Policy Manager(Finance)

Are you passionate about helping consumers and representing their interests?

We currently have an exciting opportunity for a Policy Manager to join us at CCW. We are the independent voice for water consumers in England and Wales. Since 2005, we have helped thousands of consumers resolve complaints against their water company, while providing free advice and support. All of our work is informed by extensive research, which we use to champion the interests of consumers and influence water companies, governments and regulators.

Reporting to the Head of Company Engagement, the Policy Manager will lead the day to day engagement with the water companies allocated to the post. They will be responsible for leading on financial policy in relation to companies by identifying risks and opportunities for consumer support through tariff structures and charging models. They will use this insight to support, develop and deliver our work programmes and campaigns, leading the work on financial aspects of these.

The successful candidate will be able to use their proven experience of providing a customer perspective and representing customer’s interests in the development of policy and their experience of building and maintaining good relationships with stakeholders in order to deliver our mission to ensure people are well-informed, treated fairly and have confidence in their water services.

In exchange, we’ll offer you the chance to work in a rapidly changing, dynamic organisation with a fantastic range of benefits available including Civil Service Pension, Blended Working, Flexible Working Options, Travel Season Ticket Loans, Free access to Health Assured EAP, discounts and offers available via our STaR benefits platform and much much more.

To apply please complete the application questions process using the apply tab. In order for your application to be considered you must ensure that the Personal/Contact details, Employment History, Skills, Qualifications and Certificates and Training sections are fully completed. Please particularly ensure the Skills section includes details of your key skills and experience relevant to the job description and person specification, explaining your suitability for the role.

Due to CCW’s use of anonymised recruitment practices any CVs or other attachments included with your application will not be seen by the recruitment panel. All information that you would like to be considered must be included in the sections detailed above.

 Please do not wait until near the closing date to send your application. We will be shortlisting and interviewing applications as they are submitted and reserve the right to close the vacancy before the advertised closing date if necessary.

 The selection process will include:

• A sift using the content of the application sections alone based on the person specification (not CVs or supporting attachments)
• Interviews via Teams

The purpose of this role is to lead the day to day engagement with the water company/ies allocated to the post. The post holder is responsible for leading on financial policy in relation to companies by identifying risks and opportunities for consumer support through tariff structures and charging models. They will use this insight to support, develop and deliver our work programmes and campaigns, leading the work on financial aspects of these.

Key Duties and Accountabilities

Financial Interrogation

The post holder will be CCW’s policy lead on matters relating to company finances. This includes but is not limited to:

• Assessing companies year on year price proposals and supporting tariff structures, steering CCW’s position on the acceptability of them and leading conversations where challenge is needed. The post holder will be expected to report to CCW Board on companies’ emerging charging proposals

• Examining Ofwat and water companies’ annual and interim accounts and annual performance reports to identify areas of financial performance where there is a legitimate customer interest angle. The post holder will own the repository of financial information and will be expected to develop/update this annually.

• Annually summarising companies’ financial performance, including where companies have gained incentive rewards and penalties.  The post holder will advise CCW colleagues about the implications for customers, to inform constructive conversations with companies about their performance and where improvements are needed.

• Advising the Board, Executive and policy team of issues with company financial performance to inform discussions with Ofwat, water companies and other stakeholders particularly if the regulatory framework appears skewed to company/shareholders to the detriment of customers.

• Advising policy team colleagues of issues, trends and observations from company financial performance that can inform other areas of policy such as charging and tariffs, and how the water sector is regulated’.

• Keeping abreast of other regulatory frameworks to inform CCW’s work and challenge on financial performance

• Leading on areas of Ofwat’s Periodic Review of water company charges. This will include; weighted average cost of capital, totex efficiency, incentives.

• Working with companies on understanding their plans to trial and implement alternative charging structures with the dual aim of addressing affordability issues whilst also providing the right pricing signals that reflect the continuing costs of supply and the challenges of water scarcity.

