Wastewater Operations Specialist

Thames Water; England; On-site; GBP 36,000 - 43,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading UK water utility company is seeking a Wastewater Operations Specialist to join their team. This role involves proactively identifying and managing pollution risks at sewage treatment sites while providing critical support to operations teams. The ideal candidate will have significant operational experience and a solid understanding of process science. Offering a salary of up to £43,000 per annum and excellent benefits, this position is crucial for enhancing service quality and compliance.

Benefits

Annual Leave - 26 days, rising to 30 with service

Generous Pension Scheme

Personal Medical Assessments

Access to discounts and cashback

Generous Paternity Leave

Enhanced Maternity Leave

Performance Development reviews

Wider Benefits Scheme

Qualifications

• Significant operational experience with a sound understanding of process science.
• Experience working on-site at a sewage treatment works is highly desirable.
• Clear understanding of permitting and all regulatory obligations.
• Excellent time management skills and use of IT systems to extract data.

Responsibilities

• Proactively fault find, intervene and prevent pollution risks on site.
• Use data and sampling to investigate issues and support capital project delivery.
• Support with pollution investigations and attend operational events.
• Attend regulatory compliance review meetings, owning actions.
• Act as a point of respected technical excellence.

Skills

Operational experience

Process science understanding

Time management skills

IT systems proficiency

Process improvements

Job description

Overview

We are looking for a Wastewater Operations Specialist to join our team at Thames Water!

Location: Base location: Crawley STW; you will cover Crawley, Reigate, Esher and Guildford areas.

Hours: 36 hours per week (Monday to Friday) + participation in an out-of-hours call-out rota

Salary: Up to £43,000 per annum, depending on experience + a car allowance

The Operations Specialist position draws on those with demonstrable site experience, technical insight and a clear understanding of our permit requirements to help tackle issues up front.

In a proactive role, you would be the ‘first responder’ to any risks which could turn into a pollution or permit breach risk. You would support our Operations teams by cost-effectively providing practical solutions.

Supporting the Process Specialists in our team, you will aid with on-site analysis, sampling, coaching and investigations, providing colleagues with critical data. Our team draws on a breadth of different technical backgrounds to deliver a powerful service to our Operations teams, and this role is ideal for those who really understand how sewage treatment works.

What you’ll be doing as a Wastewater Operations Specialist

• Proactively fault find, intervene and prevent pollution risks on site, whilst optimising our processes to reduce costs.
• Use data and sampling to investigate issues and support capital project delivery and communicate these to wider teams.
• Support with pollution investigations and attend any operational events.
• Attending regulatory compliance review meetings, owning actions and attending sites to rapidly deliver and make a difference.
• Act as a point of respected technical excellence, including new wastewater technologies, and communicate these to wider teams.

What should you bring to the role?

• Significant operational experience with a sound understanding of process science.
• Experience working on-site at a sewage treatment works is highly desirable.
• Clear understanding of permitting and all regulatory obligations.
• Experience in process improvements, making recommendations to teams and supporting with the roll out of innovative ideas.
• Excellent time management skills and use of IT systems to extract data and understand process trends.

What’s in it for you?

• Offering a salary up to £43,000 per annum, depending on skills and experience.
• Annual Leave - 26 days holiday per year, increasing to 30 with the length of service. (plus bank holidays)
• Generous Pension Scheme through AON.
• Personal Medical Assessments: Available annually to all employees.
• Benefits on Tap: Access to discounts, cashback, and instant vouchers.
• Generous Paternity Leave: 4 weeks paid, plus an optional 2 weeks unpaid.
• Enhanced Maternity Leave: 26 weeks full pay and 13 weeks half pay.
• Performance Development: Ongoing reviews to support your growth and success.
• Wider Benefits Scheme: Includes a benefits hub offering savings, wellbeing support, and exclusive offers.

Find out more about our benefits and perks

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.

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 to help and support.