Policy Manager

Salary: £38,000 per annum 

Contract: Permanent 

Reports to: Head of Policy and Research

Hours: Full time (40 hours per week including one hour lunch break each day) 

Start date: May 2025 

Location: Home-based (travel costs paid for meetings) 

Annual leave: 27 days FTE per annum plus Bank holidays (22 days FTE per annum whilst the 4 day week is in place) 

Please note that at Waterwise we work a Four Day Week, under voluntary agreements which all staff members sign. This means that you will be contracted and paid as full-time but you will sign a voluntary agreement stating that you commit to employing efficiency tools both individual and team-wide to deliver and be paid for 5 days work within four normal 9 to 5 days - the office is closed on Fridays. Training will be provided and you will be expected to continue to refresh your training and to keep up use of the efficiency tools. Annual leave is also pro rata’d. More information on a Four Day Week can be found here. We can answer any questions you may have about this at interview.

Waterwise 

Waterwise is the leading independent voice in the UK for using water wisely, for the benefit of people and the planet. Our vision is that water is used wisely every day, everywhere, by everyone. We are the UK’s conscience on water efficiency, on behalf of people and the planet, and are experts in water efficiency policy, regulation, research, behaviour and campaigns. Waterwise is a people-led organisation which prioritises the wellbeing of its staff.

Water scarcity is an urgent issue right here, right now, right across the UK - consistent record-breaking high temperatures and low rainfall, and recurring drought, show how climate change and population growth are already putting our water resources under severe pressure, and this challenge is growing. Water efficiency has to be a big part of the solution, and we support and challenge governments, industry, customers and others to be innovative and ambitious on water efficiency. Our work includes campaigns, events, media, policy and regulatory influencing, research projects, stakeholder engagement and services such as Waterwise Training and the Waterwise  Checkmark. We are funded by supporters across and beyond the UK water sector. Our Waterwise Strategic Direction to 2030, published in August 2022, tells you a bit more about us. Our UK Water Efficiency Strategy to 2030 tells you a bit more about our ambition.

At Waterwise we put staff wellbeing first, and our staff surveys show that our team knows, feels and appreciates this. Our values are 

People: We will prioritise staff wellbeing, be an inclusive, kind and positive team. 

Purpose: We will deliver independent and ambitious leadership to drive social and  political change on water efficiency 

Pioneer: We will be forward-thinking and visionary in our approach, being brave and  innovative in challenging the status quo 

Passion: We will campaign to protect water and the planet and work to keep our own  environmental impact as low as possible 

We are always looking for bright, committed people with a diverse set of skills and  experience to help achieve our vision that water is used wisely every day, everywhere, by  everyone. We are a lively, happy, friendly team, and we can’t wait to read your application! 

At Waterwise, we’re committed to driving equity and preventing discrimination at work and in the work we do. Please see more on this below. 

We are also working to reduce Waterwise’s own carbon and environmental footprint. 

Policy Manager role description

You will report to the Head of Policy and Research and be part of a small but growing sub-team leading on our policy advocacy work and winning and delivering water efficiency research projects. 

Key responsibilities in the role include: 

• Supporting and influencing policy development including engaging with policymakers through meetings and consultation responses

• Supporting the delivery the UK Water Efficiency Strategy to 2030 and helping provide secretariat support to the associated forum and groups 

• Leading Waterwise’s work with stakeholders on policy across the UK

• Working with the Head of Policy and Research to maintain a network of relevant stakeholders and supporters across the UK

• Working with communications and marketing colleagues to provide content for blogs, trade media and press

• Working on discrete research projects as and when necessary, including undertaking a project management role on some projects

• Assisting the team with events (e.g. Waterwise annual conference), campaigns (e.g. Water Saving Week) and training

• Attending and speaking at conferences, seminars and meetings to represent Waterwise

• Working with colleagues to develop new funding proposals and providing financial information to the CEO

Other tasks and duties may arise and training will be provided. There will also be an opportunity to develop skills in being interviewed for the media.

The above is not an exhaustive list of activities but hopefully gives you a sense of the role  and requirements. 

Policy Manager person specification

We need someone who is proactive and a self-starter, with excellent communication and organisational skills. You will have a track record in policy and evidence work and/or water sector stakeholder engagement management to join our small, high-powered, influential team. The role involves policy and strategy support, project and programme management and delivery as well as stakeholder engagement. It's a great opportunity to be immersed in the water policy, regulatory and delivery agenda, as well as engage in external meetings and networks.

