Head of the Water Industry Forum (WIF)
Email your cover letter and CV to kara.nothnagel@britishwater.co.uk, by Friday 6 November 2026, 12.00.
Kindly note that, along with your CV, you should include a cover letter outlining your interest in this opportunity, and how your skills and experience make you a strong fit. Please note that ONLY applications including both a CV and cover letter will be considered.
Interviews are planned for the week of 16 November.
About British Water and the Water Industry Forum (WIF):
British Water is the leading membership body for supply chain water and wastewater businesses in the UK and wider sector stakeholders. Its members design, build, operate and maintain water and wastewater assets and provide critical solutions, technologies and research in the UK and internationally. British Water connects members with the information, contacts and opportunities they need to raise their profile, grow their business and promote best practice.
The Water Industry Forum (WIF) operates within British Water as a neutral and trusted forum, convening members and a wider ecosystem of stakeholders to explore complex, system-level challenges facing the UK water sector. Through informed debate, facilitated collaboration and longer-term sector thinking, WIF develops shared insight, credible thought leadership and member value.
WIF is transitioning from a separate legal subsidiary of British Water to a hybrid forum model, combining the member engagement and administrative arrangements of other British Water forums with an Advisory Board that retains WIF’s distinctive neutral role.
Main Purpose of the Job:
The Head of WIF will lead the development and delivery of WIF within British Water, ensuring it remains a trusted, neutral and influential space for addressing long-term, system-level challenges facing the UK water sector.
The role convenes diverse voices from across the water ecosystem – including the supply chain, water companies, regulators, government, academia, NGOs, investors and non-traditional participants – to generate shared insight, constructive dialogue and credible, evidence-based thought leadership.
Working closely with British Water’s Chief Executive, the WIF Advisory Board, WIF Chair, wider British Water team and WIF’s Operations Manager, the Head of WIF will turn WIF’s purpose into a focused annual programme of events, collaborative initiatives, priority themes and outputs that demonstrate clear value for members and the wider sector.
This is a hands-on leadership role requiring collaboration, strategic judgement, stakeholder credibility, strong programme discipline and the ability to work in a matrix environment.
Office location:
The British Water/Water Industry Forum Team is currently working remotely. This role is UK based and you will be expected to travel to UK meetings and events as required, with occasional overseas travel where relevant.
We are unable to provide sponsorship for this post. Candidates must be eligible to work in and based in the UK.
Working hours:
This is a full time, permanent position. Working hours are generally 09:00 to 17:00, Monday to Friday. A probation period of 6 months will be required.
The recruitment panel is open to considering applicants who are interested in part-time hours or working 3-4 days a week.
Reporting to:
The Head of WIF will be employed by British Water and functionally line managed by the British Water Chief Executive. Guidance on strategic direction will be provided by the WIF Advisory Board through a matrix management arrangement.
Responsible for:
The Head of WIF will be responsible for:
- Leading WIF as a neutral and trusted forum within British Water, working with the Chief Executive, WIF Chair and Advisory Board on long-term, system-level challenges facing the UK water sector.
- Developing and delivering WIF’s annual programme of events, roundtables and collaborative initiatives, including the WIF Team Challenge, Academic Event and WIF Dinner.
- Line management of WIF’s Operations Manager.Convening and building relationships with members, regulators, government, water companies, academia, NGOs, investors and wider stakeholders to support evidence-based thought leadership.
- Safeguarding WIF’s neutrality and credibility while ensuring it delivers British Water member value and visible sector impact.
Part A: Main Tasks of the Job
1. Forum strategy and planning
- Work with the British Water Chief Executive, WIF Chair, Advisory Board and Operations Manager to develop WIF’s annual plan, priority themes and delivery programme, aligned with British Water’s events calendar and strategic objectives.
- Focus activity on issues where WIF can add distinctive value, reflecting long-term sector challenges including policy, regulation, infrastructure resilience, sustainability, innovation, skills and cross-sector collaboration.
2. Delivery of WIF events, programmes and initiatives
- Lead the planning and delivery of WIF’s events, roundtables, facilitated discussions and collaborative initiatives, covering both commercial and non-commercial activity, evaluated against agreed objectives including member value, stakeholder reach and sector influence.
- Oversee signature activities, including the WIF Team Challenge, Academic Event and WIF Dinner, ensuring they are professionally delivered and aligned with WIF’s purpose.
- Develop agendas, speaker propositions and briefing materials, working with British Water’s events, marketing, communications and operations teams to deliver to a high standard, contribute to overarching income targets, and follow up actions and opportunities.
3. Stakeholder engagement and relationship management
- Establish and strengthen relationships with existing and new stakeholders across the UK water sector and adjacent sectors, including both British Water members and non-members.
- Engage water companies, supply chain members, regulators, government, academia, NGOs, investors and wider partners through priority stakeholder engagement plans, acting as a credible external representative of WIF.
