Principal Water Supply Technical Specialist

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 Principal Water Supply Technical Specialist to join our Water Supply Team within the RAPID & Environmental Planning 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 Principal Water Supply Technical Specialist to join our Water Quality, Resilience and Security sub-team, part of the Water Supply team within the RAPID and Environmental Planning Directorate. The team works closely with the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI), Defra, Environment Agency (EA), and Natural Resources Wales (NRW) on water supply issues from source to tap, while also collaborating with colleagues from the Price Review Directorate.

This is an exciting opportunity for someone with a background in engineering, water or environmental science, or operational/asset management, looking to work within a regulatory environment.

You will have the opportunity to work across several key areas, which may include:

• Directing the analysis of Company Delivery Plans, Price Control Deliverables (PCDs) and Annual Performance Review (APR) data to provide effective oversight of company performance.
• Ensuring the team liaise effectively with water companies through the large scheme process, to capture uncertainty, risks and support the cost-effective delivery of schemes to time and budget.
• Reviewing information submitted as part of the cost change process and assessments completed on behalf of the team, ensuring consistency, accuracy and the robustness of evidence case and resulting decisions.
• Directing the development of benchmarking models and taking ownership of their population and associated governance, as required.
• Inputting into the development of the next price review framework and answering ad-hoc queries on the costing of different options relating to water quality and treatment, resilience and/or security.

The successful candidate may come from a variety of professional backgrounds and is likely to have experience in water supply process management, design, or delivery, water resilience scheme investment planning, design or delivery (e.g. network reinforcement, interconnectivity and water treatment works investment), or water production operations. This can also include experience in water company emergency planning, physical and cyber security activities, and investment planning.

Key deliverables:

In this role you will be expected to:

• Apply technical expertise and/or operational insights to provide advice and support to other areas across the organisation.
• Produce / oversee the production of high-quality documents.
• Lead on the design and delivery of procedures and processes to ensure thorough and effective cost assessment and delivery of company plans throughout the current price review period and beyond.
• Undertake / direct data analysis and critically evaluate analysis or products of professional peers.
• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders, including the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI), Environment Agency (EA), Natural Resources Wales (NRW), Water Companies, and any other relevant bodies.
• Manage and plan resource of both internal staff (approximatively 3 Senior Associates), and consultant resources.

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.

Ofwat is recognised as an Official Sensitive department and a Security Check (SC) is a requirement for this role. Applicants are normally expected to have been resident in the UK for the last five years to meet the standard residency requirements for SC clearance. Successful candidates must obtain SC clearance to a standard satisfactory to Ofwat within the first six months of employment.

Selection timetable

• Closing date: 23.55 on 04 October 2026
• Sifting: Week commencing 05 October 2026
• Interview date(s): Week commencing 19 October 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, 4, and 5 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: Relevant experience within water sector engineering, capital or environmental programmes, asset/operational management and/or business planning, providing technical leadership and direction on complex or high-profile projects, programmes, investment decisions and/or business planning activities.
• Degree level qualification in engineering, science, or similar technical specialism/discipline or sufficient relevant experience.
• Significant experience of building and maintaining constructive working relationships with internal and external stakeholders, influencing decisions and delivering outcomes across organisational boundaries.
• Experience of policy development and implementation and/or designing and delivering procedures and processes.
• Highly numerate with significant experience of leading and completing complex technical analysis, critically evaluating the work of others and providing evidence-based recommendations.

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 in the professional requirements section 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 Principal band) may be considered (in merit order) for a Senior Associate grade post – a band lower than Principal. 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.