Principal Capital Maintenance Specialist - Cost Assessment

Totalwellnessacupuncture; Birmingham; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - GBP 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A government-regulated water authority is seeking a Principal Capital Maintenance Specialist to lead the assessment of capital maintenance investment proposals. This exciting role offers hybrid working and the chance to influence billions in investments while ensuring alignment with regulatory expectations. The ideal candidate will have significant experience in the water sector, strong project management skills, and the ability to engage effectively with diverse stakeholders. The role promises opportunities for professional development and a focus on work-life balance.

Benefits

Excellent employer pension contributions

25 days annual leave

Access to exclusive discounts

Professional membership fees covered

Volunteering days

Qualifications

• Experience of working within the water sector, including asset management and capital delivery.
• Excellent project management skills for leading significant programmes.
• Ability to analyze and interpret data for evidence-based solutions.

Responsibilities

• Lead assessment of capital maintenance investment proposals.
• Develop methodology for setting capital maintenance allowances.
• Collaborate across Ofwat functions for evidence-based recommendations.

Skills

Relevant technical experience in the water sector

Project management skills

Analytical and problem-solving skills

Stakeholder management skills

Excellent communication skills

Education

Degree level qualification in engineering, science, or relevant technical discipline

Job description

Join Ofwat’s Delivery Directorate (Price Review function) as a Principal Capital Maintenance 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. 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

We’re looking for a Principal Capital Maintenance Specialist to join our base cost assessment team, which plays a pivotal part in shaping the next price review, setting capital maintenance expenditure allowances, and co-developing policy in areas such as asset health and improvements to the regulatory framework.

This is an exciting opportunity for a water and wastewater technical specialist to serve as the technical lead within the base cost assessment team, responsible for developing and applying robust methodologies to evaluate capital maintenance investment proposals. You will ensure that cost assessments align with regulatory expectations and deliver value for customers and the environment.

As a Principal Capital Maintenance Specialist, you will:

• Lead technical assessment of capital maintenance investment proposals submitted through the PR24 cost change process for the 2025-30 period.
• Shape the approach for PR29, developing the methodology for setting capital maintenance allowances at PR29, drawing on lessons from PR24 and the recommendations from the Independent Water Commission (IWC) and subsequent White Paper.
• Contribute to policy development, including forward looking asset health metrics.
• Collaborate across Ofwat functions, working closely with principals, senior associates, and graduate associates to ensure robust, evidence-based recommendations.
• Engage with stakeholders across the sector, including water companies, other regulators, and government departments.

This role offers the chance to influence how billions of pounds of investment are assessed and funded, improving outcomes for customers and the environment. You’ll help implement key IWC and White Paper recommendations, including:

• Introducing a supervisory approach to setting expenditure allowances.
• Separating and ring-fencing opex and capital maintenance expenditure allowances.
• Developing forward-looking asset health metrics and strengthening requirements for companies to assess asset health.

About You

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

1. Lead criterion: Relevant technical experience of working within the water sector (e.g. operations, asset management, investment planning, capital delivery, engineering, etc.) and a good understanding of economic regulation.
2. Excellent project management skills with the experience of leading significant programmes of work fostering a collaborative and inclusive environment and providing constructive challenge to drive change.
3. Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, including experience of analysing and accurately interpreting a range of data and insights to inform evidence-based decisions and solutions for complex problems.
4. Degree level qualification in engineering, science, or similar technical specialism/discipline relevant to the role.
5. Knowledge of cost assessment approaches in the water sector or other regulated utilities.
6. Proven ability to work effectively in multi-disciplinary teams to deliver projects in a complex stakeholder environment and at pace.
7. Excellent stakeholder management skills, demonstrated by influencing and building relationships with a range of internal and external stakeholders.
8. Excellent written and oral communication skills, including the ability to explain complex analysis clearly and confidently to non-technical audiences.

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 nearly 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 of the role and ensure your application is submitted in full by the deadline below.

Closing date: 23.55 on 22 February 2026