About the job

Summary

Ofwat (the Water Services Regulation Authority) is the economic regulator of the water and wastewater sector in England and Wales. Our role is to help it build trust and confidence with customers, the environment and wider society. Ofwat has an ambitious new strategy and as a regulator we are setting ourselves up to achieve and equal the ambition of this new strategy. It matters to us that things on the ground really change so that our impact on customers, the environment and the future of water is tangible and meaningful.

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 be about helping us to deliver our strategy, helping us to be the regulator we want to be and helping the sector to deliver outcomes that matter to customers and society. Our strategy sets out the role Ofwat will play. We will adapt, be confident, act with purpose and integrity and continuously improve so that we make the greatest contribution possible to improving life through water.

Job description

On 1 April 2017, the largest competitive water retail market in the world opened for business, bringing the biggest change to the water sector since privatization. Around 1.2 million businesses, charities and public sector organisations in England are able to shop around, renegotiate, and find the right deal for them. If customers don’t like the service they get, they can take their business elsewhere. Our vision for the business retail market is for it to create value for customers, society and the environment.

This role sits in the Business Retail Market team within Ofwat's Policy and Outcomes cluster. The Business Retail Market team monitors and regulates the Business Retail Market in the water sector, and undertakes key functions needed to keep the market working smoothly, such as modifications to industry rules or codes and market monitoring activities. More information on the business retail market is available on our website.

Our team works collaboratively with a diverse range of stakeholders, including regulated water companies, new entrants to the sector, Government, MOSL (the Market Operator), other regulators and customers and their representative bodies.

Responsibilities

The Business Retail Market team has a multi-faceted and exciting programme of work aimed at improving the Business Retail Market so that it delivers better outcomes for customers, society and the environment.

Now is a particularly exciting time to join the team as we are at an important juncture in the development of the market – we have recently established a new set of code principles that will guide our decision making on modifications to the market codes. We have also established revised governance arrangements through the creation of a Strategic Panel. Work is underway to reform the market's incentive framework and we are about to commence our review of the Business Retail Market's price caps, all of which are aimed at achieving our vision for the market. So it is a busy and challenging time to work with the sector to make the market operate more effectively to deliver benefits for customers, society and the environment.

As a Senior Associate in the Business Retail Market team, you will have the opportunity to lead and support a number of workstreams. We're a small and dynamic team, so you will work flexibly across the team's various functions relating to the Business Retail Market, including for example, the assessment of proposed modifications to the suite of market codes, Ofwat's ongoing monitoring of the Business Retail Market and the Business Retail Market's interim supply arrangements which Ofwat is responsible for. You will work closely with internal and external stakeholders, including those from other professional disciplines (for example lawyers, economists and enforcement) to gather and share information and make recommendations to senior decision-makers.

The successful candidate will have an understanding of markets, and the benefits they can deliver for customers. You will be able to identify and assess relevant information to make evidence-based recommendations; and be great at working with others to gather and share information clearly in writing or verbally. You will share your knowledge and support colleagues in the team, helping us to "join the dots" between activities, and to adapt and respond to changing workloads and priorities.

You will be a self-starter and expected to take strong ownership of the work you are responsible for, demonstrating Ofwat’s SAILOR values and ways of working. Ofwat is a learning organisation and you will have opportunities to further develop your knowledge and experience. 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

The successful candidate for this role will be expected to

• Demonstrate strong analytical skills – to distil complex and voluminous information into a robust evidence base and use this to develop evidence-based recommendations that align with strategic goals;

• Work effectively and persuasively with internal and external stakeholders to implement policy recommendations and deliver Ofwat's functions under the market codes;

• Represent Ofwat with credibility at industry meetings and forums;

• Demonstrate strong communication skills with the ability to communicate complex issues in simple terms;

• Demonstrate a strong ability to draft clear, robust and accessible reports and decision documents;

• Demonstrate a keen interest in making markets work effectively to benefit customers and preferably also a desire to learn more about economic regulation; and

• Support continuous improvement in our ways of working.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Changing and Improving
• Developing Self and Others
• Making Effective Decisions
• Delivering at Pace
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together

We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Changing and Improving
• Making Effective Decisions

Benefits

We also offer a range of additional benefits. These include:

• access to our package of benefits via our ‘Edenred’ scheme. This is a voluntary benefits scheme where staff have access to exclusive discounts on a range of goods and services such as retail outlets, theatre tickets, holidays, insurance and gym membership;

• cycle-to-work scheme;

• season ticket loan for travel between home and office;

• flexible working arrangements;

• fees paid for membership of relevant professional bodies;

• regular professional development;

• health and wellbeing initiatives; and

• free eye tests and contribution towards lenses/spectacles for VDU users, if appropriate

Any move to Ofwat from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax-Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/.