Research Analyst jobs in United Kingdom

Environmental Process Scientist

Circa £41,500 dependent on skills & experience, plus car allowance

Permanent, full time (37 hours) with flexibility for part time

2x positions available – Norfolk (Ely, Dereham, Holt) / South Essex (Tilbury, Southend, Maldon)

Dive into a world of opportunity and join our team!

Reporting directly to the Process Science Manager, you will be responsible for delivering wastewater process science support and advising Water Recycling Services on how to maintain compliance and ensure treatment efficiency. This will involve providing reactive and proactive performance improvements, implementing strategies to exploit the full potential of our infrastructure as well as reducing operational expenditure where possible. You will also be involved in data evaluation and compliance reporting, developing and implementing sampling programmes, as well as spending time coaching and developing our operations teams in their knowledge of treatment processes.

• Designing and implementing strategies to fully exploit the potential of the infrastructure and reduce OPEX
• Providing process advice and support to proactively reduce energy and chemical usage
• Developing and implementing risk assessments and action plans
• Designing and implementing strategies to correct adverse performance trends to maintain compliance
• Scientifically leading the prevention and resolution of incidents and non-conformance affecting processes and network infrastructure
• Developing and carrying out risk assessments and action plans
• Supporting Operational Managers in handling customer complaints / enquiries
• Develop and implement sampling programmes.
• Measure process performance and interpret data and provide regular reports on compliance and performance
• Lead scientific and regulatory liaison with local Environment Agency
• Providing rotational scientific standby

• A competitive pension scheme where we double-match your contributions up to 6%
• Private healthcare for your peace of mind
• An annual bonus scheme
• Car allowance
• The opportunity to volunteer in your local community
• 26 days holiday (plus Bank Holidays), increasing with service, with the option to swap Christmas and Easter for religious holidays
• Life cover (8x your salary) and personal accident cover (up to 5x your salary)
• Flexible benefits to support your well‑being and lifestyle
• Paid time off for illness, both physical and mental
• Free parking at all office locations, sites, and leisure parks
• Excellent family‑friendly policies, including 26 weeks of full pay for maternity / adoption leave and 4 weeks of paternity / partner pay, with the opportunity for shared parental leave

• A background in wastewater management or educated to degree level in a relevant scientific subject
• Strong IT skillset, specifically around data manipulation and data interpretation
• Demonstrable expertise in wastewater collection and treatment as well as sludge treatment would be advantageous
• Excellent communication skills including the ability to influence others
• Proven problem‑solving capability
• Stakeholder management experience
• Possesses the skillset to work autonomously as well as cross collaboration with teams
• Analytical mindset
• Full driving license is essential for this role
• You will need to live within either the Colchester / Saffron Walden / Haverhill or Sudbury area to be considered for this role
• Flexible approach to work as there will be a small amount of standby required within this role

Inclusion is for everyone and we are an equal opportunity employer, which means we’ll consider all suitably qualified applicants regardless of gender identity or expression, ethnic origin, nationality, religion or beliefs, age, sexual orientation, disability status or any other protected characteristic. We recruit and develop our people based on merit and their passion for creating better outcomes, and we’re committed to creating an environment where all our colleagues feel they belong.

Closing date : 2nd January 2026

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