- Bring new voices into WIF discussions where they improve the quality, diversity and credibility of debate, supporting the Chair and Advisory Board in widening the cohort of contributors.
4. Thought leadership, insight and sector influence
- Facilitate the development and dissemination of shared, evidence-based thought leadership, in writing and in person, grounded in diverse stakeholder input that preserves WIF’s neutral position.
- Work with contributors, speakers, Advisory Board members and British Water colleagues to identify themes, evidence and case studies, and produce event summaries, insight reports and briefings that shape sector debate.Monitor developments in policy, regulation, legislation and sector reform, with British Water team support, and identify opportunities for WIF to inform British Water’s own strategic thinking.
5. Advisory Board support and governance
- Support the WIF Chair and Advisory Board by preparing agendas, papers, minutes, reports and action logs, keeping records of decisions and outputs, and ensuring discussions are well structured and linked to the delivery plan.
- Support the Chair in reporting to British Water governance processes, including annual reporting, and provide proportionate delivery reporting to the Chief Executive and Advisory Board on progress, risks and resources.
- Help ensure conflicts of interest are identified, recorded and managed in line with the Advisory Board’s responsibility to protect neutrality and trust.
6. Collaboration with British Water
- Work as part of the British Water team, contributing to its wider strategy and forum services, and coordinating WIF activity with the UK, Technical, International and Industrial Forums where interests or audiences are shared.
- Work with British Water’s marketing and communications team to promote WIF activity, and support British Water engagement events and wider thought leadership where WIF insight and convening strength add value.
7. Programme management, administration and reporting
- Develop and maintain a forward plan for WIF events, meetings, engagement, outputs and reporting deadlines, tracking actions, risks, dependencies and progress.
- Maintain stakeholder records, engagement data and outputs from WIF meetings and events, and respond to enquiries professionally and promptly.
- Support budget planning and financial control with the Chief Executive and relevant colleagues, ensuring delivery within agreed scope, budget and resources.
Part B: Subsidiary Requirements
This role includes other duties associated with leading a specialist forum within a membership organisation. As British Water is an evolving organisation, the postholder may be asked to undertake other reasonable tasks supporting WIF, the wider forums, events, communications or strategic priorities. If these become a regular part of the role, the job description will be reviewed with the postholder and line manager.
Required Skills, Knowledge and Experience:
Essential skills and knowledge
The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate:
- Strong knowledge of the UK water, wastewater and environmental sectors, and of the long-term policy, regulatory, infrastructure, sustainability, innovation and skills challenges they face.
- Highly developed written and verbal communication skills, including presenting at events and meetings.
- Strong stakeholder engagement and relationship-management capability, building trust across a wide range of organisations, and working flexibly as part of a small team.
- Ability to convene, facilitate and influence without relying on positional authority.
- Strong programme, project and time management skills, including organising events and collaborative initiatives to a high standard, working to deadlines and managing competing priorities under pressure.
- Strong judgement, discretion and political awareness when handling sensitive sector issues, and the ability to translate complex debate into clear insight and credible communications.
Desirable knowledge and experience
It would be desirable for the candidate to have:
- Experience working in, or closely with, the UK water and wastewater sector, or in a membership organisation, trade association, professional body, regulator, utility, consultancy, academic or policy environment.
- Experience supporting boards, advisory groups or senior stakeholder forums, developing thought leadership, policy briefings or insight reports, and tracking policy consultations, regulation or legislation.
- Experience delivering stakeholder engagement plans or multi-stakeholder programmes with senior representatives from utilities, supply chain, government, regulators, academia or NGOs, and using CRM, event and digital communications platforms.
About You:
The successful candidate will be:
- Purpose-driven and motivated by making a positive contribution to the UK water sector, and collaborative, authentic, trusted and approachable, reflecting British Water’s values.
- A self-starter who is action-oriented and delivery-focused, comfortable with ambiguity and able to balance strategic thinking with hands-on delivery.
- Credible with senior stakeholders while also able to engage early-career professionals and wider sector participants.
- Calm, professional and diplomatic when dealing with competing views or sensitive topics, and skilled at building constructive working relationships.
- Committed to high-quality work and good governance, and able to protect WIF’s neutrality while operating effectively as part of British Water.
Qualifications and Experience:
Candidates should have:
- A degree or equivalent experience in a relevant area such as water, environment, engineering, policy, sustainability, regulation, business or communications.
- Strong written and spoken English.
- Good working knowledge of Microsoft Office, particularly Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Teams, and the ability to work across digital collaboration and communications platforms.
Benefits:
- A creative and innovative environment with a driven team at the heart of the UK water sector
- British Water staff operate as a hybrid team, working from home and meeting in London, Leeds or Bristol once a month, with travel throughout the UK
- Opportunity for a discretionary bonus
- Life Assurance
- Private healthcare
- 2 days off a year to undertake voluntary work
- 1 day off for birthday
- Salary-sacrifice pension
Salary: £55,000
