Process Scientist Placement

Have you ever wondered what it takes to deliver safe, high-quality drinking water to millions of customers every day? As a Process Scientist Industrial Placement at Thames Water, you'll gain hands-on experience helping to protect water quality from source to tap while working alongside experienced scientists on real-life operational challenges.
What you’ll be doing across your placement year

• Water quality monitoring from the source to service reservoir.
• Investigating water quality failures/events at company assets and raising on the asset DWSP (Drinking Water Safety Plan).
• Provide recommendations to both internal and external departments on how events/failures can be prevented in the future.
• Providing technical support to Production and Capital Delivery schemes to ensure that water quality requirements are met.
• Supporting internal water treatment works audit process (Drinking Water Safety Plan) and conducting end-to-end treatment reviews.
• Represent the company in meetings with stakeholders to build awareness both internally and externally.
• Maintain the reputation of the Thames Water brand.
• Undertake out-of-hours technical support on a one-in-six rota for which appropriate training will be given.

Why choose Thames Water?
This isn't a placement where you'll spend a year observing from the sidelines. You'll work on real investigations, contribute to water quality improvements, collaborate with operational teams and gain insight into how one of the UK's largest water companies delivers safe drinking water to millions of customers every day.
What you should bring to the role
To thrive in this role, the essential criteria you’ll need is:

• Degree (or equivalent/ working towards) in a Scientific or Engineering discipline.
• A full driving licence, access to own vehicle and business travel insurance is required due to travel across the Thames Valley Region
• We’re looking for enthusiastic and curious individuals who enjoy working with others and learning new skills. You’ll be someone who likes sharing ideas, asking questions, and contributing as part of a supportive and diverse team

Base Location: This placement is based at either Hampton or Walton Water Treatment Works and involves travel to sites across West London, giving you exposure to different parts of our water treatment and supply network.
Hours: 36 hours a week
What’s in it for you?

• Competitive Salary of £23,000 per annum
• Duration of Placement: October 2026 until September 2027
• 24 days holiday (plus bank holidays)
• Access to lots of benefits to help you take care of you 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 (Please note different T&Cs apply if on secondment)
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 meaningful career opportunities, flexible working arrangements and excellent benefits.
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 of 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.
We’re committed to being a great, diverse, and inclusive place to work. We welcome applications from everyone and want to ensure you feel supported throughout the recruitment process. If you need any adjustments, whether that’s extra time, accessible formats, or anything else just let us know, 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.

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