Wastewater Operations Specialist

Thames Water Utilities Limited; Swindon; Hybrid; GBP 35,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

Thames Water is seeking a Wastewater Operations Specialist to join their Asset Operations & Capital Delivery division. This role involves proactively addressing pollution risks, supporting operational teams with technical insights, and ensuring compliance with regulatory obligations. The ideal candidate will have significant operational experience and a strong understanding of process science, contributing to the effective management of wastewater treatment processes.

Benefits

26 days holiday per year, increasing to 30 with length of service

Generous Pension Scheme through AON

Access to health and wellbeing benefits

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.

Responsibilities

• Proactively fault find, intervene and prevent pollution risks on site.
• Use data and sampling to investigate issues and support capital project delivery.
• Attend regulatory compliance review meetings and own actions.

Skills

Operational experience

Process science understanding

Time management skills

Job description

Hybrid - Newbury (STW), Hybrid - Reading (STW) - RG2 0RP, Hybrid - Swindon (STW)

Job title Wastewater Operations Specialist Ref 40535 Division Asset Operations & Capital Delivery Location Hybrid - Newbury (STW), Hybrid - Reading (STW) - RG2 0RP, Hybrid - Swindon (STW) Contract type Permanent Full/Part-time Full-time Hours 36 hours per week Salary Salary up to £45,000 depending on skills and experience + a car allowance on top. Job grade B Closing date 30/05/2025

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.

As 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 providing practical solutions in a cost-effective manner.

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 a sewage treatment works ticks.

• Location: Berkshire - This role covers a region of many sites, candidates will need access to own vehicle, business-use insurance and a full driving license for the UK.
• 36 Hours Per Week (Mon-Fri), plus participate in an out-of-hours call-out rota

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 you should 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?

• Competitive salary up to £45,000 per annum
• Annual Leave -26 days holiday per year, increasing to 30 with the length of service (plus bank holidays)
• 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.

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.

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 fast-tracked career opportunities, flexible working arrangements and excellent benefits.

Whether you’re interested in a role in one of our call centres or science labs, we’re looking for people like you with real passion and a burning desire to make things better.

So, 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.

Our overarching aim is to ensure that Thames Water is great, diverse, and inclusive place to work. We welcome applications from everyone and offer extra support for those who need it throughout the recruitment process . Our aim is to remove any real or perceived barriers to success, so if you need assistance, we’re here to help 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.

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.