2nd Line Support Engineer
Summary
Join Ofwat, the water sector regulator for England and Wales, as a 2nd Line Support Engineer in its IT Operations Team: resolving incidents and service requests across Microsoft 365 (Exchange Online, Teams, SharePoint, Intune), Windows 11, and Entra ID identity/access, with device management and endpoint security. Hybrid role based in Birmingham.
- Job grade: Other
- Contract type: Fixed term, Loan, Secondment
- Length of employment: This is a fixed-term appointment until 31 December 2027. We will also consider loans and secondments for this period of time. There is a possibility of the role being extended or converted to permanent as plans for new regulators for England and Wales dev
- Business area: OFWAT - Corporate Enablers - IT Operations Team
- Type of role: Analytical, Architecture and Data, Digital, Information Technology
- Working pattern: Flexible working, Full-time
- Number of jobs available: 1
Location
About the job
Job summary
We are Ofwat, the Water Services Regulation Authority, a non-ministerial government department responsible for regulating the water sector in England and Wales.
We have an opportunity for a 2nd Line Support Engineer to join our IT Operations Team within Corporate Enablers Directorate.
The water sector is entering a new chapter. The government has set out a bold new direction, bringing together expertise from across the sector to deliver better outcomes for customers and the environment. We are collaborating with fellow regulators to respond to recommendations in The Independent Water Commission Report, the Welsh Government’s response to the Green Paper, Shaping the Future of Water Governance in Wales, and the Government’s White Paper, A new vision for water.
Ofwat is working with the government and other regulators to help create a new body for England, bringing together our strengths with those of the Drinking Water Inspectorate, the Environment Agency and Natural England. We are also continuing to work with the Welsh Government to support decisions on the future arrangements for Wales.
While these changes take shape, our mission remains the same: to hold water companies to account, drive performance, and ensure the sector delivers real value for customers, communities, and the environment. If you’re passionate about making a difference, this is a unique moment to join us and help shape the future of water, and together we can continue to make a positive impact.
You can find out more about why you should join Ofwat, our strategy, values and our framework for success in the attached Information for Candidates Pack.
Job description
The 2nd Line Support Engineer will be working for the Head of IT Operations and within the Corporate Enablers Directorate. Our CE directorate is collective of five vital functions that provide support to all teams across Ofwat. Consisting of IT, HR, Finance, Procurement and Facilities, our Corporate Enabler teams help to enable Ofwat to be a high performing, great place to be that is effective, efficient and continually improving. They also ensure that we have the right capabilities, tools and culture to deliver for customers, society and the environment.
This role is responsible for delivering 2nd line IT support, resolving technical issues and service requests related to Microsoft 365, end-user computing, identity services, collaboration tools and business applications. The post holder will support the day-to-day operational management of IT services, providing troubleshooting, root cause analysis and user assistance to ensure a seamless end-user experience. You will contribute to service stability, knowledge sharing and continuous improvement, ensuring IT services are delivered to a high standard and meet organisational requirements.
This role offers the opportunity to utilise technical expertise in Windows environments, endpoint security, and device management as well as working with all other directorates and managing user expectations.
This position plays a key part in fostering a culture of integrity, accountability, and positive impact across the organisation. The 2nd Line Support Engineer role is integral to promoting collaboration, maintaining trust within the team, and working both independently and as part of the wider team to deliver strategic objectives and exemplary IT service.
Key deliverables:
In this role you will be expected to:
- Provide 2nd line technical support for end-user devices, Microsoft 365 services, business applications and collaboration tools, acting as an escalation point for the Service Desk and ensuring a seamless support experience.
- Take ownership of incidents and service requests through to resolution, proactively managing progress, stakeholder communication and adherence to agreed service levels (SLAs).
- Support the administration of Microsoft Intune, including device enrolment, compliance monitoring and application deployment.
- Troubleshoot and resolve issues relating to Windows, iOS, Microsoft 365, identity and access management, printing, and end-user hardware.
- Collaborate with other teams within IT and across Ofwat to resolve technical issues and support effective service delivery.
- Produce and maintain technical documentation, knowledge articles and support procedures to improve service delivery and knowledge sharing.
- Monitor device health, compliance and support trends using available dashboards and reporting tools, escalating risks where appropriate.
- Provide support to colleagues both remotely and in person, delivering a high standard of customer service through face-to-face engagement, Teams and other support channels.
Person specification
To be successful in this role you will need the below essential attributes, experience, skills and knowledge:
Experience, skills and knowledge
- Lead criteria 1: Proven experience providing 2nd line IT support within a Microsoft-based environment, including incident resolution, service requests and end-user support.
- Lead criteria 2: Good knowledge of Microsoft 365 administration and support, including Exchange Online, Teams, OneDrive, SharePoint and Microsoft Intune.
- Proficiency in Windows 11 administration, troubleshooting and end-user device support.
- Good problem-solving, communication and customer service skills, with the ability to explain technical issues to non-technical users.
- Experience supporting device management technologies, including Microsoft Intune, Windows Autopilot, application deployment and MDM, with an understanding of endpoint security, device compliance and cybersecurity best practices.
- Experience supporting identity and access management solutions, including Microsoft Entra ID and Conditional Access.
- Experience working within an ITIL-aligned support environment, managing incidents, requests and service levels.
