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.  

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

Key deliverables:

In this role you will be expected to:

- Lead the successful delivery of licence application assessments and responses to customer enquiries. This will require you to:

• Plan, prioritise and manage your programme of work to meet required deadlines and in line with our process and governance requirements.
• Identify, gather and assess a range of relevant data and information relevant to our decisions.
• Clearly and concisely present objective, evidence-based conclusions and 
  recommendations in writing and verbally, and conveying complex information to a range of audiences.
• Identify and gather the inputs and information required from internal and 
  external stakeholders to ensure our decisions are well-considered, timely and reflect relevant links and impacts in Ofwat's wider work.
• Consider and manage issues and risks arising from your work, escalating these to managers where appropriate.

- Provide a high-quality service customers and other relevant stakeholders contacting Ofwat via phone, letter or email with respect to licence applications or enquiries. This will require you to:

• Actively listen to our customers and stakeholders, to ensure you understand and can effectively respond to questions and matters raised with us.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date records of contacts you have responded to via our case management system.
• Work collaboratively with internal subject matter experts where needed to understand issues and prepare appropriate and timely responses.

- Support continuous improvement in our ways of working. This will require you to:

• Help to identify and flag trends and insights from our work and reflecting on lessons learnt to inform future ways of working and our continuous improvement.
• Keep abreast of Ofwat's key announcements and wider trends and developments that might impact on our team's work.
• Play a role in enabling the success and well-being of our whole team, by seeking out and sharing knowledge; taking account of different individuals' needs and views; supporting each other in managing and adapting to changing workloads and priorities; celebrating success; and providing constructive feedback to support our learning and growth.
• Actively participate in finding solutions to challenges that might arise in our work, and in enabling an encouraging better and more efficient ways to achieve our team's objectives.

- Take ownership of your own personal development and well-being.

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 gathering and assessing complex information to make evidence-based conclusions and recommendations.
• Lead criterion: Experience of working with customers and external stakeholders to communicate complex information in writing and verbally.
• Experience of working under pressure, effectively planning, prioritising and managing a varied and changing workload to meet different, and often tight, deadlines, whilst maintaining the quality standards.
• Responsibility for maintaining accurate and up-to-date case files, with strong attention to detail.
• Ability to work with internal and external stakeholders to gather and share information and to deliver a common objective.
• Ability to continuously improve how we do things, sharing your ideas with colleagues and implementing improvements.
• Ability to adapt communication styles to suit various stakeholders and situations.
• Ability to manage risks including the ability to identify, assess and mitigate potential risks as they arise whilst demonstrating the capability to raise the flag on critical risks when needed.

Attributes 

• Delivers outcomes
• Creates clarity
• Promotes collaboration
• Adaptable thinker

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

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 s a culture of trust, flexibility, autonomy, collaboration, and innovation. We all want positive change for water customers, the environment, and the future of water.  

You will also benefit from:

• Excellent employer pension contributions, for this role ranging from £7,382.04 to £9,824.56. You can find further details about pension schemes in the terms and conditions below.
• 25 days’ annual leave (increasing to 30 with each year of service) plus bank holidays and an extra 2.5 days of privilege leave.
• 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
• Recognition vouchers scheme
• Generous shared parental leave and pay
• Enhanced sick pay
• Regular development opportunities
• Health and wellbeing initiatives
• Cycle-to-work scheme
• Season ticket loan for home-to-office travel
• Free eye tests and contribution to lenses/spectacles for VDU users

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: 25 February 2024
• Sifting: week commencing 26 February 2024
• Interview date(s): Week commencing 4 March 2024 and week commencing 11 March 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 criterions: 

• Lead criterion: Experience of gathering and assessing complex information to make evidence-based conclusions and recommendations.
• Lead criterion: Experience of working with customers and external stakeholders to communicate complex information in writing and verbally.

In your personal statement, please tell us how your skills and experience meet the lead criterions, 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 task to complete in advance. 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.