Retail Plan and Forecasting Lead

We’re Severn Trent and we think water…and people are wonderful!

24 hours a day, 365 (sometimes 366) days a year we serve 8 million people across the heart of the UK. Each cuppa drank, and toilet flushed is only possible because of the 6,500 brilliant people working across our patch.

This role is vital to the service we deliver those 8 million customers, and we think you’d love it.

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW

We’re looking for a Retail, Plan and Forecasting Lead to join our Commercial Performance team to drive and maintain our Retail business plan, ensuring that operational performance and innovation is understood, robust forecasting is in place and regulatory commitments are met.

You’ll lead a team of Data Delivery, Data Science and Customer Insight experts who manage the end to end service channels and customer data, answer complex questions using a range of data sources plus predict customer and market behaviour.

In this role, you'll provide critical interface between numerous functions like Regulation, Finance and Transformation by:

Leading and Inspiring: Guide a talented team to manage and deliver detailed plans, ensuring seamless day-to-day operations.
Driving Strategic Decisions: Take charge of risk management, presenting senior stakeholders (Heads of Departments) with clear, costed options for response and mitigation.
Optimising Performance: Oversee collections targets and performance reporting, balancing cost control with value creation.
Forecasting with Precision: Manage a team dedicated to detailed forecasting, tracking critical KPIs through AMP 8 (2025 – 2030).
Enhancing Customer Experience: Lead data science and customer insight functions to support projects that improve customer satisfaction and drive performance.
Leveraging Data for Success: Ensure accurate data delivery and workflow management, both internally and with third parties, to achieve the best outcomes for Severn Trent and its customers.

WHAT YOU’LL BRING TO THE ROLE

To succeed in this role, you should be adept at executing complex commercial planning techniques using best practice tools, with a keen understanding of financial choices and their impacts on strategic decisions. You will need to effectively manage a team of skilled forecasters and data specialists, ensuring that strategic objectives are clearly understood and achieved. Your excellent stakeholder management skills, honed through extensive experience in value planning and forecasting, will be crucial in navigating a complex business environment.

Additionally, you should have a solid grasp of business plans and the ability to identify both short and long-term risks and opportunities to maximize value. Experience in an omni-channel customer service business is essential, as is the ability to influence decisions based on sound commercial rationale. A good understanding of the UK Water Market or a similar customer-focused cash-to-revenue business will also be highly beneficial.

The ideal candidate will possess strong leadership and management skills, having successfully led diverse teams, including those with highly analytical and technical expertise. You’ll have exceptional analytical abilities, capable of delving into complex analyses while maintaining a broad perspective.

Effective communication is key, as you’ll be able to convey technical modelling results to both experts and non-experts alike. Additionally, you’ll be adept at applying a customer-focused approach to data and insights, interpreting the potential impacts on Severn Trent customers. Working closely with cross-functional senior stakeholders to resolve priority conflicts is another critical capability.

A thorough understanding of business plans and the interplay between performance, change, and customer behaviour is essential. You can respond proactively to trends and customer insight and have a deep understanding of complex revenue-to-cash businesses, including customer behaviour and strategies to optimize billing and collection processes.

The right skills and experience are important. But if you have the right character, positivity and a caring attitude, we want to talk to you, too.

We welcome people from all walks of life and celebrate individuality as we know diverse minds, experiences and backgrounds help us to learn and better serve our communities. We want people who show up and get involve. Those who are ready to be part of something bigger and who want to make a difference because they care. Is that you?

WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU

Working here isn’t just a job. You can build a career at Severn Trent. We’ll reward you for it, too. We have a range of benefits that recognise great work, and award-winning training to help you reach your potential. And we’ll also help you play your part in looking after the environment and the communities where we live.

With that in mind, here are just some of our favourite's perks that you’ll get being part of the Seven Trent family:

Competitive Salary
31 days holiday + bank holidays (and the ability to buy/ sell up to 5 days per year)
Annual bonus scheme (of up to 20% of salary dependent on company performance)
Leading pension scheme – we will double your contribution (up to 15% when you contribute 7.5%)
Sharesave – the chance to buy Severn Trent Plc shares at a discounted rate
Dedicated training and development with our ‘Academy’
Car allowance of £5,208 pa (pro-rata where appropriate)
Private medical cover, life assurance, income protection and personal accident cover
Electric vehicle scheme and retail offers
Family friendly policies (including, a year off paid for any maternity and adoption leave)
Two volunteering days per year

WHAT’S NEXT

We can’t wait to hear from you.

If your curiosity has been piqued and you're wanting to find out even more, search #LifeAtSevernTrent on social media.

Ps. we’ll always let you know the outcome of your application after the closing date - so keep an eye on your phone and emails!