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 are at the source of everyday life. We help the sector build trust and confidence with customers, the environment and wider society: keeping water flowing, bills affordable and helping ensure the health of our rivers and waterways. We push hard to improve day-to-day water company performance for customers, including on leakage, sewer flooding and customer service. We drive the sector to take a longer-term view and to take steps now to protect and enhance the environment, using digital and data innovations and making sure our water supplies are secure for future generations. Through our five-yearly price reviews, we oversee billions of pounds of investment into the water sector across England and Wales. 

Our work is high-profile and fast-moving, within a dynamic and agile environment. 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

We're looking for an Environment Engagement & Delivery Specialist to join the Environment Team at Senior Associate grade. The sector is facing unprecedented challenges, and we want someone who relishes the opportunity to apply their skills and experience to improve our water environment.

This is an exciting new role in an expanding team. You will have the opportunity to create and be part of Ofwat's intensified engagement on the environment. You will support the development and delivery of an effective stakeholder engagement and influencing approach for Ofwat's environment team. You will have the opportunity to shape Ofwat's approach to regulating the water sector, improve collaboration across regulators, hold water companies to account on their performance and ensure we use the best available insight to inform policy development and decision making.

You will be at the front line of our external engagement activity and will play a key role in managing relationships with key organisations such as the Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales as well as Defra, the Welsh Government and wider stakeholders.

Ofwat is a learning organisation, and you will have opportunities to develop your knowledge and experience, and to consolidate your skills set.  We have a well-supported, agile working environment, and have a trust-based culture intended to help empower you and enable and support you to succeed within Ofwat.

Key Deliverables

In this role you will be expected to:

• Support the development and delivery of an effective stakeholder engagement strategy for Ofwat's environment team to increase collaborative working and drive improved outcomes for the environment
• Support collaborative work on joint projects with the Environment Agency, Defra, Welsh Government and Natural Resources Wales
• Craft and maintain compelling communication material on key environmental topics and support senior level stakeholder engagement and communication activity
• Co-ordinate and track progress against engagement objectives, evaluate the effectiveness of activities and provide recommendations to improve stakeholder relationships and partnership working
• Represent and clearly communicate Ofwat policy and strategy in internal and external meetings and forums
• Build strong relationships within Ofwat to ensure the environment is prioritised in cross-organisational activity and engagement opportunities are fully utilised
• Lead work on the environment team's internal engagement strategy
• Work with colleagues to identify priorities for external influence and improve ways of working

Person specification

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

Experience, skills and knowledge:

• Experience of developing and executing successful stakeholder engagement approaches to deliver environmental policy objectives, influence decision making and improve reputation [Lead Criterion].
• Academic or professional experience of environmental issues and stakeholder engagement.
• Good knowledge and understanding of environmental or regulatory policy related to the water sector.
• Experience of project management including tracking and reporting progress.
• Experience of working flexibly and collaboratively with multidisciplinary and multi-organisational teams across different forums.
• Analytical and decision making skills, including understanding strategic implications of decisions and making connections between different work areas.

Attributes:

• Makes relationships count
• Promotes collaboration
• Creates clarity
• Delivers outcomes

Attributes as per Ofwat’s Framework for Success for Senior Associate Grade. 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% (for this role ranging from £10,695 to £12,745).
• 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: 22 May 24 at 23:55
• Sifting: 23-24 May 24
• Interview date(s): WC 3 June 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 of developing and executing successful stakeholder engagement approaches to deliver environmental policy objectives, influence decision making and improve reputation

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 may 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.