Job Description – Projects Assistant

Salary: £25,000 per annum 

Contract: Permanent 

Reports to: Projects Manager 

Hours: Full time (40 hours per week including one hour lunch break each day) 

Start date: 1st June 2024 approx

Location: Home-based (travel costs paid for meetings) 

Annual leave: 27 days FTE per annum plus Bank holidays (22 days FTE per annum whilst the 4 day week is in place) 

Please note that at Waterwise we work a Four Day Week, under voluntary agreements which all staff members sign. This means that you will be contracted and paid as full-time but you will sign a voluntary agreement stating that you commit to employing efficiency tools both individual and team-wide to deliver and be paid for 5 days work within four normal 9 to 5 days - the office is closed on Fridays. Training will be provided and you will be expected to continue to refresh your training and to keep up use of the efficiency tools. Annual leave is also pro rata’d. More information on a Four Day Week can be found here. We can answer any questions you may have about this at interview.

Waterwise 

Waterwise is the leading independent voice in the UK for using water wisely, for the benefit of people and the planet. Our vision is that water is used wisely every day, everywhere, by everyone. We are the UK’s conscience on water efficiency, on behalf of people and the planet, and are experts in water efficiency policy, regulation, research, behaviour and campaigns. Waterwise is a people-led organisation which prioritises the wellbeing of its staff.

Water scarcity is an urgent issue right here, right now, right across the UK - consistent record-breaking high temperatures and low rainfall, and recurring drought, show how climate change and population growth are already putting our water resources under severe pressure, and this challenge is growing. Water efficiency has to be a big part of the solution, and we support and challenge governments, industry, customers and others to be innovative and ambitious on water efficiency. Our work includes campaigns, events, media, policy and regulatory influencing, research projects, stakeholder engagement and services such as Waterwise Training and the Waterwise  Checkmark. We are funded by supporters across and beyond the UK water sector. Our Waterwise Strategic Direction to 2030, published in August 2022, tells you a bit more about us. Our UK Water Efficiency Strategy to 2030 tells you a bit more about our ambition.

At Waterwise we put staff wellbeing first, and our staff surveys show that our team knows, feels and appreciates this. Our values are 

Purpose: We will deliver independent and ambitious leadership to drive social and political change on water efficiency 

Pioneer: We will be forward-thinking and visionary in our approach, being brave and  innovative in challenging the status quo 

Passion: We will campaign to protect water and the planet and work to keep our own  environmental impact as low as possible 

People: We will prioritise staff wellbeing, be an inclusive, kind and positive team. 

We are always looking for bright, committed people with a diverse set of skills and  experience to help achieve our vision that water is used wisely every day, everywhere, by  everyone. We are a lively, happy, friendly team, and we can’t wait to read your application! 

At Waterwise, we’re committed to driving equity and preventing discrimination at work and in the work we do. Please see more on this below. 

We are also working to reduce Waterwise’s own carbon and environmental footprint. 

Projects Assistant role description

The role involves identifying relevant project and research opportunities; assisting with developing winning bids and delivering successful projects. Examples of recent projects include developing a water scarcity index for BSi and creating an evaluation framework for water saving campaigns. You will report to a Projects Manager and be joining a small but growing sub-team winning and delivering water efficiency research projects.  For example, part of your role will be to support the delivery of an existing Ofwat Innovation Funded Water Literacy project which is developing a new training and accreditation offering on water.

Key responsibilities in the role include: 

• Working with others to identify opportunities for Waterwise to undertake relevant research project work

• Supporting the drafting of bids and proposals

• Getting involved in the delivery of a range of water efficiency projects often from project inception to dissemination of the findings 

• Working with the wider team to develop and deliver water efficiency training

• Working with the wider team to assist in the development of content for social media, blogs, trade media and press

• Assisting the team with organising events (e.g. Waterwise annual conference)

• Attending conferences, seminars and meetings to represent Waterwise

• Being the dedicated Waterwise contact for specific funders and stakeholders.

The above is not an exhaustive list of activities but hopefully gives you a sense of the role  and requirements. 

