businesses ready to serve. Continued support from the community and visitors is vital to sustaining these businesses as repairs are underway.