Ofwat seeks MD for new infrastructure alliance

Ofwat has begun the search for a managing director of a newly created body to oversee joint water infrastructure projects.

The Regulators’ Alliance for Progressing Infrastructure Development (RAPID) will bring together staff from Ofwat, the Environment Agency, and the Drinking Water Inspectorate into a single group. However, the team will be based at Ofwat and the managing director will report to the regulator’s chief executive, Rachel Fletcher.

The aim of RAPID is to oversee the development of strategic infrastructure schemes for construction during AMP 8 and to act as the principal regulatory interface with the industry on these projects.

RAPID will have a £2.9 million budget in 2019/20 with a predicted headcount of 16. At the end of August, seven of those positions had been filled, mainly through secondments from the parent bodies and interims.

The role of managing director is expected to include a salary of between £92,000 and £120,000 and is described as suitable for someone with leadership experience in water regulation, or a closely related area, and preferably with understanding of water resource planning.

Speaking about the development of RAPID earlier this year, Fletcher said: “Ofwat is delighted to collaborate with other water sector regulators in setting up the water RAPID team.

“It will be a vital element to support the work underway across the whole sector in making sure future consumers have resilient water supplies at an affordable price while enhancing the environment.”

The Environment Agency chief executive, Sir James Bevan added: “The EA is leading the development of a national framework for water resources, which will identify water needs nationally and regionally. The new team will make sure that the projects required to meet those needs can be implemented, helping to build resilience into our water supplies.”

The application form can be found here.