Affordability Policy Lead

Job summary

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 an Affordability Policy Lead to join our Customer PolicyTeam within Casework, Enforcement & Customers Directorate.

The water sector is entering a new chapter. The government has set out a bold new direction, bringing together expertise from across the sector to deliver better outcomes for customers and the environment. We are collaborating with fellow regulators to respond to recommendations in The Independent Water Commission Report, the Welsh Government’s response to the Green Paper, Shaping the Future of Water Governance in Wales, and the Government’s White Paper, A new vision for water.

Ofwat is working with the government and other regulators to help create a new body for England, bringing together our strengths with those of the Drinking Water Inspectorate, the Environment Agency and Natural England. We are also continuing to work with the Welsh Government to support decisions on the future arrangements 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.

Job description

As the Affordability Lead within the Customer Policy team you will lead one of Ofwat’s key priority areas, providing expert management, support and leadership for our customer policy work on financial vulnerability and support for customers who struggle to pay their bills. You will be responsible for delivering our work to improve company service in this area, including to improve affordability support, understand company handling of customer debt, social tariffs and other financial hardship funds. You will also support delivery of the wider strategic aims of Ofwat's customer policy work to achieve high levels of customer service and support.

You will assess policy trade-offs and impacts on customers to inform balanced recommendations You will build strong relationships with colleagues internally and externally to identify key issues, anticipate opportunities to strengthen affordability support and shape policy priorities.

More generally, you will play a key role in delivery through project and resource planning and line management. You will be expected to support, empower and be a role model for junior members of the team, and to involve yourself in corporate activities that make Ofwat a great place to work. There will also be opportunities to work with colleagues across Ofwat on other programmes and projects to raise understanding of our casework and enforcement work and role, share expertise and deliver joint projects.

To deliver effectively in this role, you will need considerable experience of successful leadership in a high-volume customer-focussed or regulatory environment, where accuracy, timeliness and customer service is paramount. You will have exceptional analytical skills and judgement, with a strong ability to 'join the dots' between related topics, Ofwat's various regulatory tools, and the strategic outcomes we want to deliver. You will be able to quickly get to grips with new and varied subject areas, including relevant legal obligations, policy expectations, data sources and the strategic context in which they sit. As a policy professional at Ofwat, you will be expected to work flexibly reflecting business priorities and needs. In particular, we anticipate that you work on various projects in the customer policy team, including our customer research, and in collaboration with other Ofwat teams.

Being able to clearly structure and present evidence-based thinking and recommendations, and to encourage and respond to constructive challenge to improve our decision-making will be essential. You will build constructive working relationships with a diverse set of internal and external stakeholders, liaising with them to understand and influence their priorities, to build understanding and confidence about our work, horizon scan and, where appropriate, to collaborate to deliver shared objectives.

Key deliverables:

In this role you will be expected to:

• Lead and develop Ofwat’s customer policy on financial vulnerability, analysing complex data and company performance against Price Review commitments, representing Ofwat in UK Government affordability work, and supporting responses to Government, press and Parliamentary enquiries.
• Lead Ofwat’s policy development on affordability as part of PR29, including developing relevant guidance and overseeing the assessment of water companies’ plans to ensure they deliver related outcomes for customers.
• Lead Ofwat’s implementation of recent NAO and PAC recommendations relating to affordability, coordinating activity across the organisation and ensuring recommendations are translated into effective policy and regulatory action.
• Listen to, influence and work with complex, and sometimes challenging external stakeholders to optimise the impact of our work, including customers, water companies, representative bodies and Government departments. You must be able to establish and maintain these relationships and operate independently of senior management where necessary and appropriate.
• Engage effectively with internal stakeholders including analytical and communication teams to share insights and expertise from and for our customer policy 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.
• Provide support and guidance to members of the Customer Policy team to help develop work packages and contribute to the wider work programme.
• Create and champion an inclusive working environment that supports growth, well-being, and continuous improvement in our delivery.

Person specification

To be successful in this role you will need the below essential attributes, experience, skills and knowledge:

Experience, skills and knowledge

1. Lead criterion: Delivery in a complex customer focussed or regulatory environment, ensuring work is effectively prioritised and progressed.
2. Understanding of policy issues in relation to customer service, in particular supporting customers who need extra help and/or in financial hardship.
3. Experience of developing and implementing policy, translating strategic objectives into clear, practical and deliverable outcomes.
4. Strong analytical skills, with experience of using quantitative and qualitative data and evidence to shape policy development.
5. Excellent written and oral communications skills, including concisely explaining policy in non-technical language.
6. Excellent project management skills and experience of leading people and/or consultants to deliver packages of work
7. Experience of building and maintaining constructive working relationships with internal and external stakeholders to understand their needs and expectations, and to influence and collaborate effectively to deliver desired outcomes.
8. Experience of encouraging and role-modelling a growth mind-set and a culture of continuous improvement and personal development.

