# Affordability Policy Lead **Company**: Ofwat (Water Services Regulation Authority) **Location**: Birmingham, West Midlands **Work arrangement**: hybrid **Experience**: senior **Salary**: GBP 59,660 - 75,000 per year **Category**: Policy & Public Affairs **Industry**: Government & Public Sector **Apply**: https://www.jobsgopublic.com/job/affordability-policy-lead-114405?utm_source=yubhub.co&utm_medium=jobs_feed&utm_campaign=apply **Canonical**: https://yubhub.co/jobs/job_b3484c26-84d ## Description 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 Policy Team 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. **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. **Key deliverables:** - 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. - Engage effectively with internal stakeholders including analytical and communication teams to share insights and expertise from and for our customer policy work. - 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: - Delivery in a complex customer focussed or regulatory environment, ensuring work is effectively prioritised and progressed. - Understanding of policy issues in relation to customer service, in particular supporting customers who need extra help and/or in financial hardship. - Experience of developing and implementing policy, translating strategic objectives into clear, practical and deliverable outcomes. - Strong analytical skills, with experience of using quantitative and qualitative data and evidence to shape policy development. - Excellent written and oral communications skills, including concisely explaining policy in non-technical language. - Excellent project management skills and experience of leading people and/or consultants to deliver packages of work. - 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. - Experience of encouraging and role-modelling a growth mind-set and a culture of continuous improvement and personal development. **Benefits** - Excellent employer pension contributions of nearly 29%. - 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. - 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. ## Skills ### Required - policy development - analytical skills - project management - communication skills - leadership --- Source: [Apply at jobsgopublic.com](https://www.jobsgopublic.com/job/affordability-policy-lead-114405?utm_source=yubhub.co&utm_medium=jobs_feed&utm_campaign=apply)