Major Projects Commercial Lead

OFWAT; City Of London; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A water services regulatory authority in the UK seeks a Major Projects Commercial Lead to join their team. This role involves overseeing the development and delivery of major infrastructure projects across England and Wales, contributing to a £50bn project pipeline. Ideal candidates will have commercial management experience in high-value projects and strong interpersonal skills. The position offers hybrid working, competitive pension contributions, and extensive leave benefits.

Benefits

Excellent employer pension contributions

25 days annual leave

Access to discounts on goods and services

Qualifications

• Proven track record in commercial management of major infrastructure projects.
• Significant experience leading cost estimating and commercial assurance.
• Highly tuned interpersonal skills, particularly in negotiation.

Responsibilities

• Lead on programmes and projects for major infrastructure.
• Facilitate the development and delivery of projects across England.
• Interface with projects approved through the RAPID process.

Skills

Commercial management

Cost estimating

Stakeholder engagement

Leadership

Analytical skills

Education

Relevant professional qualification (e.g. RICS)

Job description

Join Ofwat’s Major Projects Team as a Major Projects Commercial Lead

Office Location: London (E14 4HD) or Birmingham (B5 4UA) with hybrid working

About Us

We are Ofwat, the Water Services Regulation Authority, a non‑ministerial government department responsible for regulating the water sector in England and Wales. Following the Independent Water Commission’s final report, the UK government has set out a bold new direction – one that brings together expertise from across the sector to deliver better outcomes for customers and the environment.

We are working in collaboration with the government and other regulators to help establish a new body for England, combining our strengths with those of the Drinking Water Inspectorate, the Environment Agency, and Natural England. We’re also continuing to engage with the Welsh Government to support future decisions 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.

The Role

We are looking for a Major Projects Commercial Lead to join our growing Major Projects Team at Principal level. The Major Projects Team is responsible for the oversight of the development, procurement, and delivery of the future pipeline of major infrastructure projects in the water sector in England and Wales. We work closely with RAPID (Regulator’s Alliance for Progressing Infrastructure Development) on the early engagement on both water resources and wastewater planning.

You will have an important and valuable contribution to enable Ofwat to deliver on our goals and regulatory commitments. Leading on programmes, workstreams or projects, you will play a key role in not only delivering Ofwat's strategy, but also in the development of our approach across a £50bn Pipeline of Major Projects.

You will be proactive and respond flexibly to the needs of the organisation by facilitating the development and delivery of major water and wastewater infrastructure projects across England. This will primarily be completed through competitive delivery models such as Ofwat's Direct Procurement for Customers(DPC) model or the Specified Infrastructure Projects Regulations (SIPR), as used in the delivery of the Thames Tideway Tunnel project. You will also interface with projects that have been approved through the RAPID (Regulator's Alliance for Progressing Infrastructure Development) process.

About You

Below are some of the key essential experience, skills & knowledge required for this post:

1. A relevant professional qualification in commercial management (e.g. RICS) and/or substantial equivalent experience in key commercial roles on complex, high-value infrastructure projects or programmes.
2. Proven track record in commercial management of major infrastructure projects.
3. Significant experience leading cost estimating, benchmarking and commercial assurance for project costs, schedule and productivity.
4. Highly tuned interpersonal skills, particularly in negotiation, influence and engagement, with the ability to build trust, confidence and lasting partnerships across teams and organisations.
5. Experience of risk and opportunity management on major projects.
6. An inclusive leadership style which inspires, motivates, and promotes collaboration to develop high performing, innovative, and inclusive teams.
7. Demonstrable experience of stakeholder engagement and getting a wide range of conflicting views aligned.
8. Strong critical thinking and analytical skills.

Why You Should Join Us:

• People Centric: Our people are at the heart of Ofwat and everything we do – we ensure all voices are heard and treat each other with respect; you'll be given the autonomy and the support to do your role in the best way.
• Innovative Work Environment: We embrace agile and new ways of working and have a culture built on trust, flexibility, and collaboration.
• Development Opportunities: Gain valuable experience and develop your skills in a supportive and dynamic setting.
• Work‑Life Balance: Enjoy the flexibility of working from home combined with the benefits of in‑person collaboration in our Birmingham and London offices.
• Excellent employer pension contributions of nearly 29%.
• 25 days’ annual leave, increasing to 30 with each year of service, plus bank holidays and an extra 2.5 days of privilege leave.
• Access to exclusive discounts on a variety of goods and services, including retail outlets, theatre tickets, holidays, insurance, and a gym membership.
• Fees paid for membership of relevant professional bodies.
• Up to 3 volunteering days per year.
• Recognition vouchers scheme rewarding your hard work.
• Generous shared parental leave and pay supporting your family life.

Follow the link to apply for full details about the role. Please ensure you have submitted your application in full before the below deadline.

Closing date: 23.55 on 03 December 2025.