Policy Officer

Water UK; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 35,000 - 45,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Discretionary bonus up to 25%

Private medical insurance

27 days holiday

Pension scheme

Life assurance

Job summary

Water UK is seeking a Policy Officer to play a crucial role in developing policies relating to sewer blockages and managing rain efficiently. This position requires strong problem-solving abilities and excellent communication skills, as the role involves writing compelling policy documents and liaising with stakeholders.

Located in London, the role offers a hybrid work model, providing flexibility alongside a competitive benefits package that includes a discretionary bonus, private medical insurance, and 27 days holiday.

Qualifications

• Strong ability to tackle ambiguous or complex issues in fast-paced settings.
• Proven planning and organisational skills.
• Capable of developing persuasive policy papers and presentations.
• Ability to build meaningful professional relationships.
• Understanding of broader strategies and industry context.

Responsibilities

• Support various policy projects across the team based on priorities.
• Develop policies for managing sewer blockages and rain.
• Prepare reports and presentations for external audiences.
• Interpret complex data and texts for diverse audiences.

Skills

Complex problem-solving

Planning and organising

Effective communication

Interpersonal skills

Data interpretation

Job description

Water UK is the trade body for the UK's water companies. Joining Water UK provides the chance to develop ideas that are radical but progressive, and design strategies to have them adopted by decision‑makers.

The Policy Officer will work flexibly across the policy team, supporting the experts across their different areas depending on fast‑moving priorities. The post holder will also take responsibility for discrete elements of policy development – such as policy on managing sewer blockages and on a strategy for more effectively managing rain where it falls.

About you

• Interest in ambiguous or complex problem‑solving, comfortable working in fast‑paced environments, able to multi‑task effectively.
• Good planning and organising skills with the resilience and initiative to proactively overcome challenges.
• Ability to contribute to persuasive and compelling policy papers and presentations, with a fluent verbal style and a logical approach to setting clear and well‑crafted arguments.
• Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to build robust professional relationships both internally and externally, as required.
• Ability to see broader strategy, not just detailed mechanics, with an understanding of the ‘bigger picture’ and Water UK’s role within it and to reflect this understanding in your advice to colleagues.
• It is not necessary to be a subject‑matter expert, but key to success will be the candidate’s ability to extract key themes and arguments from complex, often scientific, texts and repackage for different audiences.
• Knowledge/understanding of the water sector or comparable utilities and/or familiarity with some issues outlined in this job description, including the water environment, government regulations or legislation.
• Comfort with handling and interpreting data.
• Experience preparing and presenting reports, briefings, or presentations to external audiences.

Working for Water UK

• Discretionary bonus of up to 25% of salary
• Private medical insurance and dental coverage
• 27 working days’ holiday, with the option to ‘buy’ more annual leave
• Pension scheme – employee 5%, employer 6%
• Life assurance from date of joining

We are based in central London, close to St James’s Park.

All roles are offered on a hybrid basis with an expectation of 3 to 4 days a week in the office.