Process Operator - Waste Water

Southern Water group; Hastings; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 34,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health Care cash plan cover

Competitive Pension

Job summary

Southern Water is seeking a Wastewater Process Operator in Hastings to ensure wastewater treatment works and pumping stations run smoothly, with responsibilities including compliance testing and data reporting for regulatory compliance.

You will also maintain pumps, screens, and valves, repair alarm systems, and handle sampling equipment and chemical deliveries safely. A full UK driving licence and willingness to travel between sites are essential.

Qualifications

• Essential valid UK manual driving licence.
• Comfortable working outdoors in all weather conditions.
• Ability to manage time effectively and work independently.
• Willingness to learn and operate complex processes.
• Adaptable, reliable and self-motivated.

Responsibilities

• Compliance testing and monitoring.
• Maintenance tasks including unblocking pumps, screens, and valves.
• Repair of alarm systems and fault resolution.
• Monitoring, collating, and reporting data for regulatory compliance.
• Carrying out regular sampling and maintaining sampling equipment.
• Receiving and handling chemical deliveries safely.
• Using IT systems to log maintenance tasks and ensure safety compliance.

Skills

Driving licence

Outdoor work

Time management

Independent worker

Willingness to learn

Job description

Closing Date 2026-08-21 Wastewater Process Operator Location: Hastings - you will also need to be willing to travel across multiple sites and have a current full driving licence. Contract Type: Permanent Hours: 38 hours Salary: £29,325 per annum, plus standby and overtime opportunities. Standby rota participation can increase earnings significantly.

Benefits

• Health Care cash plan cover (with options to upgrade for family coverage)
• Competitive Pension

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

About the role

Join our frontline operations team in Hastings to ensure wastewater treatment works and pumping stations run smoothly. This role is critical to maintaining compliance, protecting the environment, and delivering excellent service to our customers.

What you will be responsible for

• Compliance testing and monitoring.
• Maintenance tasks including unblocking pumps, screens, and valves.
• Repair of alarm systems and fault resolution.
• Monitoring, collating, and reporting data for regulatory compliance.
• Carrying out regular sampling and maintaining sampling equipment.
• Receiving and handling chemical deliveries safely.
• Using IT systems to log maintenance tasks and ensure safety compliance.

Additional Requirements

There may be opportunities for you to join the standby rota.

What you’ll bring to the role

• Essential Valid UK manual driving licence.
• Comfortable working outdoors in all weather conditions.
• Adaptable, reliable, and self-motivated.
• Good time management and ability to work independently.
• Keen to learn and operate complex processes.

Desirable

• Experience in wastewater operations or similar process industries.
• Basic mechanical or electrical maintenance skills.

Progression opportunities

Southern Water offers career progression, 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.

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.

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.

Our purpose is big. Our impact is huge. And we know that every single one of us has the power, through our actions, to positively change society and the environment for good. It’s why careers with us have real meaning. Because, if you’re driven and ambitious, we can offer you huge opportunities for personal growth, professional development and constant innovation.

Forever evolving. Forever focused on doing the right thing, we empower and encourage everyone to play to their strengths and to help us shape a fair and positive future for all.

We believe in Water for Life. If you do too, Dive Right In. Our customers are at the heart of everything we do, because delivering water for life is our core purpose. To achieve this, we need 24/7 support in place to resolve incidents quickly and efficiently. All our employees understand the importance of out-of-hours incident support – because when problems appear, fixing them is our top priority. That’s why our people join together and support when and however needed to make sure our customers get the service they deserve.

Joining the Southern Water family means you’ll become part of our incident support team. During your interview, your manager will speak to you about any incident support rotas that apply to your position. Does this opportunity excite you but you’re not 100% sure if you meet all the requirements for the role? Or are you concerned that ‘normal’ office hours aren’t possible given your personal circumstances? Whilst we can’t accommodate every flexible working request, we’ll try to find a practical solution. So why not engage with us and find out more about this role?