Regional SCADA Engineer

Thames Water Utilities Limited; Reading; Hybrid; GBP 47,000 - 56,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company is seeking a Regional SCADA Engineer to support critical operational technology systems. The role involves maintaining SCADA systems, ensuring high availability, and providing technical expertise. With a competitive salary and various benefits, this position offers extensive opportunities for professional growth in a dynamic working environment.

Benefits

Annual Leave - 26 days holiday per year

Generous Pension Scheme

Access to health and wellbeing benefits

Qualifications

• Experience in maintenance/support of SCADA or ICA systems.
• Recognised technical qualification in Operational Technology.
• Familiarity with change control and fault escalation.

Responsibilities

• Maintain high availability of the Regional SCADA platform.
• Perform proactive system maintenance and upgrades.
• Investigate incidents and escalate faults.

Skills

Problem-solving

Diagnostic skills

Communication

Customer service

Education

Technical qualification in Operational Technology, ICA, or SCADA systems

Tools

Schneider Electric Geo SCADA

Microsoft Office

Job description

Job title Regional SCADA Engineer Ref 41355 Division Digital Location Hybrid - Reading (STW) - RG2 0RP Contract type Permanent Full/Part-time Full-time Salary Salary up to £56,000 per annum depending on experience Job grade B Closing date 20/06/2025

We are looking for a highly motivated and technically skilled SCADA Systems Engineer to join our Operational Technology (OT) Regional SCADA support team. In this role, you will support the critical systems that keep our operations running 24/7—delivering clean water and wastewater services to millions of customers.

You will be responsible for maintaining and supporting Thames Water’s Regional SCADA systems (based on Schneider Electric Geo SCADA), ensuring their security, resilience, and availability. Your work will enable real-time monitoring and control of thousands of operational assets, supporting the System Operations Control Centre and wider engineering and delivery teams.

This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to one of the largest SCADA estates in the UK, helping to improve performance, reduce downtime, and drive innovation in a business delivering life’s essential service every day.

What you’ll do as a Regional SCADA Engineer:

SCADA System Support:

• Maintain high availability of the Regional SCADA platform (targeting 99.2% uptime or higher).
• Perform proactive system maintenance, patching, upgrades, and configuration management.
• Diagnose and resolve faults across SCADA applications, RTUs, and client workstations.
• Participate in the SCADA emergency support roster, providing in-hours and out-of-hours fault response.
• Investigate high-impact incidents and escalate recurring faults for permanent resolution.
• Deliver responsive support for SCADA-related service requests and incidents.
• Manage access and data requests in line with OT policies and security controls.
• Ensure all changes align with defined operational requirements and compliance standards.

Project & Change Support:

• Work with Capital Delivery and project teams to ensure SCADA changes follow operational procedures and minimise risk.
• Review and approve design proposals, identifying technical and operational risks.
• Provide technical assurance during implementation to protect live system integrity.

Technical Collaboration & Subject Matter Expertise:

• Act as a key technical contact for SCADA standards, configuration, and performance optimisation.
• Support integration teams and contractors with expert guidance and assurance on best practices.
• Collaborate with OT engineers and contribute to the delivery of innovative, future-proof SCADA solutions.
• Develop and maintain disaster recovery, fault response, and continuity documentation.
• Contribute to knowledge articles, guides, and internal training to upskill peers.
• Identify and lead opportunities for process improvement, automation, and increased system resilience.

Base location – Hybrid – Thames Valley-based offices and operational sites
Working pattern – 36 hours Monday to Friday, with participation in an on-call rota.

What you should bring to the role:

• Experience in the maintenance, support, or technical delivery of SCADA or Industrial Control & Automation (ICA) systems.
• Proven ability to work collaboratively with operations teams, contractors, and technical specialists.
• Strong communication and customer service skills, with experience translating technical language for diverse audiences.
• Excellent problem-solving and diagnostic skills, with the ability to assess impact and resolve issues under pressure.
• Familiarity with change control, risk management, and fault escalation processes in critical systems environments.

Essential Technical Skills & Qualifications:

• Recognised technical qualification in Operational Technology, ICA, or SCADA systems.
• Practical experience supporting Schneider Electric Geo SCADA (formerly ClearSCADA) or similar platforms.
• Good working knowledge of SCADA configurations, RTUs, client systems, and associated telemetry protocols.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office and common IT platforms for analysis and reporting.
• Experience working in regulated utility or critical infrastructure environments. (e.g. water, power, rail).
• Exposure to cybersecurity principles in industrial environments, including OT security standards.
• Familiarity with a broad range of OT technologies, integration practices, and industrial automation tools.
• Ability to prioritise workload and manage reactive support alongside structured project work.

Desirable Technical Skills & Qualifications:

• Strong understanding of communication protocols such as WITS-DNP3, Modbus, and other industrial standards.
• Experience with scripting or automation tools (e.g. Python, SQL, PowerShell) to enhance system support and reporting.
• Certifications or training in OT networks, SCADA cybersecurity, or related disciplines.
• Experience developing support documentation and user training materials to enhance team capability.

What’s in it for you?

• Competitive salary up to £56,000 per annum, depending on experience.
• Annual Leave - 26 days holiday per year, increasing to 30 with the length of service. (plus bank holidays)
• 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.

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.

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 fast-tracked career opportunities, flexible working arrangements and excellent benefits.

Whether you’re interested in a role in one of our call centres or science labs, we’re looking for people like you with real passion and a burning desire to make things better.

So, 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.

Our overarching aim is to ensure that Thames Water is great, diverse, and inclusive place to work. We welcome applications from everyone and offer extra support for those who need it throughout the recruitment process . Our aim is to remove any real or perceived barriers to success, so if you need assistance, 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.

Disclaimer: due to the high volume of applications we receive, we may close the advert earlier than the advertised date, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.