Process Improvement Engineer

Thames Water Utilities Limited; Crawley; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 50,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary up to £50,000 per年

26 days holiday increasing to 30 with

Pension scheme

Health and wellbeing benefits

Cycle to Work

Job summary

Thames Water is seeking a Process Improvement Engineer to lead and sustain optimal process performance across Sewage Treatment Works, covering effluent and sludge treatment streams. The role is hybrid with base locations in Chertsey, Crawley, Earlswood and Esher, and is a 36-hour week on a fixed-term contract for 6 months.

You will apply data-driven insights and strong stakeholder engagement to identify, develop and deliver improvements that reduce cost, boost reliability and energy efficiency,

Qualifications

• Degree in Engineering (Chemical, Wastewater, Environmental or Mechanical preferred).
• Understanding of wastewater treatment processes and assets across both effluent and sludge streams.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with stakeholders.
• Hands-on approach to support on-site process optimization.
• Analytical and troubleshooting capabilities to identify issues and solve them.
• Good organisational and prioritisation capabilities.
• Full UK Drivers Licence.

Responsibilities

• Lead and sustain optimal process performance across Sewage Treatment Works.
• Identify, develop and deliver process improvements reducing cost and improving reliability and energy efficiency.
• Act as process technical leader for assigned wastewater sites.
• Support operations with troubleshooting, optimization across effluent and sludge streams.
• Maintain Site Cockpit and Asset Availability System for wastewater sites.
• Provide evidence-based recommendations for operational decision making.
• Develop opportunities delivering OPEX reduction, CAPEX optimisation, and cost avoidance.
• Initiate and manage projects within the EoW Programme.

Education

Engineering degree (Chemical/Wastewater/Environmental/Mechanical)

Job description

Hybrid - Chertsey (STW), Hybrid - Crawley (STW), Hybrid - Earlswood (STW), Hybrid - Esher (STW)

Job title Process Improvement Engineer Ref 45502 Division Asset Operations & Capital Delivery Location Hybrid - Chertsey (STW), Hybrid - Crawley (STW), Hybrid - Earlswood (STW), Hybrid - Esher (STW) Contract type Fixed term/Secondment Full/Part-time Full-time Hours 36 hour per week. Salary Competitive salary up to £50,000 per annum depending on experience. Job grade B Closing date 24/08/2026

Please note this is a fixed term contract opportunity for 6 months.

We are seeking a Process Improvement Engineer to join a high-profile team at an exciting time of change within the company. You will be responsible for leading and sustaining optimal process performance across Sewage Treatment Works, covering both effluent and sludge treatment streams.

What you’ll be doing as a Process Improvement Engineer

Through data‑led insights and strong stakeholder engagement you will identify, develop and deliver process improvements that reduce cost, improve reliability, enhance energy efficiency, and support long‑term asset and business strategy.

Other responsibilities:

• Act as the process technical leadership for assigned wastewater treatment sites.
• Support operations with reactive troubleshooting, optimisation, and proactive improvement across effluent and sludge treatment processes
• Own and maintain the Site Cockpit and Asset Availability System for wastewater treatment sites, encompasses digestion and dewatering sites.
• Facilitate regular operational discussion around Process Performance through weekly generation reporting packs, weekly generation meetings, site‑based meetings, inter‑siting reporting, and digester health‑check reporting.
• Provide evidence‑based recommendations to support operational decision‑making
• Identify and develop potential Process Improvement opportunities across sites delivering Operational Expenditure (OPEX) reduction, Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) optimisation, Cost Avoidance.
• Initiate, develop, manage and implement projects within the EoW Programme, delivering multi‑million‑pound “spend to save” capital investments.
• Act as the technical interface between Operations and internal and external stakeholders.

Base location:Hybrid - Chertsey (STW), Hybrid - Crawley (STW), Hybrid - Earlswood (STW), Hybrid - Esher (STW)

Working pattern or hours: 36 hours Mon‑Fri

Necessary requirements for the role: Full UK Drivers Licence as you will be responsible for operational support onsite for a few sites which require you to travel to site based on business requirement.

What you should bring to the role

To thrive in this role, the essential criteria you’ll need is:

• Degree in Engineering (Chemical, Wastewater, Environmental or Mechanical preferred) and / or relevant industry experience and understanding of the wastewater business.
• Understanding of wastewater treatment processes and associated assets across both effluent and sludge streams.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to build effective working relationships with operational and technical stakeholders
• Hands‑on approach to support reactive process optimization activities on site.
• Possess analytical and troubleshooting capabilities to identify issues and drive practical and effective solutions.
• Good organisational and prioritisation capabilities.
• Full UK Drivers Licence.

What’s in it for you?

• Competitive salary up to £50,000 per annum depending on experience.
• 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.

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 our 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 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.