This is a Fixed Term Appointment running until 31st December 2027.
*Office Location: Birmingham (B5 4UA) or London (E14) 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. Following the Independent Water Commission’s Final Report and subsequent White Paper - 'New Vision for Water', 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.
Ofwat is 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
The Procurement Business Partner role has an important and valuable contribution to enable us to deliver on our goals and regulatory commitments. You will act as Procurement partner to assigned directorates, supporting a wide range of stakeholders.
You will provide professional customer-focused procurement direction, advice and guidance and practical support to a range of stakeholders within Ofwat. At the same time, you'll work with colleagues to develop a procurement pipeline of activity, monitoring and reviewing to ensure it is in line with financial budgets and aligned with directorate and corporate objectives.
Supporting the Head of Procurement, you'll assist with the development and maintenance of the Procurement Strategy, procurement policies, templates and training materials for all our commercial activities.
About You
Below are some of the key essential experience, skills & knowledge required for this post:
1. Lead Criterion: Experience of Public Sector Procurement at an operational level preferably in a Business Partner capacity
2. CIPS qualification (any level) or working towards
3. A working knowledge and understanding of government frameworks and under-threshold procurement
4. A clear understanding of procurement and contract legislation and, specifically, where they pertain to a public sector environment
5. Ability to plan ahead and prioritise work effectively
6. Managing relationships with internal stakeholders
7. Ability to manipulate and analyse complex information and present key conclusions to a non-technical audience
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.
* Good employer pension contributions.
* 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 2nd August 2026
Salary description
£40024.00 - £41425.00 per year