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Water Quality Process Scientist

Employer
Southern Water
Location
Rochester, Kent
Salary
Up to £37,412 a year depending on skills and experience.
Closing date
7 Dec 2021

View more

Sector
Energy, Utilities
Function
Data
Contract Type
Permanent
Hours
Full Time

Job Details

Water Quality Process Scientist

About the Role:
Job Title: Water Quality Process Scientist
Location: Burham, Rochester, Kent
Permanent/ Permanent
Hours: 37 Hours per week
Salary: Up to £37,412 a year depending on skills and experience.

Description:

Why Water?
Without water, life as we know it would be impossible. Every day, we rely on it for drinking, washing and cleaning. It helps create the energy we need for heat and light. It’s also essential to the products we enjoy and the natural world we depend upon.
Yet the South East faces a future of more people and less water. Our population is growing fast, and climate change is bringing greater risk of both drought and flooding.
In the water industry, your work will help to address these challenges and give people access to sustainable, high-quality water and wastewater services for decades to come.
The South East is also home to over 700 miles of coastline, two National Parks, four Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and some of the world’s rarest chalk streams. As well as working within these breath-taking environments, your activities will help preserve them for generations to come.

Why Southern Water
Each day, over four million people across Sussex, Kent, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight count on us for their essential water or wastewater services. Our work is vital, because we’re providing water for life.
Do you want to make a difference? At Southern Water, you work will help to enhance health and wellbeing, protect and improve the environment and sustain the economy. You’ll also play an important role in helping us deliver a resilient water future for the South East.


Are you a natural collaborator with a strong moral compass and high standards? If so, you’ll fit right in. Everything we do is underpinned by three values: succeeding together, doing the right thing and always improving.
Do you want to bring your authentic self to work every day? We do too. That’s why we’re building an inclusive culture and are proud to offer equal opportunities regardless of age, cultural background, disability, gender, marital status, nationality, political belief, race, religion or sexual orientation. We believe the unique perspectives and experiences each of us brings make us stronger.

About the Role:
Job Title: Water Quality Process Scientist
Location: Burham, Rochester, Kent
Permanent/ Permanent
Hours: 37 Hours per week
Salary: Up to £37,412 a year depending on skills and experience.

Southern Water has an exciting development opportunity to join our Wholesale Water Performance team as a Process Scientist in the Medway region. The role comes with a comprehensive benefits package including eligibility for a company bonus.

As a Process Scientist you will be responsible for monitoring and optimising drinking water quality from source to tap to ensure we meet our customer promise of a constant, high quality supply. This includes providing advice and assistance across the business on operation, optimisation and investment needs of existing and new assets to improve water quality and efficiency of treatment processes and acting to maintain public health standards at all times.

Some of your key accountabilities will include:

• Advise field operations staff regarding operation and optimisation of treatment processes to ensure compliance with Regulations is maintained for best value
• Undertake detailed investigations into the root cause of water quality compliance failures and incidents and produce reports with recommendations for remedial actions and continuous improvement based on best practice
• Undertake WQ process risk assessments to ensure risks to sufficiency and quality are mitigated
• Complete periodic reviews of site treatment standards and propose changes to final water specifications
• Act as water quality ambassadors, providing WQ process training across the business

The successful candidate will have the following knowledge/experience:

• Experience at collecting and analysing data to investigate scientific issues and draw out conclusions and recommendations.
• Good understanding of water chemistry/biology and the of water treatment
• Knowledge of the regulatory principles and framework governing the UK water supply industry
• A sound understanding of sample types, health significance of water quality parameters and principles of water supply hygiene would be also be an advantage
• Background and experience in key operational areas (technical, managerial experience)
• Graduate or equivalent business career.


The successful candidate will also need to demonstrate the following capabilities

• Good IT skills (databases, excel)
• Data analysis techniques
• Excellent communication skills – for example, technical report writing, written and verbal communications with managers and staff.
• Proven investigative, analytical and problem solving skills
• Self-starter with ability to manage own workload
• Able to engage, influence and connect with others at all levels.
• Confidence to think differently and challenge the status quo.

This role is both challenging and rewarding. You will be a part of a high performing technical function, working at a fast pace, conducting desktop analysis/reviews along with site visits to ensure industry and internal best practice, and water quality compliance. This is a key role to ensure that Southern Water maintains the high standards set out by our regulators.

This role will require travel around your allocated area and therefore it is essential you have a driving licence and access to a vehicle.
Privacy Statement:
Please note: If you are an existing Southern Water employee, you will need to confirm within your application that your Manager is aware of your application. Please note, CVs will be sent upon advert closing date.

All applicants must be eligible to live and work in the UK. You will need to provide evidence of eligibility (e.g. a passport or long birth certificate and proof of NI) and current proof of address (dated within the last 3 months), will be required as part of the recruitment process. If you do not meet these criteria, your application will not be considered.

