What you’ll be doing
as a Head of Regulatory Reporting
1. Develop and own the enterprise regulatory reporting framework and calendar, governing all regulator‑facing submissions, consultations and information requests
2. Maintain standards (templates, style, evidence rules) and ensure cross‑document narrative and data consistency – promoting a single source of truth reporting
3. Shape the external reporting landscape: Proactively engage with regulators and industry forums to streamline requirements, avoiding overlapping or contradictory frameworks, and to improve proportionality and clarity of expectations
4. Lead Thames Water’s approach to annual/periodic returns, including the Annual Performance Report (APR), Price Control Deliverable (PCD), Delivery Plan updates and other statutory/non‑statutory returns. This includes end‑to‑end scope, plan, compilation, challenge, executive sign‑off and publication
5. Ensure that the business is provided with accurate and timely MI, including oversight and production of monthly Performance Commitment Level (PCL) reporting
6. Oversee the tracking of all requests from and to regulators - capture and report on progress
7. Operate a structured triage, review and approval process for responses
8. Establish and maintain a robust internal assurance framework following corporate standards (three lines)
9. Provide ongoing oversight and guidance on the External Regulatory Reporting Framework, working closely with key internal stakeholders. Provide interpretive guidance (explanatory notes, Q&A packs) that translate regulatory rules and underlying intent into practical business requirements
10. Drive continuous improvement in data quality, lineage and controls. Work with data owners to identify root causes and embed long‑term fixes. Ensure accurate and transparent reporting, including ODIs, Performance Commitments (PCs) and selected financial metrics, environmental indicators and customer service measures
11. Provide inputs to monthly business reviews and Board reporting, where these figures are also reported externally
12. Act as a senior point of contact with regulators; provide timely advice and regulatory insight to Executive Directors and Board Committees
13. Prepare high‑quality Board/Committee papers (Regulatory Strategy Committee, Audit Committee)
14. Lead transformation initiatives to modernise reporting processes, reduce risk, and improve timeliness/quality
Base Location: Hybrid – Reading
Working Pattern or hours: 36 hours
What you should bring to the role
To thrive in this role, the essential criteria you’ll need are:
15. Extensive experience in regulatory reporting, regulatory finance or assurance within the water sector or a similarly regulated industry
16. Deep understanding of Ofwat’s framework, including APR requirements, cost assessment, PCs/ODIs and assurance expectations
17. Proven leadership managing multidisciplinary teams and orchestrating complex reporting processes with immovable deadlines
18. Experience designing/operating governance frameworks, data controls and assurance suitable for external audit
19. Strong track record of senior stakeholder management, including Executive and Board engagement and regulator interactions
20. Strategic planning & delivery: builds and executes an enterprise reporting calendar; anticipates pinch points and dependencies
21. Editorial excellence & communication: clear, concise writing; able to translate complex requirements for non‑specialists; confident presenter
22. Influencing & collaboration: aligns cross‑functional teams; negotiates trade‑offs; resilient under pressure
23. Governance & integrity: champions accountability, transparency and evidence‑based decisions; models Thames Water values
Additional skills and experiences would be great to have/bring:
24. Prior engagement with regulators (Ofwat, DWI, EA, CCW) and handling formal queries and information requests
25. Experience across regulatory business planning cycles
26. Technical & analytical strength: strong knowledge of financial/operational metrics; advanced problem‑solving and data quality improvement skills
27. System proficiency: advanced Excel; familiarity with enterprise data systems, performance management tools and BI platforms (e.g., Power BI); M365 collaboration and controlled drafting (SharePoint/Teams)
What’s in it for you?
28. Competitive salary circa £120,000 per annum, depending on experience
29. Annual Leave - 26 days holiday per year, increasing to 30 with the length of service (plus bank holidays)
30. Car allowance
31. Private medical healthcare
32. Performance-related pay plan directly linked to company performance measures and targets
33. Generous Pension Scheme through AON
34. Access to lots of benefits to help you take care of you and your family’s health and wellbeing, and your finances – from annual health MOTs and access to physiotherapy and counselling, to Cycle to Work schemes, shopping vouchers and life assurance.