Principal Legal Adviser

We are Ofwat, the Water Services Regulation Authority, a non-ministerial government department responsible for regulating the water sector in England and Wales.

We have an opportunity for two Principal Legal Advisers to join our Legal Team within the Office of the Chief Executive Directorate.

The water sector is entering a new chapter. Following the Independent Water Commission’s 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.

Ofwat will be 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. We’re 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 you’re 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.

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.

We are seeking qualified commercial or projects lawyers to work with the Legal Director: Major Projects in supporting the Major Projects team as it develops the competitive commercial models for delivering this pipeline of major projects. We expect you to use your legal expertise and judgement to help develop and test commercial operating models, facilitating the scrutiny of delivery plans, and helping to resolve emerging issues, thereby building confidence in the deliverability of the pipeline of projects, with government, investors and the delivery market. This is an exciting opportunity to make a lasting impact on the sustainability and resilience of our water resources.

Key deliverables:

In this role you will be expected to:

• Provide high quality, timely and solutions-focused legal advice – in particular to the Major Projects team.
• Work with the Major Projects team in developing and delivering strategically focused policy which is legally robust.
• Advise on the development of robust commercial arrangements required for the delivery of major project.
• Be an adaptable thinker and incorporate wider considerations into your work, helping to identify and manage organisational risks and
• Demonstrate good judgement to create clarity and build trust through effective communication and collaboration.
• Proactively share skills and knowledge, and support others in doing
• Support Ofwat’s external relationships with law firms and legal counsel, other regulators and government and water companies.