Senior Policy Adviser – Markets & Charging

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 a Senior Policy Adviser to join our Charges and Developer Services Team within Markets & Charging Directorate.

The water sector is entering a new chapter. Following the Independent Water Commission’s Final Report and subsequent White Paper – ‘New Vision for Water’, 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 is 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 looking for a Senior Policy Adviser to join the Charges and Developer Services team part of Ofwat’s Markets & Charging Directorate. You will join as a Senior Associate, playing a key part in the development of our regulation of the new connections market and our work on charges, as well as linking with our work with new appointees.

You will directly contribute to our work on developer services. The term ‘developer services’ covers the activities and services companies provide to developers when connecting new homes and businesses to the water and wastewater network (the new connections market). Around 200,000 new connections are made each year across England and Wales in a complex market where competition varies by area and development type.

You will play a crucial role in developing and implementing policy for the regulation of developer services and the new connections market, aimed at delivering better outcomes for customers, society and the environment. This includes policies on aspects of our economic regulation, including environmental incentives and protections for customers with limited market choice.

You will also contribute to our work on charges. We set charging rules to govern how incumbents (large water companies) and new appointees set charges for the services they provide, to households, business customers and developers. New appointees (NAVs) are new entrant water companies initially looking to serve small, distinct geographic areas. We regulate how services are provided to developers, stepping back where competition is strong and protecting customers where choice is limited.

Current policy priorities include improving environmental outcomes, encouraging innovative charging to support affordability and sustainability, examining the relationship between cost reflectivity and water efficiency, reviewing the effectiveness of the developer services market, and considering how new demands for potable and non-potable water should be funded.

You will play an important role in developing these and other policy areas, working closely with colleagues across Ofwat and engaging with companies, developers, , Defra and other stakeholders. You will also be expected to contribute flexibly to the delivery of Ofwat’s wider strategy.

Key deliverables:

In this role you will be expected to:

• Lead on specific work areas, taking responsibility for their successful delivery.
• Undertake (or help to commission) quantitative and qualitative economic analysis.
• Develop policy, including identifying and appraising options, assessing impacts, and making suitable recommendations.
• Draft key parts of reports and publications to a high standard.
• Engage with and present to colleagues and stakeholders to share insights and expertise from our work, so that we are maximising synergies with related work areas and effectively focusing our combined efforts to deliver better outcomes for customers and the environment.
• Listen to, influence and work with complex, and sometimes difficult, external stakeholders to optimise the impact of our work, including water companies, representative bodies, Government departments, third parties and customers.
• Create and champion an inclusive working environment that supports growth, wellbeing, and continuous improvement in our delivery.
• Strongly contribute to Ofwat’s wider leadership, by engaging, contributing and supporting our work to make Ofwat a great place to be.