Sampling Quality Technician

Thames Water Ltd; Reading; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 32,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company van for business use

Annual leave 24-28 days + bank hols

Pension scheme through AON

Health and wellbeing benefits

Job summary

Thames Water is seeking a Sampling Quality Technician to travel between sites, collect water samples, and support Major Projects across our region. This field-based role includes a company vehicle, regular hours, and opportunities to develop essential skills in a regulated environment.

Working hours are Monday to Friday, 07:00–15:00, with weekend standby as the team grows. You will need a clean driving licence, strong organisation, and attention to detail to ensure compliant, reliable sampling

Qualifications

• A clean full manual driving licence is essential.
• Experience in water or wastewater sampling is desirable but not essential.
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to plan routes, drive safely, maintain a van and work independently.
• Experience working in a regulated environment such as ISO17025, DWI or EA standards is desirable.
• Good computer literacy and attention to detail, with the ability to follow technical procedures.
• Experience with manual handling and safe working practices on operational sites.

Responsibilities

• On the move daily, travelling between sites and working independently while being part of a wider team covering a large geographical area.
• Collecting water samples from wastewater treatment sites, including working with both crude and treated sewage.
• Coordinate with internal teams to arrange site access and sampling schedules, building strong working relationships to ensure smooth delivery of services.
• Responsible for achieving SLA and KPI targets, contributing to the overall performance and reliability of the sampling function.
• Manage sampling records and maintain sampling equipment, ensuring everything is kept in line with industry standards.

Skills

Full manual driving licence

Organisational skills

Route planning

Independent working

Experience in regulated environments (

Job description

As the UK’s largest water company, we’re taking action to fix today’s challenges and build a more resilient water future. With major investment underway to upgrade our assets, this is an exciting moment to join us.

Our sampling teams play a crucial role in supporting Major Projects and Programmes that improve services for millions of customers and deliver essential environmental benefits across our region. If you’re looking for a role with purpose and real impact, this is your opportunity to make a difference.

Main responsibilities as a Sampling Quality Technician

• On the move daily, travelling between sites and working independently while being part of a wider team covering a large geographical area.
• Collecting water samples from wastewater treatment sites, including working with both crude and treated sewage.
• Coordinate with internal teams to arrange site access and sampling schedules, building strong working relationships to ensure smooth delivery of services.
• Responsible for achieving SLA and KPI targets, contributing to the overall performance and reliability of the sampling function.
• Manage sampling records and maintain sampling equipment, ensuring everything is kept in line with industry standards.

Base location: Spencer House, Reading – Field Based

Working hours: Monday to Friday, 07:00 to 15:00. There will be a requirement for weekend standby. This won’t be needed immediately but is expected to come into effect within the next 12 months as the team grows.

What you should bring to the role

• A clean full manual driving licence is essential.
• Experience in water or wastewater sampling is desirable but not essential.
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to plan routes, drive safely, maintain a van and work independently.
• Experience working in a regulated environment such as ISO17025, DWI or EA standards is desirable.
• Good computer literacy and attention to detail, with the ability to follow technical procedures.
• Experience with manual handling and safe working practices on operational sites.

What’s in it for you?

• Competitive starting salary of up to £29,349 per annum.
• Use of a company van for business purposes.
• Annual Leave - 24 days holiday per year, increasing to 28 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.

As part of the screening process, you will be asked to complete a short 30-minute assessment. This helps us understand your suitability for the role and ensures you have the core skills needed to succeed.

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.

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 tohelp 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.

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.

Sampling Quality Technician

Company: Thames Water

Salary: £29,349 to £29,349 a year

Hours: Full-time

Location: Reading, RG2 0JN

Job type: Permanent

Posting date: 22 Oct 2026

Closing date: 4 Nov 2026

Summary

As the UK’s largest water company, we’re taking action to fix today’s challenges and build a more resilient water future. With major investment underway to upgrade our assets, this is an exciting moment to join us.

Our sampling teams play a crucial role in supporting Major Projects and Programmes that improve services for millions of customers and deliver essential environmental benefits across our region. If you’re looking for a role with purpose and real impact, this is your opportunity to make a difference.

Main responsibilities as a Sampling Quality Technician

- On the move daily, travelling between sites and working independently while being part of a wider team covering a large geographical area.

- Collecting water samples from wastewater treatment sites, including working with both crude and treated sewage.

- Coordinate with internal teams to arrange site access and sampling schedules, building strong working relationships to ensure smooth delivery of services.

- Responsible for achieving SLA and KPI targets, contributing to the overall performance and reliability of the sampling function.

- Manage sampling records and maintain sampling equipment, ensuring everything is kept in line with industry standards.

Base location: Spencer House, Reading – Field Based

Working hours: Monday to Friday, 07:00 to 15:00. There will be a requirement for weekend standby. This won’t be needed immediately but is expected to come into effect within the next 12 months as the team grows.

What you should bring to the role

- A clean full manual driving licence is essential.

- Experience in water or wastewater sampling is desirable but not essential.

- Strong organisational skills with the ability to plan routes, drive safely, maintain a van and work independently.

- Experience working in a regulated environment such as ISO17025, DWI or EA standards is desirable.

- Good computer literacy and attention to detail, with the ability to follow technical procedures.

- Experience with manual handling and safe working practices on operational sites.

What’s in it for you?

- Competitive starting salary of up to £29,349 per annum.

- Use of a company van for business purposes.

- Annual Leave - 24 days holiday per year, increasing to 28 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.

As part of the screening process, you will be asked to complete a short 30-minute assessment. This helps us understand your suitability for the role and ensures you have the core skills needed to succeed.

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 of our families.

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 tohelp 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 your 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.

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.