Utilities Manager Job Description
Hire a Utilities Manager to control energy and water use, manage supplier contracts and deliver cost and carbon savings across your estate.
What does a Utilities Manager professional do?
A Utilities Manager oversees procurement, consumption monitoring, supplier relationships and compliance for an organisation’s utilities to reduce cost, risk and environmental impact.
Utilities Manager job description template
Use this employer-ready example as a starting point, then replace the placeholders and adjust the content so it accurately reflects your vacancy.
Utilities Manager
About the role
[Company name] is seeking a Utilities Manager responsible for managing utilities procurement and operations across our estate. You will lead supplier negotiations, monitor energy and water use, deliver efficiency projects and ensure regulatory compliance. This role requires strong analytical skills, proven supplier management experience and the ability to work with estates, operations and sustainability teams. Location: [Location]. Salary: [Salary or salary range].
Key responsibilities
- Develop and manage procurement strategy for electricity, gas, water and other utilities; lead tendering and contract negotiation with suppliers and brokers.
- Monitor, analyse and report on consumption and cost data using metering and billing systems; identify trends and opportunities to reduce usage and spend.
- Plan and deliver energy and water efficiency projects, including business case development, stakeholder engagement and post‑implementation measurement.
- Ensure compliance with statutory reporting and schemes relevant to utilities (eg ESOS reporting responsibilities where applicable) and maintain up‑to‑date records.
- Manage relationships with internal stakeholders (estates, operations, finance, sustainability) and external parties (suppliers, contractors, regulators).
- Oversee utility billing validation and dispute resolution processes to ensure accurate invoicing and cost recovery.
- Set and track KPIs for utilities performance (consumption, cost per m2, carbon intensity) and produce regular management reports.
- Supervise or coordinate contractors and site teams for meter installations, maintenance works and outage planning as required.
Essential skills and experience
- Proven experience managing utilities, energy procurement or a closely related function.
- Strong numerical and data‑analysis skills; comfortable working with utility bills, meter data and spreadsheets or reporting tools.
- Experience negotiating supplier contracts and managing supplier performance.
- Good stakeholder management and communication skills to influence estates, finance and operational teams.
- Able to prepare clear business cases and manage projects to deliver cost or efficiency improvements.
Desirable
- Degree or professional qualification in engineering, energy management, environmental management or a related discipline.
- Familiarity with energy management standards, metering systems, building management systems (BMS) or energy reporting software.
- Knowledge of UK regulatory frameworks and schemes such as ESOS, CRC (where relevant) or energy savings legislation.
- Project management experience and a record of delivering retrofit or renewable energy projects.
- Professional certification (for example IEMA membership, CEM or equivalent) or experience in procurement frameworks.
What we offer
- [Pension scheme details]
- [Holiday entitlement + bank holidays]
- [Flexible / hybrid working arrangements where applicable]
- [Healthcare or wellbeing allowance]
- [Professional development and training budget]
- [Bonus or performance reward (if applicable)]
How to apply
Apply with your CV and any additional information requested. Make the interview process, closing date and any assessment stages clear where known.
Use this as a starting point rather than a final advert. The strongest version will reflect the real role, salary, location, systems, responsibilities, benefits and working arrangements.
What is an Utilities Manager role?
A Utilities Manager organises and optimises the supply, use and cost of utilities such as electricity, gas and water across one or more sites. They manage supplier contracts and metering systems, analyse consumption data to identify savings, ensure regulatory compliance and lead efficiency projects. The role combines procurement, technical oversight and stakeholder liaison to reduce operating costs and operational risk.
Energy & Consumption
Identify opportunities to reduce energy and water use and translate data into cost and carbon savings.
Procurement & Contracts
Manage supplier tenders, negotiate contracts and monitor supplier performance and billing accuracy.
Stakeholder Management
Coordinate estates, operations, finance and external contractors to deliver projects and meet compliance obligations.
Typical Utilities Manager responsibilities
Responsibilities should reflect the real scope of the vacancy rather than every task someone in this profession might ever complete.
Develop
Develop and manage procurement strategy for electricity, gas, water and other utilities; lead tendering and contract negotiation with suppliers and brokers.
Monitor
Monitor, analyse and report on consumption and cost data using metering and billing systems; identify trends and opportunities to reduce usage and spend.
Plan and deliver energy
Plan and deliver energy and water efficiency projects, including business case development, stakeholder engagement and post‑implementation measurement.
Ensure compliance with statutory reporting
Ensure compliance with statutory reporting and schemes relevant to utilities (eg ESOS reporting responsibilities where applicable) and maintain up‑to‑date records.
Manage relationships with internal stakeholders
Manage relationships with internal stakeholders (estates, operations, finance, sustainability) and external parties (suppliers, contractors, regulators).
Oversee utility billing validation
Oversee utility billing validation and dispute resolution processes to ensure accurate invoicing and cost recovery.