• providing data analysis, modelling and insights on a broader range of issues to support our policy work, complementing the work of our insights team

Leading company engagement

Policy managers will have a company / companies assigned to them. They will be the first point of contact within CCW for the company / companies on a day-to-day basis. They will be expected to:

• Confidently deal with company staff at all levels, through building constructive working relationships.
• Lead regular company interactions. Be the main liaison point for information exchange (formal and informal) between CCW and companies.
• Maintain an up to date knowledge of company policies, operations and performance.
• Provide challenge to company performance, policies and practices in order to influence and secure positive change for consumers
• Escalate and document company issues following the agreed processes and timescales.
• Have excellent relationships with their company counterpart in Consumer Relations Team and ensure both sides are up to date with relevant information
• Influence the price review throughout the development of company business plans, providing robust analysis of Ofwat’s determination for their allocated companies.

Policy Development and Implementation

The post holder will lead on at least one policy area. The post holder will understand the current policy landscape for their area(s) and ensure that CCW has policies that are up-to-date and promote consumers’ best interests. In addition they will:

• Support the development and delivery of CCW’s Forward Work Programme commitments

• Use evidence gathered from companies, and CCW research to input into CCW’s policy development to ensure our positions reflect current challenges
• Provide leadership and strategic input in all matters relating to their lead policy area(s), and positively contribute to wider policy development.
• Provide relevant policy input into the price review in order to influence company business plans and provide robust analysis of Ofwat’s determinations relating to their lead policy areas.
• Ensure that the Policy Handbook is kept up to date on a continuous basis, and both the Work Progress Report and the Policy Managers notes are updated to a high standard on a monthly basis.

Influencing the agenda

• Work with partner organisations on policy projects of mutual benefit
• Deliver consultation responses from allocated water companies and related to policy areas of responsibility.
• Write relevant Executive Team / Board papers on areas of responsibility, where key decisions require sign off.  
• Identify and share best practice both externally and internally
• Respond to requests for expert briefing and information from senior internal and external stakeholders (eg Executive or Defra) as required
• Contribute to messages for all media activity for lead areas of work, speaking at conferences and to the media on relevant policy or company issues.

• Be an active and effective member of the Policy and Research Team, contributing to all discussions/decisions; taking the lead in matters relating to their company and policy area

Campaigning

• Proposing and helping to develop new campaigns through applying evidence from water companies, policy knowledge and the experience of companies and water consumers.
• Contributing to the delivery phase of campaigns, taking the lead in relevant areas.

External Stakeholders

• Establish and maintain productive working relationships, developing partnerships and joint working as necessary
• Represent CCW in meetings, on panels and at conferences

Actively promote and embed Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in all your work. Support and comply with all organisational initiatives, policies and procedures on EDI.

Carry out other duties within the scope of the role as required by the Head of Company Engagement/ Head of Business Customers/Head of Policy Delivery

Essential criteria

• In depth understanding of financial structures and models
• Experience of comparing financial performance between businesses
• Proven ability to translate complex financial material into user friendly language

• An understanding of consumer issues within the water industry and/or other utilities or essential services.
• Experience of providing a customer perspective and representing customer’s interests in the development of policy
• Experience of building and maintaining good relationships with stakeholders
• Ability to analyse evidence, developing policy solutions, make recommendations and deliver agreed strategy
• Experience of holding challenging conversations and holding people to account at different levels within a business
• Professional image.
• Experience of liaising with internal and external stakeholders in the process of monitoring and addressing issues.
• Confident communicator in meetings, presentations and public forums.
• Experience of delivering critical feedback in a consultative manner
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Articulate, persuasive and influential.
• Ability to communicate at all levels.
• Strong analytical skills
• Creative approach to problem solving.
• Research & policy development skills.
• Presentation skills.
• IT Skills
• Well organised able to work to tight deadlines and manage conflicting priorities.
• Sound judgement and decisive.
• Self-motivated – require little supervision.
• Team player with ‘can do’ attitude.
• Willing to take responsibility.
• Willing to travel around England and Wales.
• Flexibility to work occasionally outside normal office hours. 

There is also a fantastic range of benefits available including Civil Service Pension, Blended Working, Flexible Working Options, Travel Season Ticket Loans, Free access to Health Assured EAP, discounts and offers available via our STaR benefits platform and much much more.

Job contact :

• Name : Lisa Gregory or Andrew Spence
• Email : recruitment@ccwater.org.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : recruitment@ccwater.org.uk