Systems Engineer – OT Regional SCADA Support

Thames Water; Reading; On-site; GBP 56,000 - 66,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading water utility company is seeking a SCADA Engineer in Reading, UK, to ensure the reliability and optimization of their SCADA systems. The ideal candidate will support the operational control team, maintain system availability, and contribute to a culture of technical excellence. This role requires expertise in SCADA systems, strong analytical skills, and the ability to build effective relationships across teams. Competitive salary and excellent benefits are offered, showcasing the commitment to employee wellbeing.

Benefits

Competitive salary up to £66,000

£4,500 Car Allowance

26 days annual leave

Performance-related pay plan

Generous Pension Scheme

Health and wellbeing benefits

Qualifications

• Experience maintaining or delivering SCADA systems.
• Ability to build effective working relationships across teams.
• Strong communication skills for technical and non-technical support.
• Excellent analytical skills to assess complex issues.
• Experience with change management in regulated environments.

Responsibilities

• Maintain operation of Regional SCADA systems for high availability.
• Perform maintenance, updates, and enhancements on SCADA systems.
• Respond rapidly to faults and failures to minimize downtime.
• Support and maintain RTU estate with configuration standards.
• Participate in SCADA emergency support rota.

Skills

SCADA or Industrial Control & Automation systems

Building effective working relationships

Strong communication and customer service skills

Analytical and problem-solving skills

Change management and risk assessment

Education

Recognised technical qualification in OT, ICA, SCADA

Tools

Microsoft Office

Schneider Electric Geo SCADA

Job description

As a SCADA Engineer within Thames Water’s OT Regional SCADA support team, you will play a critical role in ensuring the reliability, resilience, and optimisation of our Regional GeoSCADA systems. You will directly support the 24/7 System Operations Control team, who remotely monitor thousands of water and wastewater assets across the Thames Water region. Your work will help safeguard the continuity of essential services that millions of customers depend on every day.

You will collaborate closely with System Operations Control, Capital Delivery teams, OT Technical teams, and external System Integrators to maintain high system availability, ensure operational continuity, and enable ongoing improvements across the Regional SCADA environment. This role contributes to a culture of collaboration, technical excellence, and service reliability within the wider OT Service & Technical function.

Responsibilities

• Maintain and support the continuous operation of Regional SCADA systems to achieve 99.2%+ availability across Thames Water’s operational estate.
• Perform routine maintenance, system checks, updates, patches, and enhancements to ensure SCADA reliability, resilience, and compliance with standards.
• Provide rapid response to system faults, alarms, and failures, diagnosing issues efficiently to minimise downtime and restore operational performance.
• Support and maintain the RTU estate, ensuring consistent application of configuration standards and reducing operational risk through proactive issue identification.
• Participate in the in-hours and out-of-hours SCADA emergency support rota to ensure 24/7 service continuity for operational control teams.
• Deliver responsive and effective support for SCADA-related incidents, service requests, access requests, and data queries in line with service expectations.
• Review and assess proposed SCADA system changes to ensure compliance with standards, mitigate risks, and support safe implementation within live operational environments.
• Provide subject matter expertise on Regional SCADA systems, collaborating with OT Technical, delivery, and integration teams to maintain high technical standards.
• Support project delivery by ensuring SCADA integrations align with operational requirements, governance, and risk management controls.
• Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives, enhancing system performance, team capability, documentation, processes, and knowledge sharing.
• Mentor colleagues, share technical expertise, and participate in capability‑building activities to strengthen the OT Regional SCADA team.

Base Location: Multisite, Thames Valley & London areas

Working Pattern: 36 Hours

Essential Experience

• Experience maintaining, supporting, or delivering SCADA or Industrial Control & Automation (ICA) systems.
• Proven ability to build effective working relationships across technical, operational, and management teams.
• Strong communication and customer service skills, ensuring clear and timely support for both technical and non‑technical audiences.
• Excellent analytical and problem‑solving skills with the ability to assess complex issues and balance operational, technical, and business needs.
• Experience working within or familiar with change management, risk assessment, and governance processes in safety‑critical or regulated environments.

Essential Technical Skills & Qualifications

• Recognised technical qualification in OT, ICA, SCADA, or a related discipline.
• Expertise in Regional SCADA systems and RTU technologies, including configuration, diagnostics, maintenance, and performance optimisation.
• Proficiency with common IT tools (e.g., Microsoft Office) for documentation, reporting, and analysis.
• Practical experience supporting Schneider Electric Geo SCADA (formerly ClearSCADA) or similar SCADA platforms in operational environments.

Desirable Experience

• Experience working within regulated utilities or critical infrastructure sectors such as water, energy, or transport.
• Working knowledge of OT cybersecurity standards, frameworks, and controls relevant to SCADA environments.
• Ability to manage competing priorities and balance operational and project demands in fast‑paced environments.

Desirable Technical Skills & Qualifications

• Strong understanding of industrial communication protocols such as WITS‑DNP3, Modbus, or similar telemetry/networking technologies.

Benefits

• Competitive salary up to £66,000 per annum, depending on experience.
• £4,500 Car Allowance.
• Annual Leave – 26 days holiday per year, increasing to 30 with the length of service (plus bank holidays).
• Performance‑related pay plan directly linked to both company and individual 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.

About us

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.

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.