Water Process Engineer

Southern Water; Lewes; Hybrid; GBP 45,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

Southern Water is seeking a Water Process Engineer to join the Water Engineering team in Falmer on a hybrid basis. This role offers a permanent contract and 37 hours per week, with a salary of £44,800–£54,800.

You will deliver water treatment design projects across the Southern Water region, collaborating with Project Managers, Design Leads and multidisciplinary specialists to develop innovative, sustainable process solutions.

Qualifications

• Proven experience delivering water treatment process design projects.
• Strong experience designing potable water treatment processes (4–5 years preferred).
• Experience supporting Senior/Principal Engineers with process designs and strategies.
• Strong analytical skills to interpret flow and quality data.
• Experience working in multidisciplinary project teams with civil, mechanical, electrical and environmental specialists.
• Membership of a relevant professional institution or working towards Chartership.
• Excellent communication, collaboration and problem-solving skills.

Responsibilities

• Mass balance calculations and process sizing analyses.
• Flow and water quality data analysis.
• Development of PFDs, schematics and control philosophies.
• Preparation of performance specifications, reports and compliance documentation.
• Support commissioning and optimisation activities across projects.

Skills

Water treatment design

UK water sector experience

Analytical skills

Team collaboration

Communication skills

Travel willingness

Education

MEng/BEng/BSc in Chemical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Chemistry or related science

Job description

Closing Date

2026-09-30

Water Process Engineer

Location: Falmer, Sussex - Hybrid Working
Contract Type: Permanent
Hours: 37 hours per week
Salary: £44,800 - £54,800 depending on skills and experience

About the role

Southern Water is seeking a talented and motivated Water Process Engineer to join our growing Water Engineering team.

This is an exciting opportunity to play a key role in delivering water treatment projects across the Southern Water region, supporting the design, optimisation and improvement of our water treatment assets. Working as part of a multidisciplinary engineering team, you'll collaborate with Project Managers, Process Design Leads, and specialists across civil, mechanical, electrical and environmental disciplines to develop innovative and sustainable process solutions.

Your responsibilities will include producing technical design deliverables such as:

• Mass balance calculations
• Process sizing calculations
• Flow and water quality data analysis
• Process flow diagrams and schematics
• Control philosophies
• Performance specifications
• Technical reports and compliance documentation
• Commissioning and optimisation support plans

You'll work across a variety of projects, helping to develop solutions that improve operational performance, regulatory compliance and TOTEX efficiency while supporting Southern Water's long-term investment programme.

What you'll bring to the role

This role offers an excellent opportunity to further develop your career within a supportive, collaborative and technically focused engineering environment.

We're looking for an engineer with a strong background in water treatment process design and experience delivering projects within the UK water sector. The successful candidate will have:

• Proven experience delivering water treatment process design projects, ideally gained within a UK water utility, engineering consultancy or contractor environment.
• Ideally 4-5 years' experience designing potable water treatment processes.
• Experience supporting Senior and Principal Engineers with the development of process designs and engineering strategies.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret flow, quality and operational data to evaluate asset performance and identify process improvements.
• Experience producing calculations, process flow diagrams, schematics and technical design documentation.
• Experience working within multidisciplinary project teams alongside civil, mechanical, electrical and environmental specialists.
• Ideally, experience supporting operational improvement, process optimisation and commissioning activities.
• An MEng, BEng or BSc in Chemical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Chemistry or a Science related discipline.
• Membership of a relevant professional institution, or the desire to work towards Chartership.
• Excellent communication, collaboration and problem-solving skills.

A full UK driving licence and willingness to travel to Southern Water offices and operational sites across the region would be advantageous, as occasional travel will be required.

Progression opportunities

Southern Water offers career progression, training, and development opportunities.

About Southern Water

Southern Water is at the forefront of transforming Britain's water industry, investing significantly to enhance resilience, sustainability, and service excellence. With £7.8bn planned investment for 2025-30, this is an unparalleled opportunity to join a business committed to delivering a generational shift in the way water services are managed.

At Southern Water, we believe diverse perspectives drive innovation. If you're passionate about making a positive impact and think you can bring value to our team, we'd love to hear from you- even if you don't tick every box.

We welcome applicants from all backgrounds, identities, and experiences. We do not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, or any other protected characteristic. If you need reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know.

"At Southern Water, we believe diverse perspectives drive innovation. If you're passionate about making a positive impact and think you can bring value to our team, we'd love to hear from you- even if you don't tick every box. Your unique skills and experiences could be exactly what we need."

Our Commitment to Diversity

We welcome applicants from all backgrounds, identities, and experiences. We do not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, or any other protected characteristic. If you need reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know.

Additional information

In line with Southern Water's security requirements, successful candidates will be required to provide evidence of their identity, eligibility to work in the UK, criminal record check (DBS) and verification of their employment and/or education history for the past three years.

Appointment to this role is subject to the successful completion of all pre-employment checks, including security vetting.

Please note that if a candidate does not meet the required security standards or fails to pass the vetting process, Southern Water reserves the right to withdraw the offer of employment. Some positions may also require higher levels of security vetting, which may involve providing additional documentation.