Projects Assistant person specification

We need someone who is proactive and a self-starter, with excellent communication and organisational skills. You will have a track record in working on bids and project delivery, ideally in the water sector.

Essential Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours

• Some experience of the UK water sector and/or environmental sustainability would be useful but is not essential

• Experience in working on research or industry projects 

• Experience in supporting bids for new projects

• Good interpersonal skills to work collaboratively with a range of stakeholders, including clients

• Strong organisational skills, including the ability to plan and work proactively to meet deadlines

• Excellent attention to detail 

• Ability to positively promote Waterwise and its work

• Ability to work flexibly within a small team that works from home

• Ability to manage own time and prioritise tasks

• Ability to communicate across the team about your work and workload

• Commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion and wellbeing 

• Eligibility to work in the UK

Benefits 

At Waterwise the wellbeing of our employees is our number one priority. To recognise the  fantastic work our team does in driving water efficiency, and to support their wellbeing, we  have a wide range of employee benefits, beyond statutory commitments. These include: 

• Positive, values-based environment and an inclusive culture where it feels safe for  employees to say ‘no’ on grounds of workload 

• Strong emphasis from CEO on wellbeing and workload management 

• Homeworking and a small allowance for occasional shared office working 

• Four Day week - being paid full-time but working 80% of this (or pro rata equivalent), in exchange for using tools to work efficiently - for full-time employees this equates to a day off every week, in addition to annual leave

• Flexible working 

• Part-time working 

• 27 days annual leave per annum for full-time employees (or pro rata equivalent for part-time colleagues), plus Bank Holidays (pro rata’d to 22 days full-time equivalent as we work a Four Day Week)

• Death in service benefit at x2 of salary 

• Paid chartered and professional memberships 

• Individual and team training budgets 

• Maternity leave and maternity adoption leave beyond statutory 

• Childcare costs for activities undertaken outside normal working hours 

• Sickness pay beyond statutory 

Equity, diversity and inclusion 

At Waterwise, we’re committed to driving equity and preventing discrimination at work and in the work we do. We know that simply having a diverse workforce is not enough. We want to create an inclusive environment within Waterwise and in our work and events, where everyone can contribute their best and develop to their full potential. We celebrate and value how different everyone is, and we work hard to ensure everyone is treated with dignity and respect. This aligns with our ‘People’ value that we will prioritise staff wellbeing, and will be an inclusive, kind and positive team.

Please see our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Statement here. 

We are committed to treating all current and prospective employees fairly and to ensuring  that our workplace and employment practices are free from discrimination, harassment or  victimisation on the grounds of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil  partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation. We  strongly encourage applicants from a wide range of backgrounds and with different identities and experiences to apply. Everyone in our team has a role to play in helping Waterwise become more diverse and inclusive, and we hope you will join us for this next stage in our journey. 

We want to ensure that our recruitment process is inclusive of and accessible for everyone.  If you are interested in applying for a role with us and think you may need some additional  support or reasonable adjustments made to any part of the recruitment process, please get  in touch on the email address below.

How to apply 

To apply for this role, you will need to answer role-related questions. Please provide evidence and examples from your work history or other aspects of your life to  answer the questions and demonstrate how you meet the criteria required. Please refer to the person specification when you are doing this.

Our goal is to remove bias from the hiring process and so rather than asking you for a CV  and cover letter, we have set up role-related questions which will allow us to assess your  approach to a problem and understand what knowledge and skills you have. Your answers  will be anonymised, randomised and reviewed by the selection panel. We will use these  scores to shortlist for interviews. We also think giving feedback is incredibly valuable for  candidates, so at the end of the process, you'll see how well you performed during the  application process.  

The closing date for applications is 23:59pm on 14th April 2024. There will be a two-stage interview process. First interviews will be held on 2nd May 2024 and second interviews will be held on 8th May 2024.  For this role both interviews will be held online via Zoom.

We will consider flexible working requests within this role - please state your preferred hours  and working pattern within your application.