Principal - Wales Engagement and Strategy

We are looking for a Principal to lead the oversight of Ofwat's engagement work with Welsh government, the Senedd and wider stakeholders in Wales.
You will be responsible for leading the development and have ownership of policy thinking and delivery, for specific strategy development and engagement across Wales. You'll have primary responsibility for senior management briefing materials, development of strong relationships with relevant parties both within and outside of Ofwat, and strategic planning.
The role will require visible and effective leadership for the delivery of these packages, working directly and cooperatively across Ofwat policy areas to champion and deliver successful and coordinated recommendations, advice and action. You'll be responsible for tracking and responding to policy and legislative developments in Wales, demonstrating an ability to understand the big picture at the same time as specifics in key policy areas.
Developing and maintaining excellent relationships will be key to this role, where networks of influence will need to be built through understanding what motivates our partners and stakeholders. You'll be responsible for key interactions with Welsh Government, NRW, Senedd and companies, and will support our CEO and Chair's interactions with these organisations as well as with Ministers.
Working in a dynamic and fast-paced environment you will participate in open policy debates, enthusiastically embracing change and new workstreams, sharing views, challenging assumptions and representing the team and Ofwat with other areas and agencies. Extensive external engagement will include building consensus where possible as well as defending and explaining our policies when necessary.
You can find why you should join Ofwat, our strategy, values and our framework for success in the attached Information for Candidates Pack.
Pecyn recriwtio ar gael cyn bo hir., Key deliverables
In this role you will be expected to:
+ Oversee the engagement and strategy work programme for Wales.
+ Develop recommendations on regulatory and policy issues, building support for these from senior management, and – where necessary – influencing external bodies to adopt these recommendations.
+ Produce and present documents – responding to external queries, robust analyses and reports, internal policy papers, briefings, internal and external communication materials, speeches, and impact assessments, and contributing to knowledge management.
+ Manage engagement with key partners and external stakeholders and outside of the organisation, representing Ofwat credibly and confidently
+ Provide ongoing input, as required, to Welsh Government policy development through applied knowledge and insight.
+ Develop material for Ofwat’s Board, and other executive bodies.
+ Deputise for the Director Wales and Government Engagement., At sift stage we assess your application against key essential skills, experience, and knowledge, listed above.
In your application, please state clearly how your skills, experience, and knowledge meet the essential criteria.
In the event of receiving a large number of applications, a pre-sift may take place on just the following lead criterion:
+ Proven track record of leading and developing public affairs strategies in a government or economic regulation context.
In your personal statement, please tell us how your skills and experience meet the lead criterion, with examples if appropriate.
You may find the STAR method useful in structuring your personal statement.
Interview Stage
Our transparent interview process involves candidates receiving a list 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.
We will assess your Experience, Skills and Knowledge as well as Attributes (set out in the professional requirements section) at Interview Stage.
You can read more about Attributes in Ofwat’s Framework for Success.
As part of the interview process, we will require a short presentation. Further details will be provided to shortlisted candidates upon invitation to interview.
Please note that the interviews will be conducted via video conferencing software such as Microsoft Teams.
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.
Please read the attached "Candidate Information Pack" for details on terms and conditions.
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).

+ Lead criterion: Proven track record of leading and developing public affairs strategies in a government or economic regulation context.
+ Demonstratable understanding of the political and cultural landscape in Wales.
+ Experience of stakeholder management and engagement across Wales, with the ability to influence with impact and operate in a representative capacity with credibility and confidence.
+ Experience of analysing complex and multiple concepts to construct advice and inform recommendations.
+ Excellent written and oral communication skills with the ability to convey and synthesise information for internal and external audiences.
+ Experience of meeting challenging deadlines, managing multiple priorities while demonstrating the ability to take initiative, think creatively and work independently.
+ Experience of working proactively, collaboratively, and flexibly – with the ability to deal with a fast-changing environment and unforeseen challenges
+ Experience and knowledge of the water and/ or environmental sector.
+ Ability to converse in Welsh, both written and oral.
Attributes
+ Delivers outcomes
+ Makes relationships count
+ Adaptable thinker
+ Promotes collaboration
Attributes as per Ofwat's Framework for Success for Principal Band. You can read more about Attributes here.

Why You Should Join Us:
Our work has genuine significance – no other organisation does the work we do. It’s unique and meaningful: keeping our water flowing; ensuring water bills don’t cost a penny more than needed; holding water companies to account. Come and work at the source of everyday life.
With us, your work matters, your voice is heard, and your impact is felt. Ours is a culture of trust, flexibility, autonomy, collaboration, and innovation. We all want positive change for water customers, the environment, and the future of water.
But for us, change is more than what happens on the outside – we’ve always pushed boundaries internally, too. From becoming the first Civil Service organisation to achieve ‘Smarter Working’ status, to gaining our prestigious ‘Smarter Working Maturity’ award, we’ve consistently demonstrated our commitment to embracing innovative ways of working. Our people do their best work when given freedom over where, when, and how they work. Which is why we trust our teams to balance meaningful collaboration in the office with the flexibility of working from home.
You will also benefit from:
+ Excellent employer pension contributions of 28.97% (around £15,940 to £23,170 per annum for this role).
+ 27.5 days leave (25 days annual leave + 2.5 days privilege leave) increasing to max 32.5 days with each year of service, plus bank holidays
+ 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.
+ Generous shared parental leave and pay.
+ Enhanced sick pay.
+ Regular development opportunities.
+ Health and wellbeing initiatives.
+ Season ticket loan for home-to-office travel.
+ Cycle-to-work scheme.