South West Water
Audit and Assurance (SWW Focus)
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Powered by Water, Driven by Purpose
South West Water keeps the South West flowing with safe, reliable drinking water and wastewater services across some of the UK’s most stunning landscapes.
We’re proud to be part of Pennon Group, a leader in the UK water sector, working towards a greener future. Our goals? As well as lowering our carbon footprint, we’re working with partners to plant 300,000 trees, restore peatlands and supporting farmers and landowners to improve water quality and wildlife.
Whether you’re starting out or seeking a new challenge, our scale and ambition create opportunities for you to shape your own career.
Ready to make a splash? Join our team today.
Role Overview
The Water services audit and Assurance (SWW Focus) is responsible for delivering a risk-based assurance and audit programme to ensure South West Water (SWW) meets regulatory, operational, and governance standards.
This role plays a critical part in embedding a “Quality First” culture, supporting compliance, continuous improvement, and providing assurance to senior leadership and the Executive Board.
Purpose of the Role
- Deliver high-quality outcomes for customers, stakeholders, and the environment
- Lead a risk-based first-line assurance and audit programme
- Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and internal controls
- Drive continuous improvement through corrective action planning
- Support second-line assurance activities led by Group Risk & Compliance
Key Responsibilities
Audit & Assurance
- Design and implement a 1st line risk-based assurance framework
- Develop and manage the annual internal audit programme aligned to SWW priorities
- Conduct audits and produce high-quality reports with actionable insights
- Ensure audit outputs support reporting into SWW Operational Leadership Team (OLT)
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Risk & Compliance
- Maintain alignment with key regulatory obligations and compliance frameworks
- Act as a subject matter expert for Quality Management Systems (QMS)
- Support 2nd and 3rd line assurance activities, including external audits
Stakeholder Engagement
- Collaborate with senior stakeholders across SWW and Group functions
- Influence and challenge stakeholders to ensure effective control environments
- Present findings and insights to leadership teams clearly and confidently
Performance & Reporting
- Deliver monthly assurance reports for SWW OLT
- Track and manage corrective actions through to resolution
- Ensure timely escalation of risks and issues
Continuous Improvement
- Identify opportunities to improve assurance processes and risk management
- Lead or contribute to transformation and improvement initiatives
Key Deliverables
- Annual audit and assurance plan
- Audit reports with agreed corrective actions
- Monthly reporting for leadership governance forums
- Effective tracking and closure of audit findings
- QMS compliance oversight and reporting
- Contributions to transformation and improvement initiatives
Essential Experience
Skills & Experience Required
- Experience in audit, assurance, or risk management
- Understanding of water industry operations or regulated utilities
- Strong stakeholder management, including senior leadership
- Ability to produce and present clear, high-quality reports
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Core Skills
- Analytical and risk assessment capability
- Influencing and negotiation skills
- Strong written and verbal communication
- Attention to detail with high integrity
- Ability to manage multiple priorities to deadlines
Qualifications
Required:
- A-levels (or equivalent)
Desirable:
- Degree (or equivalent)
- Professional audit or risk qualification
Closing Date: 4th Aug 2026
We may close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of applications. We encourage you to apply as soon as possible.
Please note that the successful candidate will be subject to a mandatory DBS check as part of the onboarding process.
Be yourself, we like it that way. Together, we will build a culture of belonging, where inclusion is instinctive. Diversity is our strength and a reflection of our communities. We care, we value everyone, we celebrate uniqueness.
Our core values, which are essential to our success, are:
- Be Rock Solid - Build trust and be trusted. Be the one we all look to and can depend on.
- Be You - We want you to bring your best everyday. Be yourself and make your mark in your individual way.
- Be the Future - Embrace change. Drive Progress. Own the challenge.
We look after the water and wastewater services for 1.8 million customers across Cornwall, Devon, the Isles of Scilly and parts of Dorset and Somerset.
From treatment and maintenance, to innovation and improvements, we're busy every day finding and fixing leaks, unblocking sewers and going bigger and further in our environmental work to be a company you can be proud of.
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