Senior Policy Adviser

Join Ofwats Sector Governance Team as a Senior Policy Advisor

Office Location:London (E14 4HD) or Birmingham (B5 4UA) with hybrid working

About Us

We are Ofwat, the Water Services Regulation Authority, a non-ministerial government department responsible for regulating the water sector in England and Wales. Following the Independent Water Commissions final report, the UK government has set out a bold new direction - one that brings together expertise from across the sector to deliver better outcomes for customers and the environment.

We are working in collaboration with the government and other regulators to help establish a new body for England, combining our strengths with those of the Drinking Water Inspectorate, the Environment Agency, and Natural England. Were also continuing to engage with the Welsh Government to support future decisions for Wales.

While these changes take shape, our mission remains the same: to hold water companies to account, drive performance, and ensure the sector delivers real value for customers, communities, and the environment. If youre passionate about making a difference, this is a unique moment to join us and help shape the future of water, and together we can continue to make a positive impact.

The Role

The Independent Water Commission published their final report on the review of the water sector regulatory system on 21 July 2025. While we are entering a period of change, Ofwat still has a lot of important work to do. We remain focused on the day job and ensuring that the £104 billion investment package that we have approved delivers the maximum benefits for customers and the environment. Ofwat remains committed to working constructively with the government and supporting outcomes that are in the best interests of customers, communities, and the environment. Our focus remains the same: delivering strong, independent economic regulation to deliver our vision of a secure and sustainable water sector, acting in the best interests of customers, communities and the environment.

The creation of the new regulator may take up to two years to finalise, during which time we will work closely with the government and other regulators to create a plan for a smooth transition. TheSector GovernancePolicy and Delivery Principalrole has an important and valuable contribution to enable us to deliver on our goals and regulatory commitments.

The overall aim of the Sector Governance team is to ensure water companies are well run through having the right board leadership and governance arrangements in place. Furthermore, we seek to ensure governance arrangements are transparent, allowing Ofwat and other stakeholders to scrutinise (and challenge) and address issues of legitimacy. This work is at the cutting edge of what Ofwat does and is pivotal in light of the recently passedWater (Special Measures) Act.

You'll be responsible for designing the implementation of sector-critical monitoring and oversight of application of our governance frameworks, as part of Ofwat's regulatory role and strategic objectives. You'll have primary responsibility for fundamental projects and will own key policy thinking, design and delivery.

Key responsibilities will also include day-to-day management of external advisors as relevant, coordinating across Ofwat on cross-directorate issues, policy design and drafting, management of and building consensus with both external and internal stakeholders.

About You

Below are some of the key essential experience, skills & knowledge required for this post:

• Lead criterion 1:Experience of and ability to apply governance frameworks or codes within a regulatory the context.
• Lead criterion 2:Experience of implementing monitoring and oversight programmes in a government or regulatory organisation.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills with experience effectively managing complex relationships both internally and externally.
• Experience in how regulatory and/or legal frameworks impact the way in which companies and their governance operate.
• Experience in UK corporate governance and an understanding of how companies are organised and managed (e.g. comfortable with the concept of how boards function, how they report), and with common UK corporate structures.
• Analytical, adept at seeing complex interlinkages, and able to distil discussions from relevant workshops, government policy, internal and external stakeholder meetings, and materials into reports and implementation plans.
• Familiarity with performance issues in the water sector.

Why You Should Join Us:

• People Centric: Our people are at the heart of Ofwat and everything we do - we ensure all voices are heard and treat each other with respect; you'll be given the autonomy and the support to do your role in the best way.
• Innovative Work Environment: We embrace agile and new ways of working and have a culture build on trust, flexibility, and collaboration.
• Development Opportunities: Gain valuable experience and develop your skills in a supportive and dynamic setting.
• Work-Life Balance: Enjoy the flexibility of working from home combined with the benefits of in person collaboration in our Birmingham offices.
• Excellent employer pension contributions of nearly 29%. You can find further details about pension schemes under Terms and Conditions in the Candidate Pack.
• 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.
• Fees paid for membership of relevant professional bodies.
• Up to 3 volunteering days per year.
• Recognition vouchers scheme rewarding your hard work.
• Generous shared parental leave and pay supporting your family life.

Follow the link to Apply for full details about the role, please ensure you have submitted your Applications in full before the below deadline.

Closing date:23.55 on 21 September 2025

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