Instrument Control Automation Technician (Control and Instrumentation Technician)

Thames Water Utilities Limited; London; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 46,000; Full time

Job summary

Thames Water Utilities Limited is seeking an Instrument Control Automation Technician to join their Water Production Operations Team in North East London. This full-time role involves maintaining water production assets and ensuring water quality compliance while offering a competitive salary and additional earning potential through standby and overtime. Benefits include a defined contribution pension and annual leave that increases with service. A valid driving license is required for this mobile position.

Benefits

Standby rota payments

24 days holiday plus bank holidays

Contributory pension scheme

Personal medical assessments

Wider benefits scheme

Qualifications

• Strong practical understanding of operational assets and control systems.
• Solid understanding of SCADA systems.
• Ability to read and fault find from circuit diagrams.

Responsibilities

• Installations, commissioning, maintenance, and repairs of water production assets.
• Work with SCADA systems and PLCs.
• Investigate asset failures and implement repairs.

Skills

SCADA

PLC

Control systems

Operational assets

Teamwork

Communication

Education

HNC/Level 4 education

Job description

Job title Instrument Control Automation Technician (Control and Instrumentation Technician) Ref 39052 Division Asset Operations & Capital Delivery Location Coppermills - East London - E17 7HE Contract type Permanent Full/Part-time Full-time Hours 38 Hours a week Monday- Friday 7:30am – 3:36pm plus standby & overtime opportunity increasing earning by potential £8,000-£10,000 per annum upon completion of essential company training Salary Competitive salary up to £45,600 per annum depending on skills and experience. Job grade A Closing date 20/06/2025

About the role:

We currently have an exciting opportunity for an Instrumentation, Control & Automation (ICA) or Control and Instrumentation (C&I) technician to join our Water Production Operations Team based in the North East London region.

This is a mobile role, where you would be required to work on various Water Treatment Works and borehole sites around the Chingford, Walthamstow, Waltham Abbey and Stonebridge Park areas.

We are looking for someone who can work in a safe, efficient, timely and effective manner with minimum supervision while maintaining the required standards to ensure that our statutory obligations are met and that asset availability and the associated performance measures are maintained to manufacturers' standards.

An ICA Technician may also operate and optimise processes and on-site equipment to ensure delivery of water quality compliance, safety, and operational efficiencies both in and out of normal hours.

What you’ll be doing as an Instrument Control Automation Technician (Control and Instrumentation Technician)

• The role would include installations, commissioning, maintenance, and repairs of water production assets, including level instrumentation, flow meters, and Tand VM’s turbidity monitors.
• Working with technology, including SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) systems, associated PLCs (Programmable Logic Controllers), and Process control networks.
• Liaise with and supervise contractors and suppliers where necessary.
• This vital role also involves the investigation into asset failures and the implementation of subsequent repairs as quickly and efficiently as possible to avoid interruptions to the water supply process.
• You will be responsible for providing specialist technical advice where appropriate, with up-to-date technical knowledge, and providing training support for technical apprentices.

Base Location: Due to the nature of this role, you can be contractually based at the Coppermills Water Production site close to Walthamstow.

Working pattern is 38 Hours Monday-Friday 7:30 am –3:36 p.m., plus standby & opportunity to increase earnings by a potential £8,000 to £10,000.

Please note that all PPE, tools, a company van and a fuel card are provided.

What you should bring to the role

• A strong practical understanding of operational assets and control systems is essential.
• A solid understanding of SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) systems.
• Fully versed with relay logic and PLCs (Rockwell & Alan Bradley), which will include management and programming.
• The ideal candidate will have the ability to read and fault find from circuit diagrams, as well as have previous experience with inverter drives.
• Applicants should ideally have an HNC/Level 4 education or 6 + years’ experience, including time-served apprenticeship within Control, Instrumentation and Automation.
• Due to the nature of the role, a valid driving license is essential, as the position will require working across several sites in your assigned region.
• Always have a safety-conscious mindset.
• Be a self-motivated individual who can immerse themselves into the team around them, you need to be very disciplined, have the desire to learn from those around you and have a can-do attitude. This role can be demanding at times, but extremely rewarding.
• Take Ownership of responding quickly to faults, being curious to fully understand the problem, and identifying the best solution to resolve it the first time.
• Have excellent communication and interpersonal skills to interact with the team.
• Teamwork – We are one team, and our end goals are the same.
• Proactive – Take the lead on recommendations and improvements around the sites and communicate effectively.

What’s in it for you?

• Competitive salary up to £45,600 per annum, depending on skills and experience.
• Standby rota payments & overtime opportunities can increase this earning potential by up to a further £8,000-£10,000 per annum upon completion of essential company training.
• 24 days holiday per year, increasing to 28 days with the length of service. (Plus bank holidays)
• Contributory pension – Defined Contribution - Maximum of 12% -2x employee contribution.
• Personal Medical Assessments – Open to all once a year.
• Wider benefits scheme, including our benefits hub, which is packed full of offers and information to save you money and support your well-being.

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.

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 fast-tracked career opportunities, flexible working arrangements and excellent benefits.

Whether you’re interested in a role in one of our call centres or science labs, we’re looking for people like you with real passion and a burning desire to make things better.

So, 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.

Our overarching aim is to ensure that Thames Water is great, diverse, and inclusive place to work. We welcome applications from everyone and offer extra support for those who need it throughout the recruitment process . Our aim is to remove any real or perceived barriers to success, so if you need assistance, 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.

Disclaimer: due to the high volume of applications we receive, we may close the advert earlier than the advertised date, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.