Water Network Technician (Nights) - Kent-2

South East Water; Maidstone; On-site; GBP 33,000 - 41,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension scheme

Holiday entitlement

Flexible leave

Volunteering days

Cycle to work

Health plan

Life assurance

Wellbeing benefits

Job summary

South East Water in Maidstone seeks a Network Technician (Nights) to manage the mains network, perform leakage surveys, and support nighttime operations to ensure continuous water delivery. You will use GIS and Maximo, supervise contractors, and liaise with customers on supply issues.

The role covers on-site night work with a 5-on, 4-off rota, including risk assessments, data capture, and regulatory compliance. A clean driving licence and strong customer service are essential.

Qualifications

• Good standard of secondary education and able to demonstrate a good standard of numeracy and literacy skills.
• National Water Hygiene (provided by the business).
• Full, clean driving licence.
• Strong Customer Service Skills.
• Ability to work effectively alone with minimal supervision at night, often outdoors in all weather conditions.
• Proficiency in accessing, data entry and understanding of work management systems such as GIS.
• Experience in the utilities/infrastructure industry (preferably the water industry).
• Experience in handling customer complaints or queries.
• General knowledge of water distribution, including plumbing and leakage detection practices and common tools.

Responsibilities

• Perform essential network activities such as mains shutdowns, including carrying out risk assessments and interruption reports.
• Investigate and locate hidden leaks utilising specialised equipment (e.g. correlators) and leakage detection techniques (e.g. step testing).
• Undertake network validation, pressure zonal tests and flow tests activity to ensure the integrity of network DMAs.
• Undertake repair and maintenance activity on network leakage assets, such as pressure reducing valves, district meters and data logging equipment.
• Accurately collect, record, or correct network asset data and details of all work completed, utilising systems like Maximo and GIS.
• Supervise contractors working on the distribution network, which includes creating work order requests for contractor response.
• Conduct flushing activity and perform water sampling in line with regulatory guidelines.
• Liaise with and assist customers regarding supply pipe leaks and plumbing issues.
• Coordinate with internal staff on night team activities and leak repairs.

Skills

Leakage detection

Night shift work

Network operations

Data entry

GIS systems

Customer service

Diagnostics

Mechanical/repair

Education

National Water Hygiene

Tools

Maximo

GIS

Correlators

Job description

Summary

Summary: The Network Technician (Nights) holds a critical operational role focused on the efficient and reliable management of the mains network. Working Monday to Sunday 10pm to 8am on a rota based system. The Rota will be on a 5 on 4 off type rota. You will have a responsibility to provide technical support to help identify and resolve customer water supply issues and to ensure the integrity of the water supply system, through the operation of the network asset infrastructure to provide the constant delivery of wholesome water to homes and businesses. They are responsible for executing planned leakage detection activities, validation, and survey work to achieve and maintain policy levels of leakage reduction, ensuring the effective operation of District Metered Areas (DMAs) and the optimisation of operational pressures. They are also required to undertake maintenance and repair activity on leakage assets to maintain network pressure control and continued network monitoring. The Network Technician (Nights) is crucial in identifying and locating leaks to minimize water loss, thereby contributing directly to the company's efficiency and environmental targets. This involves using specialised equipment and techniques to survey water networks, validating existing leak data, and reporting findings accurately to inform repair and maintenance schedules.

Main Responsibilities

• Perform essential network activities such as mains shutdowns, including carrying out risk assessments and interruption reports.
• Investigate and locate hidden leaks utilising specialised equipment (e.g. correlators) and leakage detection techniques (e.g. step testing).
• Undertake network validation, pressure zonal tests and flow tests activity to ensure the integrity of network DMAs.
• Undertake repair and maintenance activity on network leakage assets, such as pressure reducing valves, district meters and data logging equipment.
• Accurately collect, record, or correct network asset data and details of all work completed, utilising systems like Maximo and GIS.
• Supervise contractors working on the distribution network, which includes creating work order requests for contractor response.
• Conduct flushing activity and perform water sampling in line with regulatory guidelines.
• Liaise with and assist customers regarding supply pipe leaks and plumbing issues.
• Coordinate with internal staff (e.g., Distribution, Leakage, Contractors, Customer Contact Centre, Production) on night team activities and leak repairs.

Skills / Qualifications / Experience

• Good standard of secondary education and able to demonstrate a good standard of numeracy and literacy skills.
• National Water Hygiene (provided by the business).
• Full, clean driving licence.
• Strong Customer Service Skills.
• Ability to work effectively alone with minimal supervision at night, often outdoors in all weather conditions.
• Proficiency in accessing, data entry and understanding of work management systems such as GIS.
• Experience in the utilities/infrastructure industry (preferably the water industry).
• Experience in handling customer complaints or queries.
• General knowledge of water distribution such as plumbing and leakage detection practices, including the use of common tools and technologies is preferable.

Benefits package

• Excellent Stakeholder pension scheme, up to 10% employer contribution.
• 5 weeks holiday plus bank holidays per annum, increasing to 6 weeks with length of service.
• Flexible annual leave policy to buy or sell holiday leave.
• Paid volunteering days.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Health cash plan.
• Life assurance.
• Wellbeing related benefits.

Compensation package

Compensation package: £32,527.81 - £41,035.25 depending on experience. A 25% shift allowance for night work will be added on top.

About the Organisation

We know the communities we serve are diverse. We recognise creativity comes from diversity not similarity. That’s why we are enthusiastic about creating inclusion across age, race, gender, ethnicity, religion and identity. You will experience our dedication to equal opportunities and fair treatment for all: through your recruitment, employment and career progression with South East Water.

We supply top-quality drinking water to 2.3 million customers in the southeast of England. Through a network of 9,000 miles of pipe, we deliver 544 million litres of water every day. It's the skill and expertise of our employees that ensures our water meets the highest standards. We make sure we can meet the needs of our customers both now and in the future. Grow a career with a meaningful purpose.

• Come to work to be safe, valued, and trusted.
• We’ll encourage you to create and pursue new opportunities for personal growth.
• A place to be the real you, build deeper connections and enjoy a sense of belonging.
• Be invested in helping us to create a sustainable water supply for now, and in the future.