Closing Date 2026-01-04 Job Title: Water Quality Technician Location: Sussex Contract Type: Permanent Hours: 37/ week (Monday to Thursday 13:00 TO 21:00 , Friday 13:00 TO 20:30 ) Salary: £27,820 Full UK Driving license required - Van supplied. About the role: This role involves taking samples from a wide variety of water / wastewater operational sites and customers in accordance with the regulations prescribed by the Drinking Water inspectorate and the Environment Agency. You will need to comply with the requirements of the ISO17025 standard and follow the procedures contained within the Manual of Sampling to ensure samples are an accurate representation of the sample point / customer tap. You will make informed decisions regarding sampling process to ensure issues such as household plumbing does not contribute to Southern Water compliance failures. You will need to maintain an overview of the operational sites you visit, assessing factors such as security, overall effectiveness of operation and any defects likely to lead to compliance or H&S issues. What you will be responsible for: · Undertake water, wastewater and sludge sampling in accordance with the sampling schedule and with great care and attention to detail; working independently to follow procedures competently. · Undertake customer sampling and complaint handling · Carry out on site analytical testing and associated quality checking to ISO17025, DWTS and MCERTS standards · Undertake emergency sampling during incidents and advise on water and wastewater quality issues · Registration of samples onto laboratory data system · Administration associated with sampling and monitoring · Reporting safety hazards · Scientific equipment management and fault diagnosis · Assess operational sites for general condition of operation / defects / issues What you’ll bring to the role: As this role is customer facing, you will have the ability to deal with customers in an empathetic and positive manner. Some experience working in a customer or public facing role would be beneficial. You must have the ability to organise yourself and use IT systems confidently. You must be able to drive and have access to a reliable vehicle. You will live in the Sussex area. About Southern Water: Southern Water is at the forefront of transforming Britain’s water industry, investing significantly to enhance resilience, sustainability, and service excellence. With £7.8bn planned investment for 2025-30, this is an unparalleled opportunity to join a business committed to delivering a generational shift in the way water services are managed. You will be joining at a time of significant change, working alongside a highly skilled leadership team with a clear vision for the future. We offer an environment where senior professionals can make a meaningful impact, influence major strategic decisions, and drive long-term value creation At Southern Water, we believe diverse perspectives drive innovation. If you’re passionate about making a positive impact and think you can bring value to our team, we’d love to hear from you—even if you don’t tick every box. Your unique skills and experiences could be exactly what we need. If this role isn’t quite what you’re looking for but are keen to be contacted about opportunities at Southern Water, you can register your details here: Introduce Yourself (myworkdaysite.com- Introduce Yourself) Our Commitment to Diversity We welcome applicants from all backgrounds, identities, and experiences. We do not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, or any other protected characteristic. If you need reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know. #LI-AW1 #LI-Hybrid Our purpose is big. Our impact is huge. And we know that every single one of us has the power, through our actions, to positively change society and the environment for good. It’s why careers with us have real meaning. Because, if you’re driven and ambitious, we can offer you huge opportunities for personal growth, professional development and constant innovation. Forever evolving. Forever focused on doing the right thing, we empower and encourage everyone to play to their strengths and to help us shape a fair and positive future for all. We believe in Water for Life. If you do too, Dive Right In. Our customers are at the heart of everything we do, because delivering water for life is our core purpose. To achieve this, we need 24/7 support in place to resolve incidents quickly and efficiently. All our employees understand the importance of out-of-hours incident support – because when problems appear, fixing them is our top priority. That’s why our people join together and support when and however needed to make sure our customers get the service they deserve. Joining the Southern Water family means you’ll become part of our incident support team. During your interview, your manager will speak to you about any incident support rotas that apply to your position. Does this opportunity excite you but you’re not 100% sure if you meet all the requirements for the role? Or are you concerned that ‘normal’ office hours aren’t possible given your personal circumstances? Whilst we can’t accommodate every flexible working request, we’ll try to find a practical solution. So why not engage with us and find out more about this role?