Senior Process Scientist

Who are we? Thames Water is the UK's largest water and wastewater company. We make a daily difference to our 15 million customers by supplying 2.6 billion litres of water through 32,000 km of pipes, keeping taps flowing and toilets flushing. At Thames Water, every one of our actions, big and small, matters every day. Water is essential to life, so our business is always open - and this matters even more through a pandemic.We're proud of the positive ways of working we've adopted during the pandemic, creating a more flexible and dynamic environment so all our colleagues can thrive. For our office-based roles, we're moving to a hybrid approach with various options across working from home, office, and our sites. We'll cover this during the assessment process.What is the purpose of this role?We are seeking a motivated technical Process Scientist to be the centre of expertise for operational managers and process technicians, in the Cotswolds around Witney, Cirencester, and Bourton-on-the-water areas.You will ensure that compliance is met in terms of statutory regulations and codes of practice regarding wastewater treatment; and be expected to provide technical solutions and improvements in an innovative, effective way.A hands-on role across a range of sewage treatment works, alongside data analysis, fault finding, and optimization efforts to drive compliance risk reduction.What makes this role unique?We are looking for a passionate, highly knowledgeable individual to integrate with and develop their assigned operational teams. Helping advance local process expertise, working with other process scientists collaboratively to share knowledge from across the wider estate.What will this role involve? Technical Expertise

• Fault identification on site, introducing efficiencies and improvements
• Help ensure our sites are compliant with all permitted requirements
• Utilize all tools and data available to investigate issues and recommend practical solutions
• Engagement with our various project delivery teams, offering expert advice and inputting technical design queries using detailed site knowledge
• Optimise aeration treatment, suggesting improvements for cost and compliance benefits
• Support in improving sludge thickening and dewatering, which will result in a reduction of tankering costs
• Ensure compliance when using chemical dosing, plus monitoring to reduce chemical usage

Communication & Leadership

• Support regular business reporting and local/regional compliance meetings, being confident in presenting and communicating to different audiences
• Engage with operations teams, contractors, and process scientists, building rapport and improving technical understanding through mentoring and coaching
• Produce investigative reports and root cause analysis of any sample or pollution incidents, sharing lessons learned to prevent repeat occurrences
• Be prepared to participate in an out-of-hours call-out rota, offering advice to front-line staff during event scenarios

Business Acumen

• Supporting our Elimination of Waste program for continuous improvement; engaging with various teams to drive innovative, effective scopes forward
• Support in gathering data for regulatory reports, as well as information requests for our regulators, customers, and other third parties
• Ensure sites are working to their full potential to reduce the need for extra plant hire costs

Training

• Be prepared to undertake key health and safety training and responsibilities - potentially including roles as Senior Atmospheric Tester or Appointed Person (Digesters)
• Be keen to learn about new technologies for processes, disseminating this knowledge to the wider teams as appropriate

Whatskills are we looking for?

• Experience in reviewing and implementing process improvements within a highly regulated environment, making recommendations to senior leadership, and supporting the rollout
• Experience in the wastewater industry and detailed knowledge of compliance key performance indicators and wastewater processes
• Qualifications in water/waste treatment, biological/chemical sciences, or engineering will be of benefit. Degree-level (BSc/MSc) qualification is not essential but advantageous. More critical is field experience in a relevant field
• A methodical approach to work and previous experience working with individuals in a scientific field is desirable
• Travel to multiple and often remote sites will be required so a full, UK driving license is essential
• Comfortable with data handling, processing, and presentation, as well as appropriate IT systems

What's in it for you:Our competitive salary package includes an excellent contributory pension, 24 days holiday per year increasing to 28 with a length of service and a wider benefits scheme.Thames Water is a dynamic, rewarding, and diverse place to work, with opportunities around every corner. If you join our team, you'll enjoy a fulfilling career, flexible working arrangements, and great benefits. We're also proud to be an equal opportunity employer, Stonewall Diversity Champion, and Disability Confident Leader and we're a Times Top 50 Employer for Women.Find out more about working at Thames Water.We deliver life's essential service so our customers, communities, and the environment can thrive. This means, that when a crisis happens, we all rally around to support our customers. As part of your role, you'll be asked to help out our Instant Support Team to help our customers in their hour of need. This is incredibly rewarding, and you'll be given full training - it's also a great opportunity to learn more about our business and meet colleagues.