Affordability Policy Lead — Customer Hardship Expert

Ofwat; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

People centric culture

Innovative work environment

Development opportunities

Work‑life balance

Pension contributions

Job summary

Ofwat, the Water Services Regulation Authority, is seeking an Affordability Policy Lead in London or Birmingham with hybrid working. You will head customer policy work on financial vulnerability, affordability support, and debt handling, delivering improvements in customer service and policy outcomes.

You will be a senior policy professional with strong analytical skills, leadership experience, and the ability to collaborate across teams to drive strategic objectives in a regulatory context.

Qualifications

• Delivery leadership in a complex customer‑focussed or regulatory environment.
• Experience turning strategic objectives into practical policy outcomes.
• Strong analytical skills using quantitative and qualitative data to shape policy.
• Excellent written and oral communications, able to explain policy clearly.
• Proven ability to lead projects and teams, including consultants.
• Experience building relationships with internal and external stakeholders to influence outcomes.
• Encouraging growth mindset and continuous improvement within a team.

Responsibilities

• Lead policy work on affordability, financial vulnerability, and customer debt policy.
• Assess policy trade‑offs and provide balanced recommendations.
• Build relationships with internal/external stakeholders to identify issues and opportunities.
• Oversee project planning, resource management and line management responsibilities.
• Collaborate across Ofwat teams to share expertise and deliver joint initiatives.

Skills

Policy leadership

Policy development

Data analysis

Written and oral communications

Project management

Stakeholder engagement

Growth mindset

Job description

Ofwat, the Water Services Regulation Authority, is seeking an Affordability Policy Lead in London or Birmingham with hybrid working. You will head customer policy work on financial vulnerability, affordability support, and debt handling, delivering improvements in customer service and policy outcomes.

You will be a senior policy professional with strong analytical skills, leadership experience, and the ability to collaborate across teams to drive strategic objectives in a regulatory context.