Attributes
8. Committed learner
9. Promotes collaboration
10. Adaptable thinker
Attributes as per Ofwat's Framework for Success for the relevant salary grade. You can read more about Attributes here.
Benefits
Why You Should Join Us:
Our people are at the heart of Ofwat, and our People Strategy defines the goals that keep this focus central to everything we do. Our 2025 People Survey highlights several key strengths. Nine in ten colleagues say that they are treated with respect and that Ofwat values individual differences. The same proportion say that their work is meaningful and that they are being trusted to carry out their roles effectively. 79% of our people rated their manager highly, and 85% described their team environment as positive.
You will also benefit from:
- Good employer pension contributions.
- 25 days’ annual leave (increasing to 30 with each year of service) plus bank holidays and an extra 2.5 days of privilege leave
- Access to exclusive discounts on a variety of goods and services, including retail outlets, theatre tickets, holidays, insurance, and a gym membership
- Flexible working arrangements that suit your lifestyle
- Fees paid for membership of relevant professional bodies
- Up to 3 volunteering days per year
- Recognition vouchers scheme
- Generous shared parental leave and pay
- Enhanced sick pay
- Regular development opportunities
- Health and wellbeing initiatives
- Cycle-to-work scheme
- Season ticket loan for home-to-office travel
- Free eye tests and contribution to lenses/spectacles for VDU users
Moving to Ofwat from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax-Free Childcare. Find out more at .
Things you need to know
Artificial intelligence
Selection process details
How to apply
Apply through the Civil Service Jobs website where you’ll be asked to create an account and complete an application form (CV and personal statement). If you’re unable to make an electronic application, please contact recruitment@ofwat.gov.uk and we will support you in completing your application.
Please see the candidate guidance on our website for more detail and tips on how to best make your application and prepare for interview.
Please ensure you have submitted your application in full ahead of the deadline listed below. Unfortunately, we won't be able to consider late applications.
Ofwat is recognised as an Official Sensitive department, and a Security Check (SC) is a requirement for this role. Applicants are normally expected to have been resident in the UK for the last five years to meet the standard residency requirements for SC clearance. Successful candidates must obtain SC clearance to a standard satisfactory to Ofwat within the first six months of employment.
Selection timetable
- Closing date: 20 November 2026
- Sifting: Week commencing 23 November 2026
- Interview date(s): Week commencing 30 November 2026
Assessment process
Sift Stage - Blind Sifting
We operate a blind sifting model to eliminate bias. All candidate identifying information will be removed from applications.
At sift stage we will assess your application (CV and personal statement) against essential criteria 1, 2, 3 & 4 listed above. Please ensure you provide enough evidence in your application form to demonstrate how you meet the criteria.
Use your personal statement to address the below criteria and tell us how your experience, skills and knowledge meet them:
- Lead criteria 1: Proven experience providing 2nd line IT support within a Microsoft-based environment, including incident resolution, service requests and end-user support.
- Lead criteria 2: Good knowledge of Microsoft 365 administration and support, including Exchange Online, Teams, OneDrive, SharePoint and Microsoft Intune.
- Proficiency in Windows 11 administration, troubleshooting and end-user device support.
- Good problem-solving, communication and customer service skills, with the ability to explain technical issues to non-technical users.
*Please note that in the event of receiving a large number of applications, a pre-sift may take place on just the lead criterion.
** If a high volume of candidates meet the minimum pass mark at sift stage, we will only progress the highest scoring candidates to interview. Candidates not invited to interview, who have achieved the minimum pass mark, will be placed 'on hold' until the final stage of the assessment process is completed. Should the role/s remain unfilled, candidates placed 'on hold' may be invited to interview in merit order.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. For further information on appropriate/inappropriate use of AI see the Civil Service guidance. Please note this guidance refers to ' Civil Service Success Profiles' Civil Service assessment framework. At Ofwat we do not use this in our assessments - please refer to our Framework for Success as listed above.
Interview Stage - Transparent Interviews
At interview stage we will test against essential skills, experience, knowledge and attributes set out above.
Our transparent interview process involves candidates receiving a selection of attribute-based questions in advance. This has been proven to help neurodiverse candidates and others to perform better at interview and is part of our inclusive culture.
You can read more about attributes and our Framework for success here.
Please note that the interviews will be conducted via video conferencing software (Microsoft Teams).
Please ensure anything you present in your interview answers is factually accurate, and you are not presenting the ideas and experience of others, or generated by AI, as your own. You may expect follow up questions.
It may be necessary for a second stage interview, which will be communicated to the successful candidates, if required.
If the assessment process identifies more appointable candidates than roles available, a reserve list will be created for 12 months from which further appointments in merit order can be made.
'Near-miss' candidates (candidates who have performed well at interview stage but haven’t scored high enough for the advertised Associate band) may be considered (in merit order) for a Business Support grade post – a band lower than Associate. Further details will be provided to candidates as needed.
If you have any queries about any aspect of this role, selection process, or you require any reasonable adjustments, please email recruitment@ofwat.gov.uk.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
Nationality requirements
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
- UK nationals
- nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
- nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
- nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
- individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
- Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
Working for the Civil Service
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
Diversity and Inclusion
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : recruitment@ofwat.gov.uk
- Email : recruitment@ofwat.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : recruitment@ofwat.gov.uk
Further information
Attachments
| 2nd Line Support Engineer Candidate Pack Nov 26 Opens in new window (pdf, 699kB) |
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