Address
Form of workClimate Change Adaption & Resilience Specialist
Position type: Permanent
Job reference: 340550
No. Vacancies: 1
Location: Birmingham (B5 4UA) or London (E14 4HD) based with hybrid working
Salary: £36,918 - £44,000
Closing date: 03 March 2024 at 23:55
Job title: Climate Change Adaption & Resilience Specialist
About Us
We’re Ofwat, the Water Services Regulation Authority – a non-ministerial government department responsible for regulating the water sector in England and Wales.
We are at the source of everyday life. Our work is high-profile and fast-moving, within a dynamic and agile environment. The work that you’ll be involved in every day will help us to deliver our strategy, to make us the regulator we want to be and help the sector to deliver for customers and society.
The Role and the Team
We are looking for a Climate Change Adaption and Resilience Specialist to join our growing Environment Team. The team is focussed on delivering the environmental policy objectives of our strategy and engaging and collaborating with key environmental stakeholders. We are committed to working in partnership with Government, regulators, industry, and our environmental stakeholders on key environmental policy projects including:
• strengthening the water sector’s approach to Climate Change and adaptation and its net zero 2030 ambition.
• exploring how we can use natural capital accounting methods.
• driving environmental improvements and holding companies to account.
• considering how to bring about change in how people use water.
• encouraging and facilitating nature-based solutions.
As a specialist in Climate Change adaptation and resilience, you will play a key role in the delivery of the environmental policy objectives of our strategy, by developing and implementing our approach to Climate Change Adaption and resilience and engaging with the water industry on its Net Zero ambitions.
This is a varied role that will draw upon a range of skills – from policy development and systems thinking, to project management and stakeholder relations. Excellent communication skills, and an ability to work effectively across organisational boundaries and challenge the status quo are essential. You should also be comfortable working at pace in an agile environment.
An excellent understanding and experience of Climate Change Adaption and resilience, and programme responses are necessary for this role. You will be comfortable representing Ofwat and communicating Ofwat policy to environmental stakeholders including government officials, water companies and others. You will provide advice and make recommendations, ensuring Ofwat understands and can incorporate Climate Change policy into its work, proactively sharing skills and knowledge.
As a Senior Associate you will work as part of a multi-disciplinary team and will be expected to take responsibility for your work areas. You will have ample opportunities to further develop and consolidate your skill set. You will continue to hone your judgement and be expected to exercise it responsibly in line with our strategy and ways of working.
Key deliverables
In this role you will be expected to:
• Engage with water industry Climate Change adaptation and resilience, developing and communicating Ofwat’s position.
• Develop and implementing Ofwat’s approach to Climate Change adaptation and resilience.
• Play a key role in reporting on the impacts of, and our proposals for adaptation to, Climate Change.
• Provide expert advice on Climate Change across the organisation as is required.
• Supporting the environment team’s work and policy projects more broadly as is required.
• Forge excellent links across the water sector in relation to Climate Change policy, including with water companies, environmental groups, government, and other regulators.
• Influence and manage strategic policy relationships with water companies, environmental groups, government, and other regulators on environmental issues relevant to Ofwat’s work.
• Work collaboratively flexibly, and at pace with colleagues across different workstreams and clusters to ensure joined up and consistent representation on environmental and Climate Change issues and priorities across all areas of Ofwat’s work.
• Look beyond the water and wastewater sector, and where necessary other utility sectors, for creative and novel ways to meet the environmental challenges the sector faces.
Professional Requirements
To be successful in this role you will need the below essential attributes, experience, skills and knowledge:
• Academic and/or professional experience in Climate Change adaptation and resilience [Lead Criterion].
• Up-to-date knowledge of Climate Change adaptation and resilience policy and programme responses.
• Proven experience in policy analysis and policy delivery.
• Experience of working on a programme of analysis and evidence gathering to support robust decision making and influencing on policy issues.
• Proven experience in a data analysis and data monitoring including strong analytical and research skills with the ability to cut through complexity and apply knowledge to support decision making.
• Experience of working flexibly and collaboratively with multi-disciplinary teams to bring policy expertise and solutions to problems and deliver joined up strategic thinking.
• Strong communicator and able to effectively communicate complex issues to non-technical audiences.
• Experience of effective and efficient planning, including prioritisation and delegation.
Why join us?
We are forward-thinking, creative, innovative and ambitious. We actively encourage autonomy, collaboration and innovation and we have a unique culture fostered by trust, flexibility and respect.
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. We know our people do their best work when given freedom over where, when, and how they work. Which is why we trust them to do exactly that.
You will also benefit from:
• Excellent employer pension contributions, for this role ranging from £10,000 to £11,900 annually.
• 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.
To read more about the role and selection process, please follow the link to apply.
Applications Deadline: 23.55 on 03 March 2024
