Financial Economist, Principal Debt Specialist

Join Ofwat’s Risk and Return Team as a Financial Economist, Principal Debt Specialist. We have 1 Fixed Term contract until the end of December 2027 available, but it is also open to loans and secondments.

Office Location: London (E14 4HD) or Birmingham (B5 4UA) with hybrid working.

About Us: We’re Ofwat, the Water Services Regulation Authority – a non‑ministerial government department responsible for regulating the water sector in England and Wales. As the economic regulator of water and wastewater companies in England and Wales, our role is to enable, incentivise and hold companies to account for providing the very best for customers, communities and the environment. We also oversee the markets in the water sector to ensure they’re working for customers.

The Role: We are seeking an experienced Financial Economist or Corporate Finance Debt Specialist to join our Risk & Return team within the Price Review Directorate. This role will play an important role in determining our methodology governing the allowed return on capital for PR29, which currently accounts for around a quarter of the average customer bill.

Key deliverables:

• Plan and prioritise your time – working to team-level and directorate-level milestones, and where new developments may require a change of course.
• Interpret and summarise financial data, arguments and analysis – for instance from company consultant reports and papers they reference.
• Curate data capture processes – maintain and respond to queries on the tables within data returns provided by companies on debt instruments.
• Conduct and commission financial analysis – for instance drawing on granular bond data to estimate cost of debt benchmarks to set the allowed cost of debt.
• Draft slide packs and documents – for instance drafting a discussion paper to inform a cost of debt workshop or consultation, or a slide pack for a discussion that helps Ofwat Board to decide whether to sign‑off on a cost of debt policy proposal.
• Verbally present findings – for instance briefing the team’s Director on the key findings of review work or analysis.
• Develop and interrogate Excel‑based models – while not primarily a modelling role, it will likely involve some scrutiny of non‑Ofwat models and may involve having a hand in developing in‑house models to support our policy areas.
• Oversee junior staff time – the role is likely to involve managing the time of 1 junior colleague, and potentially more during peak periods (e.g. a graduate).
• Build relationships – in particular with other Risk & Return team members, and other Ofwat teams where there is thematic overlap, and external stakeholders such as counterparts in other regulators.
• Develop skills – to build on your existing base of financial knowledge and skills through taking on structured or unstructured learning opportunities.

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

• Lead criterion: Experience in applying financial economics and/or corporate finance to the analysis of debt pricing.
• Advanced understanding of financial economics and/or corporate finance theory related to the cost of debt.
• Undergraduate (or higher) degree in economics or a numerate discipline (e.g. STEM subjects, Accountancy, etc.).
• Good written and oral communication skills, including the ability to understand and concisely explain complex issues in non‑technical language.

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 built 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 offices.
• Good employer pension contributions.
• 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 about the role, please ensure you have submitted your Applications in full before the below deadline. Closing date: 23.55 on 14 April 2026.