Projects Assistant

Salary: £25,000 per annum 
Contract: Permanent 
Reports to: Projects & Research 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 with [email protected].

How to apply 

To apply for this role, you will need to answer role-related questions. Click here to apply. 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.