Attributes

9. Builds team
10. Delivers outcomes

Attributes as per Ofwat's Framework for Success for the relevant salary grade. You can read more about Attributes here.

Benefits

Why You Should Join Us:

Our people are at the heart of Ofwat, and our People Strategy defines the goals that keep this focus central to everything we do. Our 2025 People Survey highlights several key strengths. Nine in ten colleagues say that they are treated with respect and that Ofwat values individual differences. The same proportion say that their work is meaningful and that they are being trusted to carry out their roles effectively. 79% of our people rated their manager highly, and 85% described their team environment as positive.

You will also benefit from:

• 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
• Flexible working arrangements that suit your lifestyle
• Fees paid for membership of relevant professional bodies
• Up to 3 volunteering days per year
• Recognition vouchers scheme
• Generous shared parental leave and pay
• Enhanced sick pay
• Regular development opportunities
• Health and wellbeing initiatives
• Cycle-to-work scheme
• Season ticket loan for home-to-office travel
• Free eye tests and contribution to lenses/spectacles for VDU users

Moving 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. Find out more at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

How to apply

Apply through the Civil Service Jobs website where you’ll be asked to create an account and complete an application form (CV and personal statement). If you’re unable to make an electronic application, please contact recruitment@ofwat.gov.uk and we will support you in completing your application.

Please see the candidate guidance on our website for more detail and tips on how to best make your application and prepare for interview.

Please ensure you have submitted your application in full ahead of the deadline listed below. Unfortunately, we won't be able to consider late applications.

Selection timetable

• Closing date: 23.55 22 November 2026
• Sifting: Week commencing23 November 2026
• Interview date(s): Week commencing 07 December 2026

Assessment process

Sift Stage - Blind Sifting

We operate a blind sifting model to eliminate bias. All candidate identifying information will be removed from applications.

At sift stage we will assess your application (CV and personal statement) against essential criteria 1, 2, 3, and 4 listed above. Please ensure you provide enough evidence in your application form to demonstrate this criteria. Use your personal statement to provide detail of how you meet each of the four criteria.

*Please note that in the event of receiving a large number of applications, a pre-sift may take place on just the lead criterion.

** If a high volume of candidates meet the minimum pass mark at sift stage, we will only progress the highest scoring candidates to interview. Candidates not invited to interview, who have achieved the minimum pass mark, will be placed 'on hold' until the final stage of the assessment process is completed. Should the role/s remain unfilled, candidates placed 'on hold' may be invited to interview in merit order.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Interview Stage - Transparent Interviews and Presentation

At interview stage we will test against essential skills, experience, knowledge and attributes set out above.

Our transparent interview process involves candidates receiving a selection of attribute-based questions in advance. This has been proven to help neurodiverse candidates and others to perform better at interview and is part of our inclusive culture.

You can read more about attributes and our Framework for success here.

Please note that the interviews will be conducted via video conferencing software (Microsoft Teams).

As part of the interview process, we will require a short presentation. Further details will be provided to candidates upon invitation to interview.

Please ensure anything you present in your interview answers is factually accurate, and you are not presenting the ideas and experience of others, or generated by AI, as your own. You may expect follow up questions.

It may be necessary for a second stage interview, which will be communicated to the successful candidates, if required.

If the assessment process identifies more appointable candidates than roles available, a reserve list will be created for 12 months from which further appointments in merit order can be made.

'Near-miss' candidates (candidates who have performed well at interview stage but haven’t scored high enough for the advertised Principal band) may be considered (in merit order) for a Senior Associate grade post – a band lower than Principal. Further details will be provided to candidates as needed.

If you have any queries about any aspect of this role, selection process, or you require any reasonable adjustments, please email recruitment@ofwat.gov.uk.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) criminal record check.People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : recruitment@ofwat.gov.uk
• Email : recruitment@ofwat.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : recruitment@ofwat.gov.uk

Further information

Complaints procedure - The process of recruitment and assessment embraces the principles of fair and open competition and best practice. The first is to maintain the principle of selection for appointment to the Civil Service on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Recruitment Principles. The second is to promote an understanding of the https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-code/the-civil… which sets out the constitutional framework in which all civil servants work and the values they are expected to uphold, and to hear and determine appeals made under it. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the recruitment principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should contact recruitment@ofwat.gov.uk in the first instance. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from us, you can contact the Civil Service Commission at info@csc.gov.uk

Attachments

Candidate Pack - BC-1270 Affordability Lead Nov 26 Opens in new window (docx, 1115kB)