Instrumentation, Control and Automation Technician

Southern Water; Brede; On-site; GBP 39,000 - 56,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company van with fuel card

Health care cash plan

Competitive Pension

25 days holiday

Job summary

Southern Water is seeking an Instrumentation, Control and Automation Technician to maintain and improve ICA systems across multiple sites in Hastings and the surrounding region. You will ensure reliability and efficiency of control systems while supporting continuous improvement.

The role requires NVQ Level 3 in Electrical or Electronic Engineering (or time-served apprenticeship), PLC programming and SCADA experience, and a full UK driving licence.

Qualifications

• NVQ Level 3 in Electrical or Electronic Engineering OR time-served apprenticeship.
• Strong problem-solving and fault-finding skills.
• Full UK driving licence.
• Experience with PLC programming and SCADA systems.
• Experience maintaining Instrumentation.
• Live within 45 mins of our sites.

Responsibilities

• Planned, reactive & proactive maintenance including fault finding, calibration, testing, investigation and programming on equipment sets (telemetry, analysers, dosing equipment, control networks, MCC/LVA components).
• Implementing process improvements
• Diagnosing control system faults on PLCs (Rockwell, Mitsubishi, Allen Bradley and package plant PLCs).
• HMI & SCADA system backups and modifications.
• Setup and maintenance of site control networks.
• Undertaking planned maintenance and/or calibrating instrumentation.
• Responding to faults/ alarms
• Completing documentation accurately and in a timely manner

Skills

PLC programming

SCADA systems

Fault finding

Driving licence

Instrumentation maintenance

Education

NVQ Level 3 in Electrical or Electronic Engineering

Tools

Rockwell PLC

Mitsubishi PLC

Allen Bradley PLC

Job description

Closing Date

2026-10-07

Instrumentation, Control and Automation Technician

Location: Hastings, with travel to multiple sites in the region

Contract Type: Permanent

Hours: 38 hours/ week (Mon-Wed 08:00-16:30, Thurs-Fri 08:00-15:30), standby cover including weekends and evenings

Salary: Base salary from £38,564.10 - £55,703.70 per annum (depending on skills and experience)

Overtime and on-call payments available.

Benefits

• A company van (for business use only) which you can take home, and a fuel card, all PPE and tools
• Health Care cash plan cover (with options to upgrade for family coverage)
• Competitive Pension
• 25 days holiday allowance

For a full list of benefits, please visit our careers page or see below.

About The Role

Working in our Fresh Water Team, you will be responsible for maintaining and improving ICA systems across multiple sites. You will ensure compliance, reliability, and efficiency of control systems while supporting continuous improvement.

What You Will Be Responsible For

• Planned, reactive & proactive maintenance including fault finding, calibration, testing, investigation and programming on a variety of equipment sets including; telemetry, analysers, dosing equipment, control (e.g. networks, MCC/LVA components, PID controllers) and instrumentation (e.g. flowmeters, level transmitters, pressure transducers, temperature probes)
• Implementing process improvements
• Diagnosing control system faults on PLC control systems such as; Rockwell, Mitsubishi, Allen Bradley and a range of package plant PLC’s.
• HMI & SCADA system backups and modifications.
• Setup and maintenance of site control networks
• Undertaking planned maintenance and/or calibrating instrumentation
• Responding to faults/ alarms
• Completing documentation accurately and in a timely manner

Essential

What you’ll bring to the role:

• NVQ Level 3 in Electrical or Electronic Engineering OR time-served apprenticeship (or equivalent).
• Strong problem-solving and fault-finding skills.
• Full UK driving licence.
• Experience with PLC programming and SCADA systems.
• Experience maintaining Instrumentation.
• Live within 45 mins of our sites

Desirable

• Experience in process-oriented industries (water, petrochemical, manufacturing).
• ONC or HNC in Instrumentation, Electronics, or Control

Progression opportunities

Southern Water offers monitored career paths, training, and development opportunities.

About Southern Water

Southern Water is at the forefront of transforming Britain’s water industry, investing significantly to enhance resilience, sustainability, and service excellence. With £7.8bn planned investment for 2025-30, this is an unparalleled opportunity to join a business committed to delivering a generational shift in the way water services are managed.

At Southern Water, we believe diverse perspectives drive innovation. If you’re passionate about making a positive impact and think you can bring value to our team, we’d love to hear from you—even if you don’t tick every box.

We welcome applicants from all backgrounds, identities, and experiences. We do not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, or any other protected characteristic. If you need reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know.

At Southern Water, we believe diverse perspectives drive innovation. If you’re passionate about making a positive impact and think you can bring value to our team, we’d love to hear from you—even if you don’t tick every box. Your unique skills and experiences could be exactly what we need.

Our Commitment to Diversity

We welcome applicants from all backgrounds, identities, and experiences. We do not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, or any other protected characteristic. If you need reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know.

your skills fit in.

Additional Information

In line with Southern Water’s security requirements, successful candidates will be required to provide evidence of their identity, eligibility to work in the UK, criminal record check (DBS) and verification of their employment and/or education history for the past three years.

Appointment to this role is subject to the successful completion of all pre‑employment checks, including security vetting.

Please note that if a candidate does not meet the required security standards or fails to pass the vetting process, Southern Water reserves the right to withdraw the offer of employment. Some positions may also require higher levels of security vetting, which may involve providing additional documentation.

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