Assistant Accountant

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 Assistant Accountant to join our Finance Team within Corporate Enablers 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.

We are seeking a skilled and detail-oriented finance professional to join our Finance team as an Assistant Accountant.

The Assistant Accountant role is varied and involves providing essential support in financial operations and assisting in the effective management of financial resources. This role will report into the Financial Accountant and will work with other team members to ensure accuracy, compliance, and transparency in financial activities.

As an Assistant Accountant, you will predominantly support the financial control and accounting functions including purchase ledger; sales ledger; capital and fixed assets; staff expenses; reconciliations; VAT and tax; government data returns; maintenance of the Oracle finance system; internal and external audit; and the production of the Annual Report & Accounts. You will also develop collaborative relationships with key stakeholders e.g. Finance Business Partners, Internal and External Auditors, and HM Treasury.

This opportunity will be particularly interesting to candidates with an interest in government and public sector accounting.

Key deliverables:

In this role you will be expected to:

• Provide support to the accounts payable and accounts receivable functions including audit of employee expense claims
• Support completion of month end closedown activities e.g. opening/closing accounting periods, preparing prepayment journals and other ad hoc journals
• Prepare monthly accounts payable and receivable reconciliations and other control account reconciliations, e.g. monthly balance sheet reconciliations
• Maintain the asset register and the leases model and prepare monthly asset and lease reconciliations
• Maintain the licence fee income models and calculate and prepare the respective sales invoices
• Prepare the monthly VAT returns and annual Tax returns
• Prepare statutory returns and transparency returns for publication
• Support maintenance of the Oracle finance system
• Support the preparation of the financial statements and associated documentation required for audit
• Provide documentation to internal and external auditors and working with them to resolve queries during the audit
• Support the preparation of the Whole of Government Accounts (WGA) and the Main and Supplementary Estimates
• Support the analysis of current processes to identify and implement ways to improve processes and financial control
• Support the maintenance and compliance of finance policies
• Complete other ad hoc tasks to support the Financial Accountant

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)

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: 06 September 2026
• Sifting: Week commencing 07 September 2026
• Interview date(s): Week commencing 21 September 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 / application form) against essential criteria [1,2,3,4 & 5] listed above. Please ensure you provide enough evidence in your application form to demonstrate how you meet the criteria.

• Lead criterion 1: Proven experience in a financial accounting environment, with a solid understanding of core accounting principles and their application in month-end reporting and reconciliation tasks.
• Lead criterion 2: Proficient Excel skills including V-lookups and pivot tables, with the ability to analyse and present data with attention to detail and numerical accuracy.
• Proven capability in reconciling balance sheet accounts using data from ERP financial systems, with a focus on maintaining precise and reliable records while ensuring full compliance with financial policies and audit standards.
• Qualified to AAT or equivalent e.g. finance/accounting university degree.
• Familiarity with financial software and ERP systems used for financial reporting and ledger management e.g. Oracle Fusion, including system administration.
• In the event of receiving a large number of applications, a pre-sift may take place on just the lead criterion.

Please ensure that anything submitted as part of your application is factually accurate, and you are not presenting the ideas and experience of others, or generated by AI, as your own.

• * Please note that 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.

Interview Stage - Transparent Interviews

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 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.

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

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 Associate band) may be considered (in merit order) for a Business Support grade post in the team – a band lower than 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 recruitment@ofwat.gov.uk

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