National DBO Manager

Grade and Salary C: €80,356- €120,534 per year

Job Description

We 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 Asset Operations function forms the cornerstone of service delivery to customers, protecting the environment and meeting regulatory standards as well as managing the majority of operational expenditure. The Asset Operations function has responsibility for operational and maintenance strategy, policies, planning and standard operating procedures for Water and Wastewater operations both nationally and regionally, ensuring that value for money and customer service is delivered. 

The Operations Support Team has responsibility for providing and managing effective business infrastructure and processes at a national level to support operational activities at site level. The key aim of the DBO team is to ensure that Uisce Éireann are achieving maximum value for money from the DBO Portfolio, all the while ensuring that the contractors maintain operational stability and efficacy in accordance with the provisions of the operations contract. 

Reporting to the DBO Senior Manager, the National DBO Manager will head up the DBO team in Asset Operations. The main focus of this role is to lead a team, which ensures that Uisce Éireann Asset Operations is realising optimum effectiveness and efficiency from its contractual arrangements with its DBO contractors. The DBO Manager will have responsibility for managing a budget of c. €150m and ensuring contractual obligations and service levels are met by these contractors. The DBO Manager will lead a team which will work closely with other teams in Asset Operations, Asset Management, Customer Operations, Finance, and Asset Delivery, as well as numerous internal and external stakeholders, as required.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• Manage the resources within the team, ensuring adequate capacity and skills/expertise are available to meet business requirements and to execute duties
• Oversee team to ensure DBO contracts are managed in a consistent, standardised, and effective manner; identifying key trends, challenging underperformance, and reporting to senior Uisce Éireann stakeholders on the ‘national picture’
• Prepare and manage DBO Budgets – (c. € 150m p.a.), ensuring delivery of services within budget and managing any risks to budget accordingly
• Monitor and review contracts, ensuring they are compliant with Commercial terms (based on operational reports) and audit payments as required
• Lead major commercial interactions with DBO suppliers/contractors, on behalf of Uisce Éireann in addressing and resolving contractor disputes, including representing Asset Operations at dispute resolution fora, as required
• Oversee the effective provision of DBO operational services on Wastewater and Water assets (above and below ground) nationally
• Interact, where appropriate, with Uisce Éireann functions, including with Asset Investment, Asset Strategy, Asset Delivery, Finance, and Legal Services
• Oversee the integration and commissioning of new assets from Capital Investments Design/Build phase into Operations
• Represent Asset Operations, as required, at relevant Uisce Éireann governance fora (e.g. WIAC and WCAC)
• Work across the business to set strategic direction for DBO contracts and the DBO model for the short, medium, and long term
• Provide regular and one-off reports, as required
• Identify, develop, and implement efficiency initiatives
• Manage issues within the team and acting as a point of escalation for management within the function

General Duties and Responsibilities

• Collaboration with key internal stakeholders across the UÉ business
• Responsible for promoting and delivering health and safety commitments across UÉ 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 your team, coaching and developing them to achieve their full potential and deliver business objectives, promoting collaboration and highlighting the behaviours that are expected from everyone in the team.
• Other duties as required.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience:

• Relevant third level qualification e.g. Bachelor's Degree in Quantity Surveying, Mechanical or Electrical Engineering, Business Management or related area
• A minimum of 7 years’ experience in the water, utilities or similar industries is desirable and or relevant experience
• Demonstrated leadership ability, proactive development, motivation and engagement of staff
• Experience working with FIDIC or NEC form of contracts
• Previous experience in DBO Management desirable and relevant experience in the water and wastewater industry preferable
• We work better together - ability to demonstrate developing and maintaining effective strategic relationships & key stakeholder management, both internally and externally to the organization
• Good level of legal awareness and competence in assessing contract documents and contract requirements is essential.
• Ability to assess and execute programs, policies and initiative operational needs;
• Strong business acumen, communication and negotiation skills;
• PC skills required: extensive use of Microsoft Excel & Word
• We deliver for our customer and communities - experience managing a large team, with strong people, change management and conflict resolution skills
• Experience of developing and maintaining effective strategic partnerships with key stakeholders
• Proven track record with dealing with complex issues, proactively and in a timely fashion along with the ability to communicate complex information to others
•  Experience of supporting policies, systems and controls and driving the implementation of progressive policies.
• We aim high - proven track record in leadership, change & transformation experience ideally in a similar utility, regulated industry or multi stakeholder environment
• 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.

*Please be advised that if successful you will be placed on the 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.

CLICK THE APPLY BUTTON TO GO TO THEIR CAREERS PAGE WHERE YOU CAN CHECK THIS JOB AND ALL OTHER OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE.