Regulatory Policy Analyst Graduate Development Programme 2023

Join us as an Ofwat graduate and step into a world where you are empowered and encouraged to help us solve problems in the water industry from the very start. Our graduate programme offers a truly versatile role, great insights into how a regulator works and excellent training, enabling you to create a solid foundation for your career.

With the opportunity to support work in a range of areas, you’ll develop a broad skillset including analytical, communication, drafting, presentation, policy development and stakeholder engagement skills. Your work will be varied, and include drawing insight from data and information, developing policy ideas and proposals, providing advice to help make decisions, and engaging with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders. The work we do is complex and has direct implications for customers and the environment. You’ll be given the opportunity to demonstrate your potential from the outset and your passion for policy will see you relish the opportunity!

As part of the programme, you will have the opportunity to work onPR24, our price review for 2024. PR24 will set price controls for water and sewerage companies for 2025 to 2030 to drive up performance, incentivise companies to improve customer service and to deliver benefits to the environment and wider society.

Learning Development

Our graduate opportunities offer the perfect blend of personal and professional development, including Ofwat Essentials, a learning programme delivered by dedicated in house experts. Right from the start you’ll have opportunities to lead and support interesting internal and external projects. To support you during the programme your People leader (Line Manager) will help you settle in. Your department will support you in gaining the knowledge and expertise to perform effectively in your business function and role. Your graduate programme will give you an insight into our business and inspire your creativity, leadership and strategic thinking - enabling you to achieve your aspirations and be prepared for your career after the programme ends.

As well as on the job learning, you will have access to technical training to meet your specific learning needs and to help you fulfil your potential. You'll be provided with all the tools and support to help you flourish in your profession, supported by central events such as conferences, and site visits to water companies' operational sites, so that you can develop your understanding of the water industry. You’ll be working with other graduates and colleagues and early career professionals across the regulatory industry. This is an exciting time to join our programme.

About Ofwat

Ofwat (the Water Services Regulation Authority) is the economic regulator of the water and wastewater sectors in England and Wales. Safe, reliable and sustainable water and wastewater services are essential for our day-to-day lives, our wellbeing, and our natural world.

The water sector faces significant challenges including population growth, changing customer expectations and climate change. Customers are increasingly concerned about environmental harm, including carbon emissions, pollution, and the need to use water wisely. At the same time, the cost-of-living crisis has amplified concerns about affordability, with one-third of households in England and Wales sometimes struggling to pay household bills.

Our role is to enable, incentivise and hold water companies to account for providing the very best for customers, society, and the environment, both now and into the future. We also oversee the markets that exist in the water sector to make sure they are working for customers. Our ambition is for water companies to provide outstanding customer service; to improve the environment and to enhance life through water, both now and into the future. We use all our existing regulatory tools, and develop new ones, including building our influence, data and insight to achieve these goals.

Our vision is to improve life through water. We plan to deliver this through

• ensuring that the sector delivers everyday excellence in providing water and wastewater services to customers, responding to their changing demand.
• ensuring that companies take long-term stewardship of the environment, their assets, and their customer relations.
• ensuring that the industry adds value, whether through value for money for customers or adding to the quality of life or the state of the environment.

Our strategy, Time to act, together, focuses on bringing our vision to life.

Delivering these goals will help to meet customers’ needs: ensure reliable and safe water supplies today with a better environment, affordable bills, and a resilient and sustainable future for water. As we do this, we will be working to fulfil the UK and Welsh Governments’ strategic priorities for Ofwat; and UK and Welsh Government policy. This is an exciting time to join and ride the wave!

Our People and Culture

Our people are the heart and soul of Ofwat, and our People Strategy is ambitious and well-embedded. We have a well-developed social mission. We are forward-thinking, creative, innovative and ambitious. We constantly push the boundaries and embrace new ways of working. We actively encourage autonomy, collaboration and innovation and there’s a strong culture fostered by trust, flexibility and respect. As a learning organisation we actively embrace new ways of working and provide the freedom to our people to work smarter achieving a work life balance. We strive to ensure our people feel connected and valued, where your voice matters.

You will be provided with the space and support to shape your future while taking greater control of your own growth and development. 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 to us to be the regulator we want to be and helping the sector to deliver outcomes that matter to customers and society.

