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 looking for a Public Affairs professional with proven experience of delivering stakeholder engagement programmes to join our recently expanded Wales and Government Engagement team. The team act as the gatekeeper for the UK and Welsh governments to engage with Ofwat. Their priorities are to ensure consistent, connected, and strategic interactions with UK and Welsh government, and to support Ofwat’s Senior Leadership team and Directors to hold constructive relationships with key partners.
The team also lead on engagement with government in cross-cutting policy areas (e.g. regulatory reform), helping to shape and inform policy to deliver the best outcomes for the consumer. Additionally, they analyse legislation and policy to provide impact and risk analysis and support the development of government consultation responses.
In this role you will help to facilitate a consistent, connected, and strategic relationship with Welsh and UK Governments and other regulatory stakeholders. Splitting your time between working on UK Government and Wales issues, you will have detailed knowledge of the machinery and structure of government (UK, Welsh, and local), a working knowledge of how the Senedd in Wales operates and a good understanding of the political, environmental and economic circumstances across England and Wales.
You will be able to understand and critically assess complex and technical policy and communicate key messages in an accessible and compelling way, accounting for specific audiences. You will work collaboratively and develop strong working relationships with colleagues across Ofwat, as well as externally.
The ability to understand and speak Welsh is desirable for this role, as is having a good understanding of the water/environment sector and the regulatory landscape in Wales.
Reasons to join Ofwat:
- Meaningful Impact: you will be joining a team with a sense of mission at its core aiming to build a lasting legacy for future generations by securing our long-term water resilience;
- 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.
- Fantastic employer pension contribution of nearly 30%;
- Work-Life Balance: enjoy the flexibility of working from home combined with the benefits of in person collaboration;
- 27.5 days leave (25 days annual leave + 2.5 days privilege leave to be used when you like) increasing by one day with each year of service (max. 32.5 days), 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;
- 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.