Principal Legal Adviser

We’re Ofwat, the Water Services Regulation Authority – a non-ministerial government department responsible for regulating the water sector in England and Wales.

We’re forward-thinking, creative, innovative, and ambitious. We constantly push the boundaries and embrace new ways of working.

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.

Please read the attached Candidate Pack to find more about why you should join Ofwat.

We are looking for two Principal Legal Advisers to join our growing Legal Team which is part of the Office of the Chief Executive Directorate. We work with all Directorates in Ofwat, embedded in the policy teams’ work, to help evolve and deliver Ofwat’s strategy, whilst navigating and managing legal risk. We pride ourselves on providing high quality, pragmatic, solutions-focussed advice, clearly, simply and concisely.

You will be working flexibly across the range of Ofwat’s work, from longer-term policy projects to urgent, ad hoc matters requiring an immediate response.  The primary focus of the role will be as set out under the Key Deliverables below, although there may also be other areas of Ofwat’s work where advice may be requested.

Key Deliverables

In this role you will be expected to:

• Provide high quality, timely and solutions-focussed strategic legal advice across a number of Directorates, workstreams and projects;
• Apply your influencing and leadership skills with internal and external stakeholders, contributing to driving forward policy decisions and developing robust and creative solutions to strategically important and complex legal issues;
• Be an adaptable thinker and incorporate wider strategic considerations into your work, helping to identify and manage organisational risks and opportunities;
• Demonstrate good judgement and to create clarity and build trust through effective communication and collaboration;
• Proactively share skills and knowledge, and support others in their work; and
• Support Ofwat’s relationships with external law firms and legal counsel, other regulators and government.

To be successful in this role you will need the below essential attributes, experience, skills and knowledge.

Experience, skills and knowledge

• Qualified Solicitor or Barrister in England and Wales or at least 5 years’ experience acting in a role akin to that of a qualified Solicitor or Barrister in a legal environment.
• Substantial experience of working in a complex organisation within the water sector and/or another regulated utility sector in the specific areas of regulatory, public and administrative law or competition law.
• Substantial experience of delivering strategic, solutions-focussed legal advice on the development and implementation of policy objectives and/or the implementation of strategic government projects and programmes.
• Substantial experience of successfully applying analytical skills in a complex legislative structure within an innovative policy environment.
• Substantial experience of successfully influencing and/or negotiating with internal and external stakeholders, including colleagues, government departments, external lawyers, counterparties, and partner organisations.
• Substantial experience of effective and efficient planning, including prioritisation and delegation.

Attributes

• Adaptable Thinker
• Creates Clarity
• Builds Trust

• Excellent employer pension contributions, for this role ranging from £14,858 to £22,649. You can find further details about pension schemes in the Candidate Pack.
• 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
• Free eye tests and contribution to lenses/spectacles for VDU users
• Regular development opportunities
• Health and wellbeing initiatives
• Season ticket loan for home-to-office travel

Job contact :

• Name : recruitment@ofwat.gov.uk
• Email : recruitment@ofwat.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : recruitment@ofwat.gov.uk