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.

As the economic regulator of water and wastewater companies in England and Wales, our role is to enable, incentivise and hold companies to account for providing the very best for customers, communities and the environment now and in the future. We also oversee the markets in the water sector to ensure they’re working for customers.

We are looking for a Director to lead and manage our Wales and Government Engagement team. The team sit within our Sector Performance directorate and are responsible for facilitating a consistent, connected, and strategic relationship with key policy stakeholders including the Welsh and UK Government, other regulatory bodies, and devolved authorities.

The work that you’ll be involved in every day will help us to deliver our strategy, to make us the regulator we want to be and help the sector to deliver for customers and society. 

You can find out more about why you should join Ofwat, our strategy, values and our framework for success in the attached Information for Candidates Pack.

Job description

The Role

You will lead the delivery of Ofwat’s approach to regulation in Wales and drive forward engagement and interface between Ofwat, the UK Government and the Welsh Government. You will ensure that Welsh circumstances are reflected in everything we do at Ofwat, and guarantee we are an independent, influential, and collaborative partner of governments in England and Wales.

You will lead and manage a small expert team split across our Wales, Government Engagement and Price Review functions and will also drive matrix working across Ofwat to deliver against your objectives. You will take a strategic approach to developing our policy both internally and externally, ensuring there is a cohesive policy dialogue between programmes in relation to policy and circumstances in England and Wales. Additionally, you will be comfortable providing advice, making key decisions, and communicating our policy to senior stakeholders including government officials, ministers, other regulators, and company CEOs. 

This is an exciting role at a pivotal time for the water sector and set within a rapidly changing and dynamic political environment. Oral and written Welsh language skills are desirable but are not an essential requirement for the post.

Key Deliverables

In this role you will be expected to: 

• Lead a team of seven colleagues promoting a high performing team culture and working closely with other teams within Ofwat including the Communications team.
• Build, maintain and manage relationships between Ofwat and its stakeholders – Senedd, Welsh and English Government, fellow regulators, and others in line with Ofwat's statutory duties and in pursuit of its strategic goal of setting stretching and credible long-term challenges for the sector, and reflecting emerging policy priorities and environmental issues in Wales and England.
• Scan the horizon for relevant policy and economic developments in England and Wales, highlighting issues of strategic importance for Ofwat as appropriate and mindful of the political context in England and Wales.
• Engage with and deliver cross cutting government policy issues of importance to Ofwat, including the Welsh Government and Defra Strategic Policy Statement.
• Deliver key elements of the PR24 Price Review in Wales, including the collaborative approach to PR24 in Wales and lead for Ofwat in all associated work including the look ahead to PR29 and beyond.
• Demonstrate clear communications that are tailored to suit the needs of the audience, in a strategic, influential, succinct, and persuasive manner.
• Lead on non-company engagement for the PR24 programme.
• Display sound judgement across a range of complex issues, in line with our strategy and ways of working.
• Work closely with Senior Directors, the Chief Executive, and the Chair, to maximise the value of their input into Ofwat's engagement with government and regulatory stakeholders in England and Wales with a focus on ensuring the positive reputation of Ofwat.
• Take responsibility for strategic direction, delivery, and value for money, and to work in line with Ofwat's best practice and programme and project management.
• Act as a leader within Ofwat, role modelling, and encouraging others to display, Ofwat's preferred ways of working, behaviours, and values.

Person specification

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

Experience, skills and knowledge 

• Lead criterion: Experience working with senior officials, ministers and with boards, with a proven ability to lead and influence on complex policy briefs.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills, including a track record of communicating and influencing internal and external stakeholders at all levels.
• Knowledge of the political environment in England and Wales – political context, policy drivers, environmental policy, and industrial policy.
• Able to demonstrate excellent leadership skills; bringing people from a range of disciplines together to achieve a common aim.
• Direct experience of leading a complex policy brief in a regulated sector, with the ability to communicate succinctly and with impact.
• Experience of working flexibly and collaboratively with multi-disciplinary teams to bring policy expertise and solutions to problems and deliver joined up strategic thinking, including with external organisations.

Attributes 

• Champion and Leader of Change
• Builds the Team 
• Creates Clarity 
• Adaptable Thinker

Attributes as per Ofwat's Framework for Success for Director Band. You can read more about Attributes here.

Benefits

Why You Should Join Us: 

We’re forward-thinking, creative, innovative, and ambitious. We constantly push the boundaries and embrace new ways of working.  

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. Our people do their best work when given freedom over where, when, and how they work. Which is why we trust our teams to balance meaningful collaboration in the office with the flexibility of working from home. 

You will also benefit from:

• Excellent employer pension contributions of 28.97% (around £24,385 to £28,970 per annum for this role). 
• 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: 23:55 on 02 July 24
• Sifting: 03 - 05 July 24
• Interview date(s): 16 July 24

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 working with senior officials, ministers and with boards, with a proven ability to lead and influence on complex policy briefs

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

Interview Stage

Please note that the interviews will be conducted in-person at our London office (11 Westferry Circus, Canary Wharf, E14 4HD). 

We will be assessing your Experience, Skills and Knowledge as well as Attributes (set out in the professional requirements section). 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.

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.