Internal Communications & Engagement Manager (Senior Associate) – Corporate Communications, Ofwat
Location: London or Birmingham
Closing date: 11 April 2021
Salary: The salary range for Band 3 (Senior Associate) is £34,528 – £44,000.
Reference: OFW–BC515

Ofwat (the Water Services Regulation Authority) is the economic regulator of the water and wastewater sector in England and Wales. Our role is to help it build trust and confidence with customers, the environment and wider society.

Ofwat has an ambitious new strategy and as a regulator we are setting ourselves up to achieve and equal the ambition of this new strategy.

It matters to us that things on the ground really change so that our impact on customers, the environment and the future of water is tangible and meaningful.

Our work is high-profile and fast-moving, within a dynamic and agile environment.

The work that you’ll be involved in every day will be about helping us to deliver our strategy, helping to us to be the regulator we want to be and helping the sector to deliver outcomes that matter to customers and society.

Our strategy sets out the role Ofwat will play. We will adapt, be confident, act with purpose and integrity and continuously improve so that we make the greatest contribution possible to improving life through water.

The Role
Corporate Communications in Ofwat is an essential tool for the delivery of our strategy, working across the business to encourage effective engagement and communication amongst our own people and with external audiences. To achieve this, the Corporate Communications team has three aims:

First, to set the agenda about how the water sector can improve lives through environmental stewardship, public purpose and company performance. We do this by encouraging the right conversations, with our stakeholders, with media and with members of the public

Second, to build connections and collaboration by strengthening our influence. We do this by using a range of tools to encourage people within and outside the sector to work together to improve lives through water

Third, to increase our impact as a communications team and as a regulator. At the moment, we are focusing on listening directly to customers and using that insight to shape how we regulate and communicate.

Role expectations
This is an important role leading Ofwat’s internal communications. We’ll expect you to develop and lead our internal communications in a way that reflects and embeds our priorities set out in our strategy and enhances our culture to make sure Ofwat is a great place to be.

You’ll design and deliver innovative, impactful internal communications campaigns that keep our staff engaged and motivate them during these uncertain times. You will lead the way in using different communication tools and techniques – such as story-telling, digital channels and employee participation and engagement

You’ll work closely with senior leaders and be a trusted adviser who provides professional advice, information and support to our new Chief Executive and Senior Leadership Team to help them get the right messages across on important issues.

You will also develop strong and collaborative working relationships with colleagues across Ofwat to understand the different needs across different sites, clusters and grades. .

We’ll be looking to you to measure the success of our internal communications, building on what works well and innovating where necessary.

You will be confident and persuasive in your approach, particularly with senior leaders but instinctively adaptable to your audience. Your style will be highly engaging and your entrepreneurial and creative flair will be apparent in all that you deliver. Ofwat is a small organisation and our work is high profile with high impact. We welcome candidates who embrace this culture.

Key deliverables

• To develop and implement an internal communications strategy for Ofwat to help embed our SAILOR values and achieve the strategic vision for Ofwat and to support its corporate strategy
• To manage a portfolio of internal communications plans across all Ofwat’s work packages, working collaboratively with teams to support and enable effective internal communications activities
• To work collaboratively with colleagues across all clusters to ensure joined up, consistent and well planned internal communications across all areas of Ofwat’s work
• To advise the Chair, Chief Executive and Senior Leadership Team on the development of internal communications messages, and to be responsible for the preparation and delivery of internal communications material
• To be responsible for the development, management and embedding of effective internal communications tools, including current digital tools (SharePoint Intranet, Yammer and newsletters), events and to ensure they are widely used across Ofwat
• Develop engaging and innovative events, both virtual and in person, utilising and experimenting with a broad range of facilitation techniques.
• Coordinating and executing regular campaigns which will celebrate our people, focus on external activity in the water sector, and create a sense of excitement around housekeeping and compliance activity.
• To monitor the effectiveness of internal communications using a range of techniques.
• Nurture, develop and manage the Change Partner Network, using them as a useful feedback mechanism and to expand your reach across the organisation.
• With all of the above activities, work collaboratively with our people, developing and nurturing relationships and influence, and building a good understanding of the sector we work within.

The Requirements
To thrive in this role and successfully deliver on the above activities you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding in the following areas; (full details can be obtained from the Candidate Information Pack on Ofwat’s careers page):

• 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) or relevant experience demonstrating the ability to grasp technically complex elements of the role
• Experienced in developing and delivering internal communications strategies and also working to maximise the impact of corporate strategies within organisations
• Able to demonstrate creative approaches to problem solving and delivery in different contexts
• Able to demonstrate building effective working relationships with a wide range of people at all levels
• Strong communication skills – verbal, written and presentation skills. Able to write clearly and concisely for a range of different channels and media
• Demonstrable experience of leading innovation in communications, including using different channels to communicate with different audiences
• Using SharePoint intranets, Office 365 tools such as Yammer, and digital engagement tools such as Slido
• Understanding of the role of internal communications in shaping and influencing organisational culture and how to maximise this
• Understanding of the role of audience segmentation and targeting for communications
• Understanding the wide range of different channels suitable for internal communication and how they are best deployed for different audiences
• Strong Project Management skills

The Offer
Come and take a look, we offer a substantial benefits package including 25 days holiday plus 10 ½ bank holiday and privilege leave days per annum, a fantastic & highly competitive civil service pension scheme, among many other benefits.

A truly flexible, autonomous and trust based working culture is on offer to help you succeed within Ofwat.

Please forward a CV and cover letter, including the relevant experience required for this post. Please ensure that you have outlined how your skills and experience meet the criteria set out in the requirements section of the role profile. All applications require a CV Supplement form (mandatory) and a Diversity form (optional) to be completed as part of the process.

More information is available in our candidate information pack.

Please email your CV and supporting documents to recruitment@ofwat.gov.uk with the name of the vacancy in the subject along with the reference number. The closing date is 11 April 2021 at 5.00pm.