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 at the source of everyday life. 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. 

Job description

About the Programme

Join us as an Ofwat graduate and step into a world where you are empowered and encouraged to help us solve problems in the water industry from the very start. Our graduate programme offers a truly versatile role, great insights into how a regulator works and excellent training, enabling you to create a solid foundation for your data career. 

There will be the opportunity to support work in a range of areas and be part of multi-disciplinary teams. You will develop a broad technical skillset such as quantitative analysis, financial modelling, coding and automation, quality assurance skills, data management and econometrics. You will also develop wider skills such as stakeholder engagement, teamwork and presentation skills. You will develop confidence to challenge the data and link your findings to policy making in the real world. We want to continue to be innovative with our data tools, visualisations and analysis and standards and you will support Ofwat in this work.

The work we do is complex and has direct implications for customers and the environment. You’ll be given the opportunity to demonstrate your potential from the outset and your passion for all things data will see you relish the opportunity!

We offer rotational and static opportunities, which both provide the same learning, development and support.

Learning and Development

Our graduate opportunities offer the perfect blend of personal and professional development, including Ofwat Essentials - a learning programme delivered by dedicated in-house experts and monthly training sessions delivered or arranged by our early careers partner.  Right from the start you’ll have the opportunity to lead and support interesting internal and external projects. We will help you gain the knowledge and expertise to perform effectively. Your graduate programme will give you an insight into our organisation and inspire your creativity, leadership and strategic thinking enabling you to achieve your aspirations and be prepared for your career after the programme ends.

As well as on the job learning, you will have access to technical training to meet your specific learning needs to help you fulfil your potential. You'll be provided with the tools and support to help you flourish in your profession, supported by central events such as conferences, and site visits to water companies' operational sites, so that you can develop your understanding of the water industry. You’ll be working with other graduates and colleagues and early career professionals across the regulatory industry. This is an exciting time to join our programme!

Person specification

Professional Requirements - Essential Criteria

Qualifications

You will have (or be on target to achieve this year) at least a 2:2 degree in a numerical, analytical, environmental or business-related discipline, such as (but not limited to) economics, accounting and finance, environmental engineering, maths, physics or chemistry. We’re particularly keen to hear from you if you have a relevant post-graduate degree. As this is a graduate programme, you must have graduated already, or be due to graduate in 2024, and have no more than three years’ work experience following your graduation.

Experience, skills and knowledge

• An understanding of the relevance and potential impact in data and analysis for decision making.
• Experience of using analytical or other approaches to gain insights and draw conclusions from data.
• Use of software - such as spreadsheets, statistical packages or programming languages – to address data issues.
• Be able to demonstrate effective problem solving, demonstrating critical thinking, decision making and information processing.

Attributes

Throughout the selection process, we will be looking for evidence of our SAILOR values. We will also assess you on the following attributes and behaviours that are essential for success on the programme. These are defined more fully in our Framework for Success.

Committed Learner – "I'm flexible, curious and adaptable, committed to my own growth and development."

Makes Relationships Count – "I contribute to a supportive team environment, showing empathy and building effective relationships to achieve progress."

Creates clarity – "I'm adept at communicating clearly, simplifying complexity, considering the needs of my audience, and tailoring my written and verbal communications to meet their needs."

Adaptable thinker – "I identify problems and seek out information to find solutions.  I do this in a way that considers the needs of others, and I'm flexible to adapt my approach as parameters or goals change."

Delivers outcomes – "I achieve my objectives in a timely manner, keeping people updated, and taking accountability and responsibility for outputs and outcomes.  I link my work to the bigger picture and ask for clarification when it's needed, striving always to improve my delivery to customers (whether internal or external)."

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £29,000, Ofwat (Water Services Regulation Authority) contributes £7,830 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

We’re looking to appoint this year with an assessment centre to take place w/c 8th April 2024 and a start date in September 2024. The closing date for applications is 23.55 on 17th March 2024 so don’t miss out! 

The selection process includes;

• A candidate application form, assessing the qualification, skills, experience and knowledge requirements as outlined above. The application form also assesses some of our attributes and behaviours (outlined in the attached candidate information pack).
• Video interview assessing SAILOR values and the attributes and behaviours (outlined in the attached candidate information pack). 
• Successful candidates will then be invited to a assessment centre, week commencing 8th April 2024. The in-person assessment centre will assess all of the requirements for the role.

The assessment centre includes;

• A group exercise
• An interview
• A Presentation (topic to be shared in advance)
• A written assessment

To see further detail on which of the criteria will be assessed at which stage, please refer to the attached candidate information pack.

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.