Regional Controller

South West Water Limited; Exeter; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous holiday allowance

Pension scheme

Training and development

Job summary

South West Water Limited is recruiting a Regional Controller to deliver central operational control across Wastewater Services regions. You will monitor real-time alarms, coordinate responses with field teams and planning, and ensure regulatory compliance while minimising environmental impact.

In this fast-paced role you’ll work with regional operations, planners, and central teams to manage incidents and outages, optimise resources, and support weather-related decision making.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 5 GCSEs (or equivalent), including Maths, English, and a Science subject.
• A-levels or recognised Water Industry qualifications.
• Wastewater operations experience is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Monitor, operate and intervene remotely on wastewater assets using key systems (FFP, Lightfoot, etc).
• Maintain real-time visibility of asset performance across the region.
• Perform real-time alarm monitoring and management of wastewater assets.
• Triage and support early resolution of P3 and P4 alarms per SLAs.
• Escalate issues to operational teams as required.
• Coordinate with field teams, planning and scheduling to optimise responses.
• Provide clear communication to ensure timely delivery of reactive and planned activities.
• Support pollution response activities led by Central Technicians.
• Coordinate weather-informed planning and reactive work with weather forecasts.
• Provide cover for other Regional Controllers as needed.

Skills

Incident coordination

Alarm monitoring

Regulatory compliance

Planning & scheduling

Field collaboration

Real-time data

Education

GCSEs incl Maths English Science

A-levels or Water Industry qualifications

Tools

FFP

Lightfoot

CIRT/DTN

Job description

Powered by Water, Driven by Purpose

South West Water keeps the South West flowing with safe, reliable drinking water and wastewater services across some of the UK’s most stunning landscapes.

We’re proud to be part of Pennon Group, a leader in the UK water sector, working towards a greener future. Our goals? As well as lowering our carbon footprint, we’re working with partners to plant 300,000 trees, restore peatlands and supporting farmers and landowners to improve water quality and wildlife.

Whether you’re starting out or seeking a new challenge, our scale and ambition create opportunities for you to shape your own career.

Ready to make a splash? Join our team today.

We have an opportunity available for a Regional Controller to join our team and play a vital role in delivering central operational control across Wastewater Services regions.

In this fast-paced and critical role, you’ll work closely with regional operational teams, planners, and central functions to coordinate real-time responses to alarms and incidents, ensuring wastewater assets are managed safely and efficiently. You’ll help drive a proactive approach to regulatory compliance and pollution risk mitigation, minimising environmental impact while maintaining service excellence.

What you'll be doing:

• Monitor, operate, and intervene remotely on WWS assets using key operational systems (e.g. FFP, Lightfoot and other relevant platforms).

• Maintain real-time visibility of asset performance across the designated region.

• Perform real-time alarm monitoring and management across wastewater assets.

• Triage, prioritise, and support early resolution of all P3 and P4 alarms in line with agreed Service Level Agreements (SLAs).

• Escalate issues appropriately to operational teams where required.

• Act as a central coordination point between field colleagues, operational teams, and planning and scheduling teams to optimise response effectiveness.

• Provide clear, timely communication to ensure aligned and efficient delivery of reactive and planned activities.

• Support pollution response activities led by WWS Central Technicians

• Ensure timely coordination and communication to minimise environmental impact and support effective resolution of pollution incidents.

• Track weather conditions using systems such as CIRT/DTN.

• Trigger Wet Weather escalation processes when required.

• Coordinate regional response activities to mitigate the impacts of adverse weather conditions.

• Develop and embed weather-related processes to inform both planned and reactive work, based on short- and medium-term forecasts.

• Provide operational cover for other WWS Regional Controllers as required.

• Support additional roles within the WWS Central Control Room team to maintain service continuity.

What we are looking for:

• Experience working within wastewater, water, utilities, or a similarly operationally critical environment

• Demonstrable experience in incident, alarm, or control room operations, or a comparable coordination role

• Proven ability to support or coordinate reactive operational responses, including incident or pollution events

• Good understanding of regulatory compliance within an operational or environmental setting

• Experience working with field-based teams and planning/scheduling functions to optimise resource deployment

• Confidence using real-time data and monitoring systems to inform operational decision-making

Qualifications & Experience:

Required:

• Minimum of 5 GCSEs (or equivalent), including Maths, English, and a Science subject

Desirable:

• A-levels or recognised Water Industry qualifications

• Wastewater operations experience

What's in it for you:

• Generous holiday allowance with the ability to buy and sell annual leave for added flexibility.

• Competitive company pension scheme.

• Training and development within the role.

• Access to thousands of discounts and vouchers through Pennon Perks.

• 24/7 support with our Employee Assistance Programme.

• Discretionary bonus.

• Cycle to work scheme.

• And more!

Closing Date: 1st November 2026

We may close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of applications. We encourage you to apply as soon as possible.

Please note that the successful candidate will be subject to a mandatory DBS check as part of the onboarding process.

Be yourself, we like it that way. Together, we will build a culture of belonging, where inclusion is instinctive. Diversity is our strength and a reflection of our communities. We care, we value everyone, we celebrate uniqueness.

Our core values, which are essential to our success, are:

Be Rock Solid - Build trust and be trusted. Be the one we all look to and can depend on.

Be You - We want you to bring your best everyday. Be yourself and make your mark in your individual way.

Be the Future - Embrace change. Drive Progress. Own the challenge.