Customer Incident Responder

Thames Water; Reading; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 31,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

24 days holiday (28 with service)

Pension scheme (AON)

Performance-related pay

Health & wellbeing benefits

Cycle to Work scheme

Life assurance

Job summary

Thames Water is seeking a hands-on Customer Incident Responder to join its field-based incident response team. You will respond to incidents, set up bottled water stations, and lead on-site teams to ensure safe, coordinated operations during disruptions.

A full UK driving licence and strong communication skills are essential. The role involves a 16-week rotating shift (06:00–22:00) with weekend work and base locations within Thames Valley and London areas.

Qualifications

• Full UK driving licence and a confident driver.
• Good communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work independently in remote locations and outdoor environments.
• Awareness of health, safety, and hygiene standards.

Responsibilities

• Responding to incidents and supporting customers, including vulnerable groups.
• Setting up and managing bottled water stations across the Thames Water region.
• Developing site-specific plans for key locations such as hospitals, schools, and prisons.
• Supporting customer communication and response efforts during incidents.
• Driving and maintaining a company van, adhering to all road safety regulations including speed limits and road regulations.
• Leading and supporting on-site teams to ensure safe and coordinated operations.
• Carrying out proactive, customer-focused tasks when not responding to incidents.
• Always ensuring compliance with health, safety, and the highest standards of hygiene with the best presentable self-day to day.

Skills

Driving licence

Communication

Interpersonal skills

Calm under pressure

Independent work

Health & safety awareness

Tools

IT literacy

Portable devices

Job description

We’re looking for a hands-on, customer-focused individual to join our operational response team as a Customer Incident Responder.

This is a field-based role at the heart of Thames Water’s incident response operations. You’ll be part of a fast-moving unit that plays a vital role in protecting public health and maintaining customer trust during service disruptions. Whether responding to emergencies or preparing for future incidents, you’ll help ensure our customers stay informed, supported, and supplied with water when they need it most.

What you’ll be doing as a Customer Incident Responder

• Responding to incidents and supporting customers, including vulnerable groups.
• Setting up and managing bottled water stations across the Thames Water region.
• Developing site-specific plans for key locations such as hospitals, schools, and prisons.
• Supporting customer communication and response efforts during incidents.
• Driving and maintaining a company van, adhering to all road safety regulations including speed limits and road regulations.
• Leading and supporting on-site teams to ensure safe and coordinated operations.
• Carrying out proactive, customer-focused tasks when not responding to incidents.
• Always ensuring compliance with health, safety, and the highest standards of hygiene with the best presentable self-day to day.

Location:

This is a field-based role. While your base location may be one of our operational sites, your starting point should be within the Thames Valley and London Thames Water area.

Working Pattern:

This role works on a 16-week shift pattern with rotating shift times between 06:00 and 22:00. There is also a requirement for weekend working on a rotating basis.

What you should bring to the role

• Full UK driving licence and a confident driver.
• Comfortable with manual handling tasks and the physical aspects of the role.
• Good communication and interpersonal skills, including the ability to stay calm and clear under pressure and during customer-facing situations.
• Happy to work independently in remote locations, high-pressure environments, and outdoors in all weather conditions.
• Basic IT skills to confidently use portable devices.
• A friendly, customer-focused approach with a can-do attitude.
• Awareness of health, safety, and hygiene standards.
• Previous experience in customer service or the utilities sector would be a bonus.

What’s in it for you?

• Competitive salary from £26,000 to £31,000 per annum, depending on skills and experience.
• 24 days holiday per year, increasing to 28 with the length of service. (plus bank holidays)
• Generous Pension Scheme through AON.
• Performance-related pay plan directly linked to company performance measures and targets.
• Access to lots of benefits to help you take care of you and your family’s health and wellbeing, and your finances – from annual health MOTs and access to physiotherapy and counselling, to Cycle to Work schemes, shopping vouchers and life assurance.

Find out more about our benefits and perks (Please note different T&Cs apply if on secondment)

Who are we?

We’re the UK’s largest water and wastewater company, with more than 16 million customers relying on us every day to supply water for their taps and toilets. We want to build a better future for all, helping our customers, communities, people, and the planet to thrive. It’s a big job and we’ve got a long way to go, so we need help from passionate and skilled people, committed to making a difference and getting us to where we want to be in the years and decades to come.

Working at Thames Water

Thames Water is a unique, rewarding, and diverse place to work, where every day you can make a difference, yet no day is the same. As part of our family, you’ll enjoy meaningful career opportunities, flexible working arrangements and excellent benefits.

If you’re looking for a sustainable and successful career where you can make a daily difference to millions of people’s lives while helping to protect the world of water for future generations, we’ll be here to support you every step of the way. Together, we can build a better future for our customers, our region and our planet.

Real purpose, real support, real opportunities. Come and join the Thames Water family. Why choose us? Learn more.

We’re committed to being a great, diverse, and inclusive place to work. We welcome applications from everyone and want to ensure you feel supported throughout the recruitment process. If you need any adjustments, whether that’s extra time, accessible formats, or anything else, just let us know. We’re here to help and support.

When a crisis happens, we all rally around to support our customers. As part of Team Thames, you’ll have the opportunity to sign up to support our customers on the frontline as an ambassador. Full training will be given for what is undoubtedly an incredibly rewarding experience. It’s also a great opportunity to learn more about our business and meet colleagues.