Operational Planning Engineer

Allscreens Nationwide Ltd; Reading; On-site; GBP 48,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension scheme

Performance-related pay

Health and wellbeing benefits

Job summary

Thames Water is seeking an Operational Planning Engineer to shape the strategy and performance of the water supply network across the London area. You will coordinate outages and develop weekly, monthly and annual plans to ensure resilience and reliable service for millions of customers.

Based in Reading, you will collaborate with asset management and capital delivery teams, support permits to work, and analyse system performance data from SCADA and PI systems to optimise operations.

Qualifications

• Degree in Science, Engineering or Environmental field.
• Water industry experience would be beneficial.
• Strong communication skills with an innovative approach to engaging with diverse stakeholders.
• Competence in health and safety practices.
• Ability to deliver against operational targets and analyse key performance data from SCADA and PI systems.

Responsibilities

• Working closely with water production and network teams to ensure overall optimum water supply system performance.
• Maintaining and facilitating the outage plan for the London water supply to enable maintenance and statutory inspections without impacting water quality or supply to customers.
• Assisting the London strategic control manager in maintaining weekly and annual production plans for optimal system operation.
• Carrying out supply/demand mass balance studies to assess system resilience.
• Providing technical support and/or risk assessments for permits to work on the supply system.

Skills

Strong communication skills

Health and safety practices

SCADA data analysis

Stakeholder engagement

Education

Degree in Science, Engineering or Environmental field

Job description

As an Operational Planning Engineer, you’ll play a central role in shaping the strategy and performance of Thames Water’s supply system. Your work will focus on the bigger picture — optimising system performance, coordinating outages, and ensuring long‑term supply and demand resilience. You’ll take the lead on weekly, monthly, and annual planning, developing and maintaining strategies that keep the London water network running efficiently for millions of customers.

Please note: internal title: Senior Control & Planning Engineer.

Company

Thames Water

Salary

£47,680 - £60,000

Hours

Full‑time

Location

Reading, RG2 6AD

Job type

Permanent

Posting date

22 Aug 2026

Closing date

4 Sept 2026

What you’ll be doing as an Operational Planning Engineer

• Working closely with water production and network teams to ensure overall optimum water supply system performance. You will also collaborate across asset management and capital delivery teams to ensure new assets meet performance requirements.
• Maintaining and facilitating the outage plan for the London water supply to enable maintenance and statutory inspections without impacting water quality or supply to customers.
• Assisting the London strategic control manager in maintaining weekly and annual production plans for optimal system operation.
• Carrying out supply/demand mass balance studies to assess system resilience.
• Providing technical support and/or risk assessments for permits to work on the supply system.

Base Location

Thames Valley, Home Counties & London

Working Hours

Monday to Friday, 8 am to 4 pm or 9 am to 5 pm. Availability for standby - standby rota 1 week in 5.

What you should bring to the role

• Water industry experience would be beneficial.
• Degree in Science, Engineering or Environmental field.
• Strong communication skills with an innovative approach to engaging with diverse stakeholders.
• Competence in health and safety practices.
• Ability to deliver against operational targets and analyse key performance data from SCADA and PI systems.

What’s in it for you?

• Competitive salary from £47,680 up to £60,000 per annum.
• 26 days holiday per year, increasing to 30 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 yourself 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.

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.

Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme

About Disability Confident

Disability Confident is a government scheme. It encourages employers to recruit and retain disabled people and those with long term health conditions.