We outperform the Civil Service People Survey benchmarks in 9 out of 10 areas and have an engagement score of 72%, placing us as one of the Civil Service’s highest performing organisations.

Driven by our SAILOR values (see below), we are committed to developing an inclusive culture where our people can bring their whole selves to work, where everyone is treated equally and empowered to thrive and where we are reflective of the customers and communities we serve. We encourage applications from all walks of life, so that together we can achieve our vision of improving life through water.

Our values

All our work is underpinned by our SAILOR values which are well established and embedded into everything we do. Actively championed by everyone, they set out how we behave and what we aspire to be as an organisation.

Who are we looking for

Qualifications

• You will have (or be on target to achieve) at least a 2:2 degree in a numerical, analytical, research, environmental or business-related discipline, such as (but not limited to) economics, politics, business management, law, accounting and finance, history, environmental engineering or geography. As this is a graduate programme, you must have graduated already, or be due to graduate in 2023, and have no more than three years’ work experience following your graduation.

Skills, experience and knowledge

• An understanding of economic policy and how it is used by regulators
• An interest in qualitative analysis and values

Attributes and behaviours

Throughout the selection process, we will be looking for evidence of our SAILOR values. We will also assess you on the following attributes and behaviours that are essential for success on the programme. These are defined more fully in our Framework for Success.

• Committed Learner - “ I’m flexible, curious and adaptable, committed to my own growth and development. ”
• Makes Relationships Count - “ I contribute to a supportive team environment, showing empathy and building effective relationships to achieve progress. ”
• Creates clarity - “ I’m adept at communicating clearly, simplifying complexity, considering the needs of my audience, and tailoring my written and verbal communications to meet their needs. ”
• Adaptable thinker - “ I identify problems and seek out information to find solutions. I do this in a way that considers the needs of others, and I’m flexible to adapt my approach as parameters or goals change. ”
• Delivers outcomes - “ I achieve my objectives in a timely manner, keeping people updated, and taking accountability and responsibility for outputs and outcomes. I link my work to the bigger picture and ask for clarification when it’s needed, striving always to improve my delivery to customers. ”

How to apply

We’re looking to appoint this year with an assessment centre to take place w/c 27 March/3 April and a start date in September 2023. The closing date for applications is 23.55 on Sunday 12 March 2023 so don’t miss out!

Selection Process

The selection process includes;

• A candidate application form , assessing the qualification, skills, experience and knowledge requirements as outlined above. The application form also assesses some of our attributes and behaviours outlined in the table below.
• Video interview, assessing SAILOR values and the attributes and behaviours set out in the table below.
• Successful candidates will then be invited to a virtual assessment centre, weeks commencing 27 March 20223 and 03 April 2023. The virtual assessment centre will assess all of the requirements for the role.

The assessment centre includes;

• A written exercise
• A group exercise
• An interview, which includes a short candidate presentation (topic to be shared in advance)

The attributes and behaviours required listed above, will be assessed at the following points in the selection process:

What’s on offer

As a Graduate Associate on our programme, you’ll be employed on a 2-year fixed term contract with a starting salary of £29,000 plus a substantial benefits package including 25 days holiday plus 10½ bank holiday and privilege leave days per annum. In addition, you will receive an excellent benefits package which includes exclusive discounts on a range of good and services (retail, theatre, gym membership etc), regular professional development, health and wellbeing initiatives and an excellent civil service pension.

We have offices in Birmingham and London (you’ll be able to express a preference for which) employees have the opportunity for hybrid working so you will have the chance to work both at home and in the office. Ofwat is an inclusive employer and agile working is an important part of our culture with all the IT/infrastructure (including a Surface Pro and iPhone) to enable you to work efficiently where and when needed. We know that agile working empowers you to manage your own time, fostering a healthy work-life balance and boosting health and wellbeing while maintaining productivity.

Here at Ofwat we believe that spending regular time together in person is important to support collaboration and development, build and sustain relationships with others and support the delivery of Ofwat's business outcomes. It also can provide additional opportunities for development, gaining colleague support, face-to-face interaction, connection and networking. We’ve made space provision for an average of two days in the office spread across the week for all colleagues, though many of our graduates choose to spend more time collaborating in the office together. Each of our teams have developed a Team Charter which agrees how they will work in a hybrid environment. You will agree the balance of home/office-based working that works best for you and your team with your People Leader.