Senior Associate Commercial Adviser, Major Water Infrastructure Projects

Job summary 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 Senior Associate Commercial Adviser to join our Major Projects Team. 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. Job description The Senior Associate, Commercial Adviser role makes an important contribution to delivering Ofwat’s strategic objectives and regulatory commitments across the major water infrastructure portfolio. You will join our growing Major Projects Team at Senior Associate level, working with the Commercial Lead across Ofwat’s £50bn pipeline of major water and wastewater infrastructure projects.

You will help develop and implement Ofwat’s commercial approach, including cost estimating, benchmarking, commercial strategy for procurement and tendering, contract strategy and commercial assurance. You will help develop and embed the frameworks, processes, methodologies and standards that provide a consistent, evidence-based approach to commercial decision-making and value for money across the full lifecycle of major water infrastructure projects.

You will lead, advise and supervise external suppliers delivering commercial assurance, setting clear requirements, providing technical direction and applying constructive challenge to ensure high-quality outputs. You will use assurance findings to strengthen Ofwat’s commercial frameworks and enable continuous, progressively deeper assurance as projects develop through their lifecycle and gates. You will also provide commercial analysis and advice to Ofwat project leads in preparing assurance reports and governance, supporting informed decision-making on Major Water Infrastructure Programme projects.

You will provide commercial advice across optioneering, business case development, procurement, tendering, contracting, construction and commissioning. This will include projects delivered through competitive models such as the Direct Procurement for Customers (DPC) model and Specified Infrastructure Projects Regulations (SIPR), as used in the Thames Tideway Tunnel project, as well as projects progressing through the RAPID (Regulator's Alliance for Progressing Infrastructure Development) process.

Key deliverables: In this role you will be expected to: Play a key role in developing and implementing our approach to cost, schedule, benchmarking, commercial strategy and commercial assurance. This will include developing the processes, methodologies and end-to-end approach for commercial assurance and benchmarking, including our benchmarking models and Cost & Commercial Playbook, helping