Senior Engineer (Innovation)

Location: Lingley Mere, Warrington (Hybrid)
Contract: Permanent | Full Time (37 hours per week)
Salary: Competitive salary + 10.5% bonus

The role

At United Utilities, innovation is critical to how we tackle complex challenges, deliver regulatory commitments and create a more sustainable future.

We’re looking for a driven and technically strong Innovation Engineer to bring fresh thinking, robust engineering expertise and evidence-based decision-making into our innovation portfolio.

You’ll play a key role in supporting the delivery of our largest capital investment programme in over 100 years, as part of our Big North West Upgrade, helping to shape and deploy innovative solutions at unprecedented scale

This is an exciting opportunity to work at the forefront of Strategic Engineering — shaping new technologies, influencing adoption at scale and delivering real value across our business.

What You’ll Be Doing

Engineering Innovation Delivery

• Provide robust engineering input to innovation initiatives across the business
• Support projects from concept development through to early adoption and handover
• Evaluate technologies and solutions against performance, cost, carbon and risk

Technology Assessment & Development

• Undertake engineering assessments, trials and validation activities
• Develop business cases, cost-benefit analyses and routes to adoption
• Identify and evaluate emerging technologies aligned to strategic challenges

Innovation Pipeline & Scouting

• Support targeted scouting activities to identify solutions from the market
• Work with supply chain partners, SMEs and innovators to co-develop ideas
• Contribute to identifying opportunities that drive efficiency and performance

Risk, Safety & Governance

• Identify and manage risks associated with new technologies and approaches
• Ensure health, safety and wellbeing considerations are embedded in all activities
• Support governance and approval processes, ensuring new solutions are appropriately reviewed, assured and aligned with regulatory and organisational requirements

Stakeholder Engagement & Collaboration

• Build strong relationships with internal teams, partners and external bodies
• Provide technical input to governance forums, reporting and communications
• Represent Engineering Innovation in cross-functional and external groups

Knowledge Sharing & Continuous Improvement

• Capture lessons learned and support knowledge sharing across the organisation and the wider sector
• Promote best practice and support scalable adoption of innovation
• Contribute to improving innovation processes, tools and data capture

What We’re Looking For

We’re looking for a technically capable and curious engineer who thrives in uncertainty and is motivated by solving real-world challenges through innovation.

Essential

• Degree-qualified in an engineering discipline (or equivalent experience)
• Chartered engineer (or working towards Chartership, with willingness to achieve)
• Strong technical expertise with an interest in innovation, R&D or emerging technologies
• Ability to analyse complex problems and communicate solutions clearly
• Strong stakeholder engagement and influencing skills
• Organised and able to manage multiple priorities in a dynamic environment

Desirable

• Understanding of the water sector or regulated infrastructure environment
• Awareness of commercial, risk and quality considerations for new technologies
• Knowledge of innovation ecosystems, supply chain markets or industry challenges

Why Join Us?

• Play a key role in shaping engineering innovation within a leading utility
• Work on cutting-edge technologies and real-world challenges
• Be part of a purpose-driven organisation shaping the future of water and environmental services
• Work in a collaborative, innovation-led environment
• Benefit from a flexible hybrid working model
• Competitive Salary and Annual Bonus + Companywide benefits
• Private Healthcare plan
• Up to 21% combined pension

Ready to Make an Impact?

If you’re passionate about engineering, driven by innovation and want to help deliver meaningful change, we’d love to hear from you.

Apply now and be part of building the future of innovation at United Utilities.