About the job

Job summary

We’re Ofwat, the Water Services Regulation Authority – a non-ministerial government department responsible for regulating the water sector in England and Wales. 

We're hiring a Commercial Policy Lead to join our Regulatory and Commercial (R&C) Frameworks team. This is a unique and exciting, once in a career, opportunity for someone with commercial and infrastructure experience to work on some of the most important capital projects in the water sector. 

You'll be working for Ofwat but allocated to the cross regulator RAPID (Regulator’s Alliance for Progressing Infrastructure Development) and Environmental Planning (EP) Directorate to support its work. 

RAPID was formed in 2019 to help accelerate the development of new water infrastructure and design future regulatory frameworks. The joint team is made up of the three water regulators: Ofwat, the Environment Agency and the Drinking Water Inspectorate. RAPID is also working with Ofwat's Environment Team in seeking to enhance environmental planning activities.

Job description

The Regulatory & Commercial (R&C) team plays an important role in identifying and proposing options to address possible regulatory and commercial barriers for the delivery of new major infrastructure. The existing R&C frameworks are evolving to take account of new policy, such as on the delivery of major infrastructure through competitive procurement and third parties instead of in-house by water companies, as has historically occurred. For example, there are additional contractual arrangements required between third parties, and that can change the risk profile for projects.

The role offers the opportunity to work collaboratively with other teams in Ofwat, including the Major Projects and Markets Team, which project manages the major infrastructure solutions in the RAPID programme to completion from the procurement stage. The role provides a chance to create a lasting impact for customers for generations to come and create a legacy.

As the Principal Commercial Policy lead you will join the team at an exciting time, as we have just completed an important consultation on commercial structures / arrangements required for major infrastructure. The responses to the consultation will be instrumental in helping us develop our final policy proposals on a range of issues which are new to the water sector. You can see more on this and our previous consultations here - RAPID publications - Ofwat. This role will provide an opportunity to lead a small team undertaking this work.

Key deliverables:

In this role you will be expected to:

Commercial policy

• Manage, provide direction and deliver the workplan for the commercial policy workstreams in collaboration with RAPID / Ofwat colleagues.
• Collaborate with Ofwat, external experts and water companies to develop and evaluate impacts of policy options, to enable RAPID to propose final options to take through RAPID/Ofwat governance process for approval.
• Oversee development of future consultations and engagement plans to achieve extensive feedback on proposals.
• Contribute to the wider work of RAPID to support the progression of its programme of infrastructure options through the development (gated) process.

Engagement

• Briefings and presentations (internal/external) on the policy areas to explain and seek internal agreement to the proposals, and external views.
• Attend external meetings with regulators, Governments and water industry leads to explain aspects of our regulatory and commercial workstreams.

People Management

• Manage a team of 2-3 Senior Associates / Associates including providing strategic oversight of the workplan; allocating / delegating work to the team; and supporting them in their development.

All these areas will require close working with legal, economic or communication experts in Ofwat as well as with external stakeholders.

Person specification

To be successful in this role you will need the below essential attributes, experience, skills and knowledge.

Experience, skills and knowledge

• Lead criterion: Experience of commercial policy development within a relevant sector (utilities / regulator / public sectors).
• Experience of problem identification, scoping and solution delivery.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills needed to explain policy issues and policy options and work with internal and external stakeholders.
• Experience of working under pressure - planning, prioritising and managing a varied and changing work programme / workload to meet different, and often tight, deadlines.
• Experience of managing and developing a team in developing quickly evolving policy areas.
• Ability to work independently, and as part of a team, using creativity and innovative approaches.

Attributes

Attributes as per Ofwat’s Framework for Success Principal Grade. You can read more about attributes here. Whilst we aim for Ofwat employees to adopt all attributes, the ones below are essential for this post:

• Promotes collaboration
• Adaptable thinker
• Delivers outcomes
• Committed Learner

Benefits

Why You Should Join Us: 

We are forward-thinking, creative, innovative and ambitious. We actively encourage autonomy, collaboration and innovation and we have a unique culture fostered by trust, flexibility and respect.

With us, your work matters, your voice is heard, and your impact is felt. Ours is a culture of trust, flexibility, autonomy, collaboration, and innovation. We all want positive change for water customers, the environment, and the future of water. 

But for us, change is more than what happens on the outside – we’ve always pushed boundaries internally, too. From becoming the first Civil Service organisation to achieve ‘Smarter Working’ status, to gaining our prestigious ‘Smarter Working Maturity’ award, we’ve consistently demonstrated our commitment to embracing innovative ways of working. We know our people do their best work when given freedom over where, when, and how they work. Which is why we trust them to do exactly that.  

You will also benefit from:

• Excellent employer pension contributions, for this role ranging from £15,942 to £19,699.
• 27.5 days leave (25 days annual leave + 2.5 days privilege leave) increasing to max 32.5 days with each year of service), plus bank holidays
• Access to exclusive discounts on a variety of goods and services, including retail 
  outlets, theatre tickets, holidays, insurance, and a gym membership.
• Flexible working arrangements that suit your lifestyle.
• Fees paid for membership of relevant professional bodies.
• Up to 3 volunteering days per year.
• Generous shared parental leave and pay.
• Enhanced sick pay.
• Regular development opportunities.
• Health and wellbeing initiatives.
• Season ticket loan for home-to-office travel.
• Cycle-to-work scheme.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

How to apply

Apply through the Civil Service Jobs website where you’ll be asked to create an account and complete an application form (CV and personal statement). If you’re unable to make an electronic application, please contact recruitment@ofwat.gov.uk and we will support you in completing your application.

Please ensure you have submitted your application in full ahead of the deadline listed below. Unfortunately, we won't be able to consider late applications.

Selection timetable

• Closing date: 21 April 2024
• Sifting: week commencing 22 April 2024
• Interview date(s): weeks commencing 06 & 13 May 2024 

Assessment process

Sift Stage

At sift stage we assess your application against key essential skills, experience, and knowledge, listed in the professional requirements section above. 

In your application, please state clearly how your skills, experience, and knowledge meet the essential criteria.

In the event of receiving a large number of applications, a pre-sift may take place on just the following lead criterion: 

• Experience of commercial policy development within a relevant sector (utilities / regulator / public sectors).

In your personal statement, please tell us how your skills and experience meet the lead criterion, with examples if appropriate. 

You may find the STAR method useful in structuring your personal statement. 

Interview Stage

We will assess your Experience, Skills and Knowledge as well as Attributes (set out in the professional requirements section) at Interview Stage.

You can read more about Attributes in Ofwat’s Framework for Success.

As part of the interview process, we will require a short presentation. Further details will be provided to shortlisted candidates upon invitation to interview.

Please note that the interviews will be conducted via video conferencing software such as Microsoft Teams.

If you have any queries about any aspect of this role, selection process, or you require any reasonable adjustments please email recruitment@ofwat.gov.uk.

Please read the attached "Candidate Information Pack" for details on terms and conditions.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.