Immigration & Compliance Officer

Thames Water Utilities Limited; Reading; On-site; GBP 33,000 - 45,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual Leave 26 days increasing to 30

Generous Pension Scheme through AON

Health and wellbeing benefits

Job summary

Thames Water Utilities Limited is seeking an Immigration & Compliance Officer to provide expert guidance on sponsorship and right-to-work to employees and managers. You will manage sponsor licence obligations, maintain accurate records, and drive audit readiness across teams.

The role requires proactive stakeholder engagement and the ability to deliver training on regulatory changes. As a core member of the People Services Delivery Team, you will monitor compliance with Home Office guidance,

Qualifications

• Experience handling sponsorship and right-to-work processes.
• Knowledge of Home Office guidance and sponsor licence requirements.
• Experience maintaining compliance reports and audit readiness.
• Ability to train managers and employees on right-to-work and sponsorship.

Responsibilities

• Act as subject matter expert on sponsorship and right-to-work processes for employees and managers.
• Ensure all sponsorship processes comply with internal docs and government guidance.
• Maintain Sponsor Licence records and assess compliance risks.
• Lead monthly audits of right-to-work documentation and report anomalies.
• Provide regular training on right-to-work and sponsorship to managers and staff.
• Support internal/external audits, including Home Office visits.

Skills

Sponsorship processes

Right to work

Stakeholder influence

Training delivery

Education

CIPD qualification

Tools

SAP HCM

SuccessFactors

Job description

The Immigration & Compliance Officer role is part of the wider People Services Delivery Team. The position will provide first class operational support to employees and the business on immigration matters in recruitment and on-going obligations of those with time limited right to work. The responsibility of the role is to manage all sponsorship processes and corresponding legal and regulatory duties and to ensure Thames Water continues to meet its legal obligations under the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act 2025 and remains compliant with the Government's Right to Work Employer's Guide. In so doing this role is responsible for ensuring that we have on file the appropriate right to work evidence for all Thames Water employees at any given time.

What you'll be doing as an Immigration & Compliance Officer:

• Act as a subject matter expert for employees, hiring managers, and People team members on sponsorship processes and right to work, escalating to our employment legal partners for advice where appropriate. Identifying any new governance or regulatory compliance requirements that need to be supported/implemented by Thames Water.
• Accountable for all sponsorship processes ensuring compliance with internal documentation and government guidance.
• Support the ongoing maintenance of Thames Water's Sponsor Licence, identifying and mitigating any compliance risks that could affect licence status.
• Manage the responsibilities of the 'Level 1' maintaining accurate details in the Sponsorship Management System for both the license and sponsored workers.
• Accountable for the management of any change in circumstance or changing terms and conditions for sponsored workers.
• Ensure all reportable events are submitted accurately and within Home Office prescribed timescales.
• Accountable for the maintenance of up-to-date documentation on right to work including process maps, notes, hiring manager guides, checklists. Manage the immigration aspects of all employees with time limited right to work, to ensure all employees maintain continued right to work in the UK.
• Lead preparations for internal and external audits, including Home Office compliance visits, ensuring all records and processes are always audit-ready.
• Ensure all immigration and right to work records are maintained in line with data protection requirements and company record retention policies.
• Conduct monthly audits on right to work documentation accepted for new joiners, keep evidence of these checks and feedback any anomalies.
• Maintain accurate trackers and management information that can be distributed when required.
• Provide regular training on right to work and sponsorship - ensuring Thames Water remains compliant with government guidance, and legislative changes.
• Manage those on SC and CTC clearance by ensuring the HR System reflects the additional clearance and then by tracking and highlighting to Security when clearance is due to expire and contacting managers of those with clearance to advise of their duties.
• Strong knowledge of UK Right to Work legislation, sponsorship requirements, and Home Office guidance
• Experience managing time limited right to work and sponsorship processes while maintaining compliance within a sponsor licence framework
• Ability to interpret and apply complex legislation, policies, and regulatory requirements.
• Experience maintaining accurate records, trackers, management information, and compliance reports
• Ability to identify risks, investigate issues, and implement corrective actions
• Resilient and confident in challenging and influencing stakeholders when compliance requirements must be met
• Confident delivering training, guidance, and presentations to managers and employees

Extra qualities that would be a great fit for our team:

• Experience using SAP HCM, Success Factors, or similar HR systems
• Proactive and self-motivated, with a continuous improvement mindset
• Knowledge of security clearance processes (SC/CTC) and associated compliance requirements
• Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD) or equivalent professional qualification and/or HR knowledge

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.

Learn more about our purpose and values

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.

• Competitive salary of £33,275 - £45,000 per annum, depending on experience
• Annual Leave - 26 days holiday per year increasing to 30 with the length of service. (plus bank holidays)
• Performance-related pay plan directly linked to company performance measures and targets.
• Generous Pension Scheme through AON.
• 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.