Technical Policy Advisor - Wastewater

Northumbrian Water

Washington

On-site

GBP 47,000 - 55,000

Full time

11 days ago

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Benefits offered by this job

26 days holiday

Company pension scheme

Discounts & cashback offers

Wellbeing support

Cycle to work

Eyecare

Life assurance

Job summary

Northumbrian Water is seeking a Technical Policy Advisor within the Wastewater Strategic Planning team. The role is a full-time, 37-hour-per-week secondment/FTC based in Washington, offering a salary of £46,874–£55,146 depending on experience.

You will shape technical standards, review guidance, and prepare evidence for regulators and industry partners. Strong data analysis and stakeholder skills are essential for driving regulatory compliance and improvements across the business.

Qualifications

Strong analytical skills and data-driven decision-making.
Excellent written and verbal communication for diverse audiences.
Ability to manage multiple stakeholders and deliver clear guidance.

Responsibilities

Develop technical guidance, standards and strategies for wastewater operations.
Prepare information and evidence for regulators, customers and industry partners.
Engage with stakeholders to influence regulatory submissions and continuous improvement.
Analyse data and present insights to support long-term wastewater performance.

Skills

Analytical skills

Stakeholder management

Communication skills

Attention to detail

Tools

Excel

Word

PowerPoint

GIS

Job description

About the role

Technical Policy Advisors - Wastewater

Full time 37 hours per week

Up to 15 months secondment / fixed term contract

Salary - £46,874 - £55,146 (depending on experience)

Location - Washington

We have an exciting opportunity to join our Wastewater Strategic Planning team as a Technical Policy Advisor, playing a key role in shaping the strategies, policies, and technical standards that support the delivery of our business objectives and regulatory commitments.

This is an excellent opportunity for someone who enjoys combining technical understanding with data-driven decision-making. Working closely with colleagues across the business, you will use data and insights to support the development of medium and long-term strategies, helping to drive performance, ensure regulatory compliance, and deliver positive outcomes for our customers and the environment.

As a Technical Policy Advisor, you will review, challenge and develop technical guidance, standards and strategic approaches that support operational teams in achieving key objectives. You will also play an important role in preparing information and evidence for a wide range of external stakeholders, including regulators, customers and industry partners, ensuring that complex information is communicated clearly and effectively.

Success in this role will depend on your ability to build strong relationships and work collaboratively with a diverse range of stakeholders. You will confidently engage with colleagues and external partners to support the development of strategies, policies and regulatory submissions, influencing decisions and contributing to continuous improvement across the business.

We're looking for someone with a strong eye for detail, excellent analytical skills and a passion for working with data. You will help ensure robust governance and accuracy within our reporting processes, providing confidence in the information used to support key business decisions.

This role offers the opportunity to develop a broad understanding of wastewater operations while building specialist expertise in a specific driver of wastewater performance. If you are naturally curious, enjoy solving complex challenges and are looking for a role where you can make a genuine impact on the future of wastewater services, we'd love to hear from you.

About you

We're looking for someone who is naturally curious, analytical and passionate about using data to drive informed decision-making. If you enjoy interpreting complex information, identifying trends and turning data into meaningful insights, this could be the perfect opportunity for you.

In this role, you'll be able to confidently analyse, interpret and present technical information to a variety of audiences while continually developing your technical knowledge and expertise. Strong written and verbal communication skills are essential, as you'll be responsible for producing clear, accurate reports and documentation, as well as presenting information in an engaging and understandable way.

We're seeking someone who is organised, adaptable and motivated to learn. You'll be comfortable managing multiple priorities, working independently and taking ownership of your workload while consistently delivering high-quality results. A proactive approach to problem-solving is important, and you'll have a proven ability to identify challenges, develop effective solutions and drive positive outcomes.

Building strong relationships will be a key part of your success, so you'll need excellent stakeholder management skills and the confidence to work collaboratively with colleagues across the business. You'll be driven by achieving results and committed to delivering work that makes a real impact.

A good level of proficiency in Microsoft Office applications is essential, particularly Excel for data analysis, Word for report writing and PowerPoint for presentations. Experience with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) would also be advantageous.

Whilst knowledge of the water industry, environmental issues or the regulatory framework would be beneficial, it is not essential. We welcome applications from candidates with transferable skills and experience who are keen to learn, develop their expertise and build a rewarding career within our industry.

About us

Here at Northumbrian Water, we embrace and value Diversity, Inclusion and Equity, and encourage all colleagues to bring their most authentic self to work.

Our colleague network groups include our Rainbow Support Network (LGBTQIA+), REACH (Race, Ethnicity, and Cultural Heritage), WiSTEM (Women in STEM) and Thisability (disability and neurodiversity) networks. They provide a safe space for colleagues from diverse backgrounds, welcoming all colleagues regardless of their personal characteristics to participate in valuable conversation that improves our organisational awareness, understanding and inclusivity.

We encourage and welcome all applications, as we strive to be an equal opportunity employer, committed to having diverse communities represented within all our teams, structures, and organisation.

NWG are an inclusive employer who support the rehabilitation of offenders, we will not, however consider candidates who have certain unspent convictions to ensure our commitment to fostering a safe and secure working environment for all OR colleagues, suppliers, customers and third parties.

We're aware that not everyone will have every skill listed in the job description, however if you have some of the skills listed, we'd encourage you to apply

NWG at a glance:

Our purpose at NWG is caring for the essential needs of our communities and environment, now and for generations to come.
We do this by providing reliable and affordable water and wastewater services for our customers.
We make a positive difference by operating efficiently and investing prudently, to maintain a sustainable and resilient business.
Our vision is to be the national leader in the provision of sustainable water and wastewater services. To support us in achieving our vision, we have five core values which are the guiding principles, defining who we are, what we do and how we do it.

Our benefits

Generous holiday entitlement starting 26 days, plus bank holidays and additional time off on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. There's also the option to buy or sell holidays.
Company pension scheme, where we'll double match your contributions up to an employer contribution of 10%.
Free access to local attractions.
A fantastic discount scheme, with savings on days out, shopping, travel and more.
Award winning 'Living Well' wellbeing support, including access to a digital GP service for you and your family members.
Support with sustainable travel - through salary sacrifice cars and a cycle to work scheme.
Financial wellbeing support - access our community savings scheme, financial education and low cost loans through Salary Finance. We also provide 4 x Life Assurance and an Income Protection Scheme.
Support with your development - we offer a range of development opportunities, can support you through an interest free qualification loan and we'll even pay for any relevant professional body subscription.

Please note this role requires a DBS to be completed prior to employment

About us

NWG (Northumbrian Water Group) provides water and sewerage services to 2.7 million people in the North East of England as Northumbrian Water, and water services to 1.5 million people in the South East of England as Essex & Suffolk Water.

We are proud to serve our customers and we're committed to delivering great service, putting our customers at the heart of everything we do.

Our values

Our values describe our main principles, qualities and attributes. They are the guiding principles which define who we are, what we do and how we do it. They make us different from our competitors and guide our decisions and actions to drive us towards our vision.

Results Driven

We take responsibility for achieving excellent business results.

Ethical

We are open and honest and meet our commitments with a responsible approach to the environment and our communities.

Customer Focused

We aim to exceed the expectations of our internal and external customers.

Innovative

We continuously strive for innovative and better ways to deliver our business.

One Team

We work together consistently, promoting co-operation, to achieve our corporate objectives.

Colleague benefits