By submitting your details to this position at Southern Water, you are also agreeing to share your details with Gattaca PLC who are the managed service provider for all recruitment with the Southern Water Business. Should you wish to see the Gattaca PLC privacy policy please go to https://www.gattacaplc.com/help/privacy-statement

Company

Each day, over four million people across Sussex, Kent, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight count on us for their essential water or wastewater services. Our work is vital, because we’re providing water for life.

Right now, we’re on an exciting journey – we’re undergoing a transformation that touches every part of our business. We’re making changes to our people, processes and systems to better serve our customers and deliver a resilient water future for the South East. You can be a part of that change. 

Do you bring sector experience or a fresh perspective? To help us transform, we’ve appointed people from the water industry and beyond – including retail, energy and telecoms. Whether your background is in utilities or elsewhere, we’re keen to draw on different experiences, knowledge and skills to help us better serve our customers.

Do you strive to do your best and bring out the best in others? Three values are at the heart of our transformation and underpin everything we do: succeeding together, doing the right thing and always improving. If you’re a natural collaborator with a strong moral compass and high standards, you’ll fit right in.

Do you want to make a difference? As well as playing a leading role in maintaining our essential services for customers, you’ll contribute towards the important outcomes of our transformation. These include: improving our environmental performance, rebuilding trust and improving our relationships with our regulators.

Do you believe everyone should be accepted for who they are? We do too. That’s why we’re building an inclusive culture and are proud to offer equal opportunities regardless of age, cultural background, disability, gender, marital status, nationality, political belief, race, religion or sexual orientation. We believe the unique perspectives and experiences each of us brings make us stronger.

Take a look at just some of our Company Benefits:

  • Holiday - You’re entitled to 25 paid days off a year, plus eight Bank Holidays. If you’re part time you’ll receive the same on a pro rata basis.
  • Bonus - We offer a discretionary bonus to everyone. We need to meet our company annual targets and therefore the amount you receive depends on how you and the business perform over the year.
  • The percentage of bonus eligibility is based on role level and will be included in your offer letter
  • Pension – Defined Contribution Scheme - The plan helps you save for retirement by making monthly, tax-free contributions through your pay. The company will pay in an additional amount, up to 11% of your pensionable pay, depending on the level you wish to contribute.
  • Life Assurance - All employees are automatically covered for a two times salary death in service lump sum, except for final salary scheme members, whose benefit is defined in their rules
  • Health Cash Plan - Your health and wellbeing are really important to us. We’ll pay for you (and up to four children) to join the Health Cash Plan currently provided by Bupa, which gives you money back for your everyday health costs, from dental check-ups and prescriptions to the cost of glasses or treatments. Optionally you can pay to upgrade your plan, adding a partner or increasing your level of cover,
  • Wellbeing - We’re here to support your wellbeing at work and at home. If you use a screen at work, you’ll get a free eye test voucher, and every year we’ll offer you a free flu jab (usually in November). We run a full calendar of wellbeing events throughout the year, and you also have access to the following services:
  • Employee Assistance Programme - The Employee Assistance Programme gives you quick confidential access to guidance and advice on a range of subjects, including debt, care for children and the elderly, work-related concerns, or personal, domestic, emotional or health issues, plus lots more. The programme is currently provided by BUPA, an independent organisation which treats all enquiries with the strictest confidence.
  • Occupational health service -  Our occupational health service is here to help all of us prevent illness and days off sick. As well as sharing useful information about work-related health, the service also helps ensure we follow health and safety guidelines.
  • Sports and social clubs – We have a number of social clubs that organise events and trips and other company wide or local activities
  • Tax free bike scheme - Through cyclesolutions.co.uk we’re part of the government’s tax-free bike scheme, which gives you the opportunity to obtain a bike with regular deductions from your salary.
  • Childcare vouchers Whether you have toddlers or teens, you could get support from either the Government Tax Free Childcare Scheme (TFC) or the SW Employer Childcare Voucher Scheme
  • Lifestyle vouchers - Save money when you spend – Perkbox is an online platform designed to give access to hundreds of perks and discounts on a huge range of high street products and services, including food, travel, cinema tickets, attractions, beauty, wellbeing, fashion, home and motoring.
  • Charity and volunteering There are loads of ways to get involved with the charities and community projects we support across our region.  Our community volunteer programme means you can use two of your working days each year to support a worthwhile scheme or project. With give as you earn, you can donate directly from your pay to the charity of your choice, tax-free.  Our company charities are nominated and voted for by you each year, and you’ll have various opportunities to support them during working hours. We also have a long relationship with the national charity WaterAid, which aims to introduce life-saving water and sanitation systems around the world.
Company info
Website
Location
Southern Water
PO Box 41
Worthing
BN13 3NZ
GB

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