Sustainability and Social Reporting Specialist

Job title: Sustainability and Social Reporting Specialist

Position type: Permanent

Job reference: 472457

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

Salary: £40,024 - £47,000

Closing date: Wednesday 12th August 2026 at 23:55

Join Ofwat's Environment Team as a Sustainability and Social Reporting Specialist

* 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.

The water sector is entering a new chapter. The government has set out a bold new direction, bringing together expertise from across the sector to deliver better outcomes for customers and the environment. We are collaborating with fellow regulators to respond to recommendations in The Independent Water Commission Report, the Welsh Government's response to the Green Paper, Shaping the Future of Water Governance in Wales, and the Government's White Paper, A new vision for water.

Ofwat is working with the government and other regulators to help create a new body for England, bringing together our strengths with those of the Drinking Water Inspectorate, the Environment Agency and Natural England. We are also continuing to work with the Welsh Government to support decisions on the future arrangements 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 seeking a Sustainability and Social Reporting Specialist to join our Environment team at Senior Associate level. This role will play an important and valuable contribution in enabling us to deliver on our goals and regulatory commitments. You will support the development of Ofwat's approach to sustainability and social value reporting. 

You will help develop frameworks, advice, outputs and evidence that improve how Ofwat articulates and demonstrates the value of regulatory decisions and funded activity. This may include work on environmental and social outcomes, public value, regulatory transparency, and the links between funding, delivery and impact. A key part of the role will be helping ensure that this reporting is informed by stewardship principles, for example, by better reflecting long-term outcomes, transparent trade-offs, interdependencies, and a clearer line of sight between regulatory action and enduring public benefit.

This role is suited to someone with strong analytical and policy skills with experience in sustainability, social and/or public value reporting. As a Senior Associate, you will operate with substantial autonomy and be expected to plan and progress your work independently, while working under the guidance of senior colleagues. 

About You

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

1. Experience of sustainability, social and/or public value reporting, or related work, gained through working in a relevant role. This includes experience of sustainability and social reporting standards and assurance approaches. 
2. Experience of supporting the development of frameworks, processes, reporting approaches or policy products in a regulatory, environmental, infrastructure, public policy or comparable setting. 
3. Experience of analysing and interpreting quantitative and qualitative evidence to support clear, evidence-based advice and decision-making. 
4. Knowledge of the water sector, economic regulation, environmental regulation, or another regulated infrastructure sector. 
5. Strong written and oral communication skills, with experience of drafting high-quality briefings, reports, presentations and other outputs, and the ability to explain complex issues clearly and concisely to both technical and non-technical audiences.
6. Ability to work independently and as part of a team, planning and managing a varied workload to meet deadlines. 
7. Experience of building and maintaining constructive working relationships with a range of internal and external stakeholders. 

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 build 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 up to 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 12 August 2026