Waste Water Scientific Officer

MCS Group; Belfast City District; On-site; GBP 17,000 - 25,000; Full time

Job summary

MCS Group is recruiting a Wastewater Scientific Officer in Belfast on a temporary, full-time basis within Northern Ireland's water industry. The role supports wastewater treatment performance, environmental protection and regulatory compliance.

The successful candidate will have an A Level or equivalent in a relevant scientific subject, at least two years' experience in water/wastewater science, and strong analytical skills. A full driving licence and willingness to travel are essential.

Qualifications

• An A Level or equivalent qualification in a relevant scientific or environmental subject.
• A minimum of two years' demonstrable experience in a water or wastewater scientific role.
• Knowledge of wastewater treatment processes and analytical techniques.
• Knowledge and experience of Health & Safety requirements within wastewater treatment.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving and decision-making skills.
• The ability to work independently, manage competing priorities and deliver to deadlines.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• A full current driving licence and willingness to travel throughout Northern Ireland.

Responsibilities

• Carry out on-site scientific testing and assess the operational performance and condition of wastewater treatment works.
• Identify poor process performance and undertake representative sampling, including interstage and sludge performance sampling.
• Organise and deploy automatic samplers for regulatory and operational sampling.
• Analyse sampling schedules and results through LIMS to identify potential process performance issues.
• Support pollution incident mitigation and liaise with environmental regulation teams and external stakeholders.
• Collate scientific data and produce reports and results using Microsoft applications.
• Validate critical process control instrumentation and undertake root cause analysis to identify opportunities for process improvement.
• Provide scientific advice to support decisions affecting regulatory compliance and wastewater treatment processes.
• Develop action checklists and providing training and guidance to operational staff.
• Using analytical software and statistical techniques to assess wastewater treatment performance and recommend optimisation measures.
• Supporting investigations into non-conforming samples and exceedances.
• Monitoring odour discharges and supporting regulatory reporting requirements.
• Investigating odour complaints and rogue discharges within the sewer network.
• Working with customers, contractors and other stakeholders during investigations.
• Participating in an on-call rota and deputising as an on-call Field Manager when required.
• Supporting the implementation of new technologies, innovation trials and process improvement initiatives.

Job description

Wastewater Scientific Officer

£15.32 per hour | Belfast | Temporary, Full-Time

MCS Group is recruiting for a Wastewater Scientific Officer on behalf of a leading organisation within Northern Ireland's water industry.

This is an excellent opportunity for a scientific or environmental professional with experience in water or wastewater to join a specialist team and play a key role in supporting wastewater treatment performance, environmental protection and regulatory compliance.

The Role

As a Wastewater Scientific Officer, you will be responsible for undertaking a range of scientific and performance activities designed to optimise wastewater treatment works and sewer network performance across the Belfast area.

You will work closely with operational teams, scientific colleagues and external stakeholders, using scientific analysis, sampling and investigation techniques to identify process issues, support improvements and minimise the risk of pollution incidents.

Key responsibilities

• Carrying out on-site scientific testing and assessing the operational performance and condition of wastewater treatment works.
• Identifying poor process performance and undertaking representative sampling, including interstage and sludge performance sampling.
• Organising and deploying automatic samplers for regulatory and operational sampling.
• Analysing sampling schedules and results through LIMS to identify potential process performance issues.
• Supporting pollution incident mitigation and liaising with environmental regulation teams and external stakeholders.
• Collating scientific data and producing reports and results using Microsoft applications.
• Validating critical process control instrumentation and undertaking root cause analysis to identify opportunities for process improvement.
• Providing scientific advice to support decisions affecting regulatory compliance and wastewater treatment processes.
• Developing action checklists and providing training and guidance to operational staff.
• Using analytical software and statistical techniques to assess wastewater treatment performance and recommend optimisation measures.
• Supporting investigations into non-conforming samples and exceedances.
• Monitoring odour discharges and supporting regulatory reporting requirements.
• Investigating odour complaints and rogue discharges within the sewer network.
• Working with customers, contractors and other stakeholders during investigations.
• Participating in an on-call rota and deputising as an on-call Field Manager when required.
• Supporting the implementation of new technologies, innovation trials and process improvement initiatives.

What We're Looking For

The successful candidate will have:

• An A Level or equivalent qualification in a relevant scientific or environmental subject.
• A minimum of two years' demonstrable experience in a water or wastewater scientific role.
• Knowledge and understanding of wastewater treatment processes and analytical techniques.
• Knowledge and experience of Health & Safety requirements within wastewater treatment.
• Proficiency in Microsoft applications including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving and decision-making skills.
• The ability to work independently, manage competing priorities and deliver to deadlines.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• A proactive approach to identifying solutions and driving continuous improvement.
• The ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a wider team.

A full current driving licence is essential, as the role requires travel throughout Northern Ireland in a company vehicle. The successful candidate must also be willing to participate in an on-call rota.

What's on Offer?

• £15.32 per hour
• Full-time, temporary position until 31 December 2026, with potential for extension
• Belfast-based opportunity
• The chance to work within a specialist wastewater and environmental function
• An opportunity to contribute directly to environmental protection, regulatory compliance and process improvement
• Excellent exposure to scientific, operational and stakeholder-facing activities

Interested?

To speak in absolute confidence about this opportunity please send an up to date CV via the link provided or contact Jay Boyd, Recruitment Consultant on 02896935508 or on email at [e-mail]

MCS Group is committed to Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion for all, being the first recruitment agency in NI to achieve Bronze Diversity Mark accreditation, if you have a disability which means you require a reasonable adjustment to be considered at any stage of the recruitment process, please contact us and we will endeavour to facilitate the request.

Even if this position is not right for you, we may have others that are. Please visit MCS Group to view a wide selection of our current jobs www.mcsgroup.jobs