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 Analyst - Major Water Infrastructure Programme to join our RAPID 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.
Job overview
We are looking for a Senior Analyst - Major Water Infrastructure Programme to join our RAPID team at Senior Associate level. The RAPID team is dedicated to overseeing the development of strategic water supply options, ensuring these are sustainable for the long term and delivering the best value for society and the environment.
Following Ofwat's final determination for the Price Review 2024, we are embarking on an ambitious journey with a significant programme of 28 Strategic Resource Options (SROs). SROs may include reservoirs, water transfers, water recycling or desalination infrastructure being developed by one or more water companies. These are progressed within our gated programme which supports their development and helps coordinate regulatory oversight.
Focusing on a subset of water supply infrastructure projects in our programme, you will support their smooth and efficient delivery. You will engage with a wide range of stakeholders including government bodies, regulators, and water companies, as well as other relevant sectors and interested parties.
A key part of the role involves supporting the 'gated process' used by RAPID to assess major water infrastructure projects. You will help manage the assessment of projects within your portfolio at each stage, reviewing evidence, identifying risks or issues, and working with stakeholders to resolve them.
In this way, you will play a vital role in the successful delivery of new supply infrastructure which is essential to improving the resilience of water supplies and reducing unsustainable abstraction from the environment.
As a senior associate, you will operate with substantial autonomy and be expected to plan and progress your work independently. Alongside this, you will have supervision from senior colleagues, and you will work within a network of experienced senior analysts and subject matter experts available to support you and help shape your development. Your work will also be supported by a specialised project management office to equip you with the tools you need to focus on adding value and achieving results.
You will have the opportunity to work on some of the most important capital projects in the water sector and the accompanying policy issues. These projects are vital to meeting current and future customers' needs, and you will have a direct impact on ensuring companies are delivering for customers.
Key deliverables
In this role you will be expected to:
Coordinate regulatory oversight of a group of RAPID infrastructure projects (SROs). This involves:
- Monitoring delivery progress, understanding risks and issues to delivery, and taking ownership for helping to manage and resolve them.
- Acting as an Engagement Lead for your portfolio of projects to build and maintain strong relationships with water companies, regulators and government stakeholders.
- Collaborating with partners to identify and address emerging issues, helping to unblock barriers to the delivery of SROs by bringing in additional expertise where needed and progressing solutions through appropriate governance routes.
- Working closely with solution teams and regulators, meeting regularly to review progress, discuss risks and issues, and ensure projects continue to move forward effectively.
Manage the review of gate submissions from SRO teams, including presenting to senior colleagues and managing any conflicting views.
Actively contribute to external meetings with regulators, Governments and water industry leads to raise awareness of RAPID and Ofwat's ongoing work and help us achieve our goals.
Bring a continuous improvement mindset to support the ongoing development of the gate assessment and the programme of strategic water supply infrastructure.
Communicate effectively by drafting briefings and delivering presentations to internal and external audiences on the process areas on which you lead and your schemes.
Support other areas of policy in RAPID and Environment Planning directorate and more broadly in Ofwat as required to demonstrate a broader contribution.
Person specification
To be successful in this role you will need the below essential attributes, experience, skills and knowledge:
Experience, skills and knowledge
- Lead Criterion: Knowledge and understanding of water sector regulation, water resources planning, environmental policy and/or major infrastructure planning or delivery gained through experience in a relevant role.
- Experience of working under pressure, effectively planning, prioritising, and managing a varied and changing workload to meet different, and often tight, deadlines.
- Ability to work independently, and as part of a team, using creativity and innovative approaches to achieve results.
- Experience of building and maintaining constructive working relationships with a diverse set of internal and external stakeholders to understand their needs, expectations, and priorities, and to influence and collaborate effectively to deliver desired outcomes.
- Good written and oral communication skills, including the ability to present complex information to non-technical audiences and experience of formulating, presenting, and writing clear and concise evidence-based advice to inform policy development and decision making.
- Ability to think strategically and use creative problem solving in complex areas.
Attributes
Delivers Outcomes; Creates Clarity; Adaptable Thinker; Promotes Collaboration.
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 at the centre of everything that we do. In our annual People Survey 2024, we outperformed the Civil Service (CS) People Survey benchmarks in all 10 areas.
Almost four in five of our people would recommend Ofwat as a great place to work. Nine in ten say that they are treated with respect and that Ofwat respects individual differences. Nine in ten also say that the work they do is interesting and that they decide how they do their work. That’s great but it’s important to us to build an environment that is not only fair, inclusive and empowering but also collaborative. Here, nine in ten of our people say that their team works together to find ways to improve what we do, and that their manager is open to their ideas.
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/.
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 [email protected] 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 on 28 June 2026
- Sifting: Week commencing 29 June 2026
- Interview date(s): Week commencing 13 July 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 below. Please ensure you provide enough evidence in your application form to demonstrate how you meet the criteria.
Use your personal statement to address the below criteria and tell us how your experience, skills and knowledge meet them:
- Lead Criterion: Knowledge and understanding of water sector regulation, water resources planning, environmental policy and/or major infrastructure planning or delivery gained through experience in a relevant role.
- Experience of working under pressure, effectively planning, prioritising, and managing a varied and changing workload to meet different, and often tight, deadlines.
- Ability to work independently, and as part of a team, using creativity and innovative approaches to achieve results.
- Experience of building and maintaining constructive working relationships with a diverse set of internal and external stakeholders to understand their needs, expectations, and priorities, and to influence and collaborate effectively to deliver desired outcomes.
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 Senior Associate band) may be considered (in merit order) for an Associate grade post – a band lower than Senior Associate. 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 [email protected].
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Successful candidates must undergo a 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 the Civil 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
Recruitment team
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-service-code 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 [email protected] in the first instance. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from us, you can contact the Civil Service Commission at [email protected].
Attachments
BC1174 SA RAPID Senior Analyst Candidate Pack - Opens in new window (pdf, 727kB)