Set and track KPIs for
Set and track KPIs for utilities performance (consumption, cost per m2, carbon intensity) and produce regular management reports.
Supervise or coordinate contractors
Supervise or coordinate contractors and site teams for meter installations, maintenance works and outage planning as required.
Utilities Manager skills and experience to look for
Keep the essential list focused on what the person really needs to perform the role. Move useful-but-trainable experience into desirable criteria.
Usually worth prioritising
- Proven experience managing utilities, energy procurement or a closely related function.
- Strong numerical and data‑analysis skills; comfortable working with utility bills, meter data and spreadsheets or reporting tools.
- Experience negotiating supplier contracts and managing supplier performance.
- Good stakeholder management and communication skills to influence estates, finance and operational teams.
- Able to prepare clear business cases and manage projects to deliver cost or efficiency improvements.
Useful where relevant
- Degree or professional qualification in engineering, energy management, environmental management or a related discipline.
- Familiarity with energy management standards, metering systems, building management systems (BMS) or energy reporting software.
- Knowledge of UK regulatory frameworks and schemes such as ESOS, CRC (where relevant) or energy savings legislation.
- Project management experience and a record of delivering retrofit or renewable energy projects.
- Professional certification (for example IEMA membership, CEM or equivalent) or experience in procurement frameworks.
See our guide to what to include in a job advert before publishing.
How to write a Utilities Manager job advert
Small role-specific details can make the advert much easier for suitable candidates to assess.
Be specific about remit
State how many sites, geographic area, or the type of estate (office, industrial, retail, multi‑site) the role covers so candidates understand scale.
Include measurable priorities
Highlight immediate priorities such as cost reduction targets, capital projects, or compliance deadlines to attract candidates with the right experience.
List tools and data expectations
Mention whether candidates will work with smart metering, BMS, energy reporting tools or billing platforms to set correct technical expectations.
Clarify authority and budget
State budget responsibility and decision‑making levels (eg sign‑off limits, project ownership) to avoid mismatched applications.
Utilities Manager salary considerations
Utilities Manager pay varies considerably. Salary is determined by factors such as organisation size, sector, the number of sites and utilities spend, the role’s seniority and any on‑call or travel obligations. Employers should consider base pay alongside benefits, bonuses and opportunities for professional development.
depending on experience
- Use a genuine range
- Separate variable pay
- Avoid “competitive” alone
- Match salary to seniority
What Utilities Manager candidates will want to know
Practical details can influence whether a suitable candidate applies, even when the title and salary are attractive.
Which sites and utilities will I be responsible for?
Candidates need clarity on the number, type and location of sites and whether duties cover electricity, gas, water, steam or other services.
What is the annual utilities budget or spend?
Knowing the scale of expenditure helps candidates assess the procurement and cost‑control challenge.
What team or contractor support is in place?
Applicants will want to know if they will lead a team, manage contractors, or work alone with central support.
What are the immediate priorities for the role?
Detailing early objectives—such as contract renewals, audit preparation or a specific retrofit project—helps candidates judge fit.
Are there on‑call or out‑of‑hours responsibilities?
Utilities roles sometimes require availability for outages or supplier issues; state any expected rota or response commitments.
Is specific certification preferred or required?
Tell candidates if professional membership or technical certification is expected or merely advantageous.
Where to post a Utilities Manager job
For this technical, procurement‑focused role use a mix of broad and specialist channels. National job boards and LinkedIn reach a wide professional audience, while sector‑specific sites and FM/energy forums attract candidates with relevant utilities or estates experience. Also consider regional channels and professional networks if the role requires local site knowledge or specific certifications.
Related estates, facilities & energy job descriptions
Recruiting for a slightly different role? These templates may be a closer fit.
Utilities Manager job description FAQs
Do I need to publish a salary for this role?
Publishing a salary or salary range improves response rates and helps attract candidates with the right seniority. If you cannot publish a figure, be clear about level, benefits and progression opportunities.
How much experience should a Utilities Manager have?
Typical hires have several years’ experience in utilities, energy or estates roles. Specify the level of autonomy and scale of responsibility rather than an arbitrary number of years when possible.
Is ESOS or other compliance knowledge mandatory?
Knowledge of relevant schemes is useful and often desirable, but only make it essential if the role has statutory reporting responsibilities or you expect the postholder to act as the lead assessor.
Should I require a technical degree?
A technical degree can be advantageous but practical experience in procurement, metering, supplier management and project delivery is often more important. Make degrees desirable rather than strictly essential unless legally required.
How can I assess candidates’ technical competence?
Ask for examples of past projects, request billing or metering case studies, include a short technical task or scenario in the interview and check familiarity with tools you use (eg BMS or reporting platforms).
Ready to recruit a Utilities Manager?
Use this template to create a clear advert, specify the role’s remit and priorities, and publish across targeted job boards and professional networks to attract candidates with the right mix of procurement, technical and stakeholder skills.
