Together we are Trusted to Serve Scotland.
Scottish Water is piped by us but owned by you. As a publicly owned utility, we put our customers at the heart of everything we do.
The Independent Customer Group (ICG) was created in 2021; it’s part of Scottish Water but is operationally independent. Its role is to challenge and support Scottish Water to ensure that the views of customers and communities are reflected in the strategic decisions and operations of the company.
It also has a role in coordinating and sharing research being undertaken across the sector to gain insight into customer and community expectations and priorities in relation to water and waste water services.
We’re looking for 2 new members to join the ICG to ensure Scottish Water continues to deliver service excellence in the future.
What you’ll do
Appointees to the ICG typically commit to an initial period of 2 years. The Group meets once a month in person for a full day meeting usually in Scottish Water offices in Edinburgh or Stepps (Glasgow). Between meetings, members might be asked to represent the Group at other meetings with Scottish Water and/or other water sector stakeholders. These meetings can be online or in person depending on the subject matter.
Collectively the group hear from Scottish Water leaders and internal and external specialists on a range of topics, and provide feedback, ideas and challenge.
Typical subject areas include:
Scottish Water’s continuing transformation to become a fully customer centric organisation and to achieve its Vision and Strategic Ambitions (Our Sustainable Future Together - Scottish Water)
The development of customer and community centric proposals within Scottish Water’s Business Plan for 2027-33 (Scottish Water £13.4bn Business Plan (2027–2033) - Scottish Water)
Service standards and performance against them
Strategic customer research and the interpretation of results
Exploring approaches which make sure that the views of customers and communities are at the centre of Scottish Water’s investment decisions
Reviewing Scottish Water’s actions after significant customer and community events
Within the context of the regulatory framework, providing a customer perspective to develop Scottish Water’s annual scheme of charging.
The ICG is an important customer voice in Scottish Water's strategic planning.
Appointments to the ICG will be made jointly by the ICG and Scottish Water.
What you’ll need
You will be someone who is committed to public service. You’ll be representing the views of the people of Scotland and making sure their interests are heard and understood. So, a high degree of integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, and honesty is key.
You’ll be part of a diverse team – interacting with a range of stakeholders. So effective team working, committee working skills and decision-making skills are essential.
The information the ICG is asked to review can be complicated. It’s important that you’re able to absorb, evaluate and interpret complex data, including technical and financial information.
On this occasion we are looking for people with experience in the field of community engagement. We’re also keen to have representation on the group from people with a central government/local government background at senior level. Experience of strategic planning would also be useful.
The not-so-small print
ICG members are Public Appointees. They are not employees of Scottish Water or the Scottish Government and do not receive a salary or benefits of an employee. For more information, please check out the Public Sector Pay Policy for Senior Appointments.
ICG members are appointed for an initial period of 2 years, and can then be reappointed for further terms, to a maximum of 8 years.
The pay rate for this role will be £37.71 per hour. We will also refund travel expenses for members travelling to and from ICG meetings.
For more information on the Independent Customer Group, follow this link: Independent Customer Group - Scottish Water
For any further enquiries please contact Nicola Fairley at Nicola.Fairley@scottishwater.co.uk
Applications will be open until Midnight on Monday 6th of April. Interviews will be held week commencing 20th April.
A few final things worth knowing…
Research shows that some people avoid applying for jobs unless they can meet every single criteria. If you’re interested in this job, but don’t tick all the boxes, apply anyway! We hardly ever hire people who can do every part of a job from Day One. Everyone has a learning curve. So don’t rule yourself out!
Let us know if there are any changes we can make to our recruitment process to help you perform at your best. Lots of our people have disabilities or neurodiverse conditions (including some of our recruiters!). We're also aware that some people might be experiencing temporary challenges because of life events, like menopause. We’re very used to making adjustments, so please don’t be afraid to ask.
As part of our commitment to developing a flourishing Scotland, it’s important that all our employees are Scottish taxpayers. If you join us, your home address will need to be in Scotland. If you don’t already live here, you'll need to commit to moving here within your first three months.
Please note, Scottish Water takes the safety, health and wellbeing of our employees, colleagues and customers very seriously and as such you may be subject to Drug & Alcohol testing in line with our policy.
Finally (finally!), candidates who haven’t submitted an application in the last 12 months will have their records removed from our recruitment database. You won’t need to do anything. Your data will be automatically deleted.
We’re here to help. Ask us anything at SWRecruitment@ScottishWater.co.uk