Sampling Technician

Affinity Water; Staines-upon-Thames; On-site; GBP 29,000 - 36,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company Van

Annual leave 23-27 days

Annual bonus scheme

Double match pension (up to 12%)

Tap4Perks discounts

Family benefits

Wellbeing Centre

Life Assurance

Affinity days for volunteering

Job summary

Affinity Water is looking for a Sampling Technician in Staines to safeguard water quality through field sampling and office coordination. You’ll collect samples, follow QA procedures and support data entry with mobile devices and bespoke software.

The role includes planning sampling schedules, handling customer queries, and ensuring health & safety compliance. Training will be provided, with opportunities for development and a company-wide bonus scheme.

Qualifications

• Qualification in a scientific field (A-levels or above).
• Excellent time management and organisational skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and general IT skills.
• Ability to work on weekend and standby rotas.

Responsibilities

• Collect water samples at customer premises and Affinity Water sites following ISO17025 procedures.
• Process and input sampling data using bespoke IT programmes and mobile devices.
• Plan sampling schedules and reschedule activities to meet regulatory targets.
• Coordinate with customers and schedule appointments, handling queries on water quality.
• Support with health & safety, COSHH, and manual handling training and compliance.
• Participate in standby cover and weekend sampling rota.

Skills

Time management

Organisational skills

IT skills

Driving Licence

Education

A-levels or above in a scientific discipline

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Affinity Water has an exciting new role available in our Scientific Services Sampling Team in Staines. Our Water Quality and Scientific Services teams play a vital role in ensuring we meet our regulatory commitments and maintain 100% compliance with Water Quality Sampling Regulations. Through regular and investigative sampling, our teams help safeguard water quality and uphold the confidence our customers place in us.

The Role:

As a Sampling Technician you will play a key role in safeguarding water quality for our customers and communities. This role is a balance of technical fieldwork and office-based coordination, giving you variety and the opportunity to develop a wide range of skills. When working in the field, you'll carry out routine and non-routine sampling activities at Affinity Water sites and customer premises. You'll often work independently, following strict quality control procedures to collect water samples that meet the highest standards, including compliance with UKAS (DWTS) requirements. Your work will be central to ensuring water safety and quality across our supply network. When based in the office, you'll support the planning and organisation of sampling operations. This includes preparing collection schedules for compliance, operational, and ad-hoc samples, as well as managing customer queries about water quality. You'll help arrange and attend customer appointments, plan sampling rotas, reschedule work when needed, and provide support with AQC activities. To help you succeed, you'll be fully trained by a Sampling Team Leader and will take part in company-led training and development, including safety-critical courses such as Health & Safety, COSHH (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health), and Manual Handling. This will give you the confidence and technical knowledge to carry out your responsibilities safely and effectively.

What you’ll be doing:

• Collection of samples to monitor Water Quality in accordance with procedures to ISO17025 standard involving quality data processing, including randomised water quality samples from customer premises which can cover an area of North and West London.
• Taking water quality samples from customer premises during scheduled appointments to investigate complaints and aid resolution based on scientific evidence.
• Planning sampling schedules and rescheduling samples to meet our regulatory targets. Supporting response to PCV contraventions.
• Using bespoke IT programmes and Apps to input sampling data. Using a mobile hand device to collect data.
• Ensuring that all health and safety obligations are met to promote an environment of zero harm.
• Participating in scheduled standby cover and compliance sampling weekend rota.

What you need:

• UK Driving Licence
  A qualification (A-levels or above) in a scientific discipline or relevant experience in a scientific field.
• Excellent time management and organisational skills, with the ability to balance competing priorities and deliver performance expectations.
• Proficiency in IT skills, including Microsoft Office packages.
• Ability to work on weekend and standby rotas.
• Excellent time management and organisational skills, with the ability to balance competing priorities and deliver performance expectations
• Affinity Water recognises the benefits of greater diversity in our workforce to better reflect the communities we serve. We are committed to building a more inclusive culture where every member of our workforce can thrive.
• You can find out what it's like to work at Affinity Water through our career site https://www.affinitywatercareers.co.uk/ where our colleagues share their career development stories and you can get a feel for our company culture.
• Salary: £32,512 (salary dependant on skills and experience)
• Company Van
• Hours of Work: 08:00am - 16:00pm (Mon - Thurs) 08:00am - 15:30pm (Friday)
• Stand By: 1 in 10 standard stand By, weekend work will be 1 day in 5 weeks.
• Learning and development opportunities, including mentoring and a range of formal courses and open learning resources.
• Entry into the company annual bonus scheme.
• Annual leave from 23-27 rising with length of service, and the option to purchase up to 5 extra days.
• A 'Celebration Day' in addition to public holidays that people can use to celebrate a religious festival or other occasion that is important to them.
• A generous 'double match pension scheme' that doubles the contributions you make (company contribution capped at 12%)
• We offer a range of family benefits including enhanced Maternity, Adoption, Paternity, Shared Parental Leave, Fertility Support Leave and up to 5 full or 10 half days of paid Carers Leave.
• Menopause policy and Reasonable Adjustment policy to help everyone perform at their best.
• Access to our Wellbeing Centre with support for looking after your physical and mental health.
• Discounts at a Range of Retail Outlets through our Tap4Perks scheme
• Discounts on Dental and Medical Insurance through our Tap4Perks scheme through salary sacrifice
• Up to 4 Affinity days a year to volunteer in the community.
• Life Assurance.