Senior Process Scientist

Summary:

As a Senior Process Scientist, you will play a pivotal role in ensuring the safety, efficiency, and regulatory compliance of our drinking water treatment works across Kent and Sussex, based in Pembury and our West region based out of Farnborough. Serving as a primary technical authority within the Water Quality department, you will combine strategic oversight with hands-on process engineering to solve complex operational challenges, manage high-level risk, and champion continuous improvement.
In this hybrid leadership position, you will directly manage and empower a regional team of Process Scientists—fostering a culture of technical excellence, continuous professional development, and collaborative problem-solving. Working closely with Operations, Engineering, Regulatory Reporting, and DWSP teams, you will bridge the gap between day-to-day site performance, long-term asset strategy, and statutory compliance.

Key Responsibilities

Technical Authority & Process Optimisation

• Process Performance & Optimisation: Serve as the subject matter expert to optimise treatment performance, enhance operational resilience, and drive innovative solutions across and proactive ways of working across the team. Setting water quality standards for operational teams and providing technical training.

• Root-Cause Investigation: Lead deep-dive investigations into complex process anomalies, water quality events, and compliance risks, delivering robust root-cause analyses and preventative mitigation strategies.

• Quality Assurance & Auditing: Establish and refine Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), lead technical process audits.

• Strategic Advisory: Provide expert technical direction to senior management, capital engineering projects, and regulatory bodies (e.g., DWI) regarding process science and water water quality. Provide input into regional decision making meetings such as Regional Risk Meetings (RILTs).

• Incident Management: Participate in the out-of-hours Duty Scientist standby rota to provide expert escalation support during water quality issues and incidents. 

 

People Leadership & Capability Building

• Direct Line Management: Lead, mentor, and inspire a team of Process Scientists; conduct regular performance reviews, set clear objectives, and build tailored professional development plans.

• Resource & Workload Management: Oversee regional workload distribution, prioritise tasks, and ensure efficient resource allocation to meet operational and regulatory milestones.

• Outcome focussed: Provide leadership on improvement actions and implement positive change.

• Culture & Safety Leadership: Promote a high-trust, collaborative environment focused on rigorous scientific standards, psychological safety, and operational compliance.

Candidate Requirements

• Education: Degree in Biology, Environmental Science, Chemical Engineering, or a related discipline (or equivalent extensive industry experience). Professional registration or chartership (e.g., CSci, CEnv, CEng) is highly desirable. Candidates should be working towards this.

• Technical Expertise: Extensive experience in drinking water treatment process engineering, water quality management, and regulatory compliance frameworks.

• Leadership Track Record: Demonstrated experience in line management, supervisory roles, or technical mentoring of scientific/engineering teams.

• Analytical Rigor: Advanced capability in complex data interpretation, statistical analysis, root-cause investigation methodologies, and technical report writing.

• Stakeholder Engagement: Exceptional communication skills with a proven ability to influence cross-functional teams, operational crews, and senior executive stakeholders.

• Licensing: Full, clean UK Driving Licence (required for regional site travel).

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Grow a career with a meaningful purpose.

We know the communities we serve are diverse. We recognise creativity comes from diversity not similarity. That’s why we are enthusiastic about creating inclusion across age, race, gender, ethnicity, religion and identity. You will experience our dedication to equal opportunities and fair treatment for all: through your recruitment, employment and career progression with South East Water.

Benefits package:

• Excellent Stakeholder pension scheme, up to 10% employer contribution.

• 5 weeks holiday plus bank holidays per annum, increasing to 6 weeks with length of service.

• Flexible annual leave policy to buy or sell holiday leave.

• Paid volunteering days.

• Cycle to work scheme.

• Health cash plan.

• Life assurance.

• Wellbeing related benefits.

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What can you expect from your recruitment?

• To apply for this position, please submit your CV on our career’s website.

• It is necessary for you to have the legal right to work in the UK when you begin employment with South East Water.

• Additionally, as part of the employment offer, you will need to pass background, identity, and employment referencing checks.

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If this sounds like the opportunity you’ve been looking for, apply now!

South East Water kindly asks that recruitment agencies refrain from submitting CVs to our employees or associates without explicit invitation from our HR Resourcing team. CVs sent on a speculative basis will not be acknowledged and will not assume any responsibility for fees or commissions in the event that we hire a candidate who applied directly or subsequently introduced by an instructed agency.

Compensation package:

From £44,500 p.a. (dependent on experience)