Network Water Quality Scientist

Thames Water is Hiring: Network Water Quality Scientist!
Are you passionate about protecting public health and ensuring the highest standards in drinking water?

Join Thames Water as a Network Water Quality Scientist and play a vital role in maintaining the safety, quality, and compliance of our clean water distribution systems.

As a Network Water Quality Scientist, you will play a vital role in safeguarding public health by ensuring the safe delivery of clean, compliant drinking water through the distribution network.

You’ll provide technical expertise and strategic guidance in water quality, working collaboratively across operational teams, field engineers, and office-based colleagues.
Working within a small, specialist team of water quality scientists, you will lead investigations, respond to network events, assess operational activities for risk, and influence decisions on network operation and investment.

Your work will directly support regulatory compliance and customer satisfaction.

What will you be doing as a Network Water Quality Scientist

• Lead investigations into network water quality failures and complex customer complaints, identifying root causes and recommending solutions.
• Act as Event Scientist during water quality incidents, advising on public health protection and regulatory compliance.
• Review and approve operational activities via the Permit to Work system, ensuring water quality risks are managed.
• Provide technical input on network changes such as source blending, flushing, and maintenance.
• Collaborate with internal teams (e.g. Network Ops, Production, Developer Services) to support operations and ensure compliance.
• Contribute to reporting, risk assessments, and investment planning for long-term water quality performance.
• Participation in a standby rota for out of hours (1 in 6 weeks) for which you will receive additional payments.

What should you bring to the role?

• HNC, Degree, or equivalent qualification in a scientific discipline (e.g., Chemistry, Microbiology, Environmental Science)
• Full, valid UK driving licence and willingness to travel to field sites as needed.
• Familiarity with UK drinking water legislation and regulatory requirements would be beneficial.
• Strong analytical and investigative skills, with a methodical and detail-focused approach
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence and advise colleagues at all levels.
• Proven ability to work both autonomously and as part of a collaborative team, especially in high-pressure event scenarios.
• Strong IT skills. (e.g., MS Office); familiarity with GIS software (e.g., ArcGIS) is beneficial.

What’s in it for you?

• Offering a salary between £32,000 and £40,000 per annum, depending on skills and experience.
• Annual Leave - 26 days holiday per year, increasing to 30 with the length of service (plus bank holidays)
• Access to a company van during fieldwork.
• All training and support will be provided.
• Performance-related pay plan is directly linked to company performance measures and targets.
• Generous Pension Scheme through AON.
• Generous Paternity Leave, including 4 weeks paid and an optional 2 weeks unpaid.
• Enhanced Maternity Leave, 26 weeks full pay and 13 weeks half pay!
• Access to lots of benefits to help you take care of yourself and your family’s health and wellbeing, and your finances – from annual health MOTs and access to physiotherapy and counselling, to Cycle to Work schemes, shopping vouchers and life assurance.

Find out more about our benefits and perks

Who are we?

We’re the UK’s largest water and wastewater company, with more than 16 million customers relying on us every day to supply water for their taps and toilets. We want to build a better future for all, helping our customers, communities, people, and the planet to thrive. It’s a big job and we’ve got a long way to go, so we need help from passionate and skilled people, committed to making a difference and getting us to where we want to be in the years and decades to come.

Learn more about our purpose and values

Working at Thames Water

Thames Water is a unique, rewarding, and diverse place to work, where every day you can make a difference, yet no day is the same. As part of our family, you’ll enjoy fast-tracked career opportunities, flexible working arrangements and excellent benefits.
Whether you’re interested in a role in one of our call centres or science labs, we’re looking for people like you with real passion and a burning desire to make things better.

So, if you’re looking for a sustainable and successful career where you can make a daily difference to millions of people’s lives while helping to protect the world's water for future generations, we’ll be here to support you every step of the way. Together, we can build a better future for our customers, our region and our planet.

Real purpose, real support, real opportunities. Come and join the Thames Water family. Why choose us? Learn more.

Our overarching aim is to ensure that Thames Water is a great, diverse, and inclusive place to work. We welcome applications from everyone and offer extra support for those who need it throughout the recruitment process. We aim to remove any real or perceived barriers to success, so if you need assistance, we’re here to help and support.

When a crisis happens, we all rally around to support our customers. As part of Team Thames, you’ll have the opportunity to sign up to support our customers on the frontline as an ambassador. Full training will be given for what is undoubtedly an incredibly rewarding experience. It’s also a great opportunity to learn more about our business and meet colleagues.

Disclaimer: due to the high volume of applications we receive, we may close the advert earlier than the advertised date, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.