Investment Prioritisation Analyst

Job Description

At United Utilities, the way we invest today shapes the resilience of our wastewater network tomorrow. We are looking for an Investment Prioritisation Analyst to join our team at Lingley Mere, playing a central role in how we plan, prioritise, and deliver investment across the network.

This opportunity sits within a growing TOTEX and Prioritisation team, where collaboration, strong relationships, and shared ownership are key to success. Working closely with colleagues across County Operations, Asset Lifecycle, Finance and senior leadership, you will bring people together through clear communication and data led insight to guide complex investment decisions. Your ability to build relationships, influence thinking, and challenge constructively will be key to driving alignment across a wide range of stakeholders.

This role is ideal for someone with a strong analytical background, whether in mathematics, statistics, economics, or equivalent practical experience, who enjoys taking ownership, working proactively, and managing competing priorities to deliver meaningful outcomes. You will help ensure the right investments are prioritised, risks are understood, and resources are used effectively to deliver the best possible outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain a consistent framework for identifying, managing, and escalating risk, including oversight of the My Risk tier process and IAP
• Maintain a holistic view of bottom up and top down risks across the network, providing insight through high quality data and analysis
• Support the development of yearly CBPs, ensuring prioritisation aligns with business strategy, affordability constraints, and desired outcomes
• Drive affordability by prioritising schemes and risk activities that deliver the greatest return within allocated budgets, with clear justification and tracking
• Lead the prioritisation of risks based on business priorities and risk profile, incorporating input from Operations, Planning, and Delivery teams, and considering alternative approaches where appropriate
• Evaluate and manage escalations in line with strategic and affordability constraints, ensuring robust governance and decision making
• Oversee budget allocation and sanction processes, ensuring clear reporting, defined assumptions, and visibility of key risks including Strategy and ODI risks to governance forums such as the Sanctions Committee
• Analyse and deliver data to support risk management and investment decisions, including cost confidence and cost benefit sensitivities across risk, consequence, and benefit
• Ensure projects have clearly defined requirements aligned with business needs and risk outcomes
• Identify emerging risks and changing business priorities, undertaking sensitivity analysis where required

Skills and Experience

• Strong understanding of wastewater network planning considerations, with technical wastewater experience highly desirable,
• Understanding of investment planning, governance, and risk management processes within a network environment
• Highly analytical with strong numerical skills, able to interpret complex data and translate it into clear, actionable insight
• Strong IT capability, particularly in Excel and MS Office, with experience handling and presenting complex datasets
• Experience with tools such as GIS, Primavera or P6, or SAP is advantageous

Why This Role

This is a role where your ability to analyse, interpret, and communicate data will directly shape investment decisions that impact customers, communities, and the environment. You will be part of a close knit and growing team, influencing how investment is prioritised across the wastewater network.

Working collaboratively across the business, you will bring clarity to complex decisions, balancing risk, cost, and value while driving smarter, more proactive investment choices. The role offers the opportunity to take ownership of key areas of work, respond to evolving business priorities, and make a tangible impact through well informed, data driven decisions.

Benefits:

• 26 days annual leave rising to 30 with service, plus bank holidays
• Competitive pension with up to 14% employer contribution and life cover
• Performance related bonus of up to 7.5% plus recognition awards
• Company funded healthcare plan and wellbeing support including mental health resources and Employee Assistance Programme
• Access to discounts, gym savings, and flexible benefits through MORE Choices
• Financial wellbeing support including Salary Finance and Wealth at Work
• Electric vehicle scheme and ShareBuy options
• Enhanced parental leave

If you enjoy solving complex problems, influencing decisions, and seeing the real world impact of your work, this is your opportunity to make a meaningful difference.