Essential Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours

• Experience in influencing and advocating for policy change - including planning and delivering against agreed objectives

• Experience working with external stakeholders

• Experience in supporting delivery of stakeholder groups such as steering groups, task and finish groups, workshops, webinars and conferences

• A good understanding of the UK water industry and, ideally, some experience with water efficiency

• Excellent interpersonal skills to work collaboratively with a range of stakeholders, including policy makers

• Strong organisational skills, including the ability to plan and work proactively to meet deadlines

• Excellent attention to detail 

• Ability to positively promote Waterwise and its work

• Experience in project management such as developing leads and bidding for projects desirable but not essential if a commitment to develop skills in this area

• Ability to work flexibly within a small team that works from home

• Ability to manage own time and prioritise tasks

• Ability to communicate across the team about your work and workload

• Commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion and wellbeing 

• Eligibility to work in the UK

Benefits 

At Waterwise the wellbeing of our employees is our number one priority. To recognise the  fantastic work our team does in driving water efficiency, and to support their wellbeing, we  have a wide range of employee benefits, beyond statutory commitments. These include: 

• Positive, values-based environment and an inclusive culture where it feels safe for  employees to say ‘no’ on grounds of workload 

• Strong emphasis from CEO on wellbeing and workload management 

• Homeworking and a small allowance for occasional shared office working 

• Four Day week - being paid full-time but working 80% of this (or pro rata equivalent), in exchange for using tools to work efficiently - for full-time employees this equates to a day off every week, in addition to annual leave

• Flexible working 

• Part-time working 

• 27 days annual leave per annum for full-time employees (or pro rata equivalent for part-time colleagues), plus Bank Holidays (pro rata’d to 22 days full-time equivalent as we work a Four Day Week)

• Death in service benefit at x2 of salary 

• Paid chartered and professional memberships 

• Individual and team training budgets 

• Maternity leave and maternity adoption leave beyond statutory 

• Childcare costs for activities undertaken outside normal working hours 

• Sickness pay beyond statutory 

Equity, diversity and inclusion 

At Waterwise, we’re committed to driving equity and preventing discrimination at work and in the work we do. We know that simply having a diverse workforce is not enough. We want to create an inclusive environment within Waterwise and in our work and events, where everyone can contribute their best and develop to their full potential. We celebrate and value how different everyone is, and we work hard to ensure everyone is treated with dignity and respect. This aligns with our ‘People’ value that we will prioritise staff wellbeing, and will be an inclusive, kind and positive team.

Please see our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Statement here. 

We are committed to treating all current and prospective employees fairly and to ensuring  that our workplace and employment practices are free from discrimination, harassment or  victimisation on the grounds of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil  partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation. We  strongly encourage applicants from a wide range of backgrounds and with different identities and experiences to apply. Everyone in our team has a role to play in helping Waterwise become more diverse and inclusive, and we hope you will join us for this next stage in our journey - for this role we therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be under-represented in Waterwise’s workforce. These include people of the global majority, LGBTQI+ people, and men.

We want to ensure that our recruitment process is inclusive of and accessible for everyone.  If you are interested in applying for a role with us and think you may need some additional  support or reasonable adjustments made to any part of the recruitment process, please get  in touch on the email address below.

How to apply 

To apply for this role, you will need to answer role-related questions.  Please provide evidence and examples from your work history or other aspects of your life to  answer the questions and demonstrate how you meet the criteria required. Please refer to the person specification when you are doing this.

Our goal is to remove bias from the hiring process and so rather than asking you for a CV  and cover letter, we have set up role-related questions which will allow us to assess your  approach to a problem and understand what knowledge and skills you have. Your answers  will be anonymised, randomised and reviewed by the selection panel. We will use these  scores to shortlist for interviews. We also think giving feedback is incredibly valuable for  candidates, so at the end of the process, you'll see how well you performed during the  application process.  

The closing date for applications is 23:59pm on 16th March 2025. There will be a two-stage interview process. First interviews will be held on 25th March 2025 and second interviews will be held on 9th April 2025.  First interviews will be held online via Zoom and second interviews will be held in person in Birmingham (venue TBC).

We will consider flexible working requests within this role - please state your preferred hours  and working pattern within your application.