Job Description

Hello! Thanks for stopping by. Let us tell you about all the great reasons to join us here at Yorkshire Water:

• We offer a competitive salary (salary band 4b), depending on experience from £42,881 to £52,084.
• This role has been classified as a Business Needs Users (BNU) are eligible for a cash allowance initially. (Employees must complete 6 months in the role and meet all BNU criteria before ordering a company car).
• Annual incentive related bonus (£1000 maximum bonus opportunity for the performance year).
• Attractive pension scheme (up to 12% company contribution)
• Development opportunities in line with the Technical Optimiser (T&D) progression plan
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays – plus an extra wellness day!
• Life assurance cover of 4 times pensionable salary
• A great benefits package – choose from health cash plan scheme, critical illness insurance, dental insurance, life assurance flex and partner cover.
• Retail savings scheme
• Online GP service, cycle to work scheme, gym membership discounts and many more!

Location: Regionally based, with a mix of home working and working from our Knostrop WWTW in Leeds. There will be an expectation to visit sites across the Yorkshire region as and when needed, therefore a full valid UK driving licence (with no more than 6 points) is an essential requirement for this role.

Work type: Permanent. 37 hours per week, Monday – Friday.

We have an exciting opportunity for a Technical Optimiser (T&D) to join the Bioresources department at Yorkshire Water and be a part of helping Yorkshire Water to provide the best service to our customers. Could this be you?

What we do:

Everyone has an idea of what a water company does. Here in Yorkshire, we make sure that over 5.4 million people living in the region and the millions of people who visit our region each year, can rely on our services, and have clean and safe drinking water on tap and that their wastewater is taken away. But for us, it’s so much more than this.

We look after communities, protect the environment, and plan to look after Yorkshire’s water, today, tomorrow 24/7, 365 days a year. We provide essential water and wastewater services to every corner of the Yorkshire region, and play a key role in the region’s health, wellbeing, and prosperity.

New environmental legislation, unprecedented levels of investment and changing expectations from customers means that this is an exciting time to discover opportunities within the water industry. Bioresources are a key part of how we plan to meet the changing expectations of customers and regulators.

We’re looking for someone who really knows their way around thickening and dewatering (T&D) assets — someone who can keep us right on performance, compliance and energy generation, while working closely with our operations, engineering and commercial teams.

In this role, you’ll have a key hand in shaping how we look after our T&D assets, how we invest in them, and how we get the very best out of them day‑to‑day. From overseeing sludge production and movements to supporting capital planning, you’ll help make sure our sites run safely, efficiently and in line with regulatory expectations. It’s a hands-on, people-facing role where no two days are quite the same.

Where you fit in:

This role sits right at the heart of our Bioresources activities. You’ll be the one making sure our T&D assets keep turning and performing, with a keen eye on availability, quantity and efficiency.

Day to day, you’ll:

• Take ownership of asset availability on T&D and throughput critical kit, driving down downtime.
• Gather and interpret performance data (throughput, DS%, chemical usage).
• Help operations get the best out of assets through site support and optimisation.
• Work with maintenance providers to ensure inspections and servicing stay on track.
• Embed continuous improvements and best practice across wastewater sites.
• Carry out root cause analysis on major failures that hit us financially.
• Develop data insights that reduce MTTR and support proactive maintenance approaches.
• Report on OEE across wastewater assets.

You’ll also take the lead on:

• Thickening & dewatering asset availability.
• Performance optimisation and reporting.
• Chemical control and reporting.
• Maintenance planning and service adherence.
• Oversight of the mobile dewatering fleet.
• Asset improvements and resilience planning.
• Managing performance on key assets end to end.
• Supporting throughput into energy generation targets.
• Contract management and acting as the SME in performance meetings.

What skills, experience and Qualifications you will need:

• We’re after someone who’s confident defining the best route to get things done — someone who can take broad goals and turn them into practical, effective plans.
• This is a role for someone who takes pride in doing things properly — someone who wants to make a difference by keeping our wastewater treatment assets safe, reliable and ready for anything.

You’ll need:

• Experience working with wastewater treatment assets.
• Experience working with commercial contracts and partners.
• Strong IT skills and comfort working with multiple systems.
• Confidence working with complex data sets to inform decisions and present proposals.
• A full clean driving licence (no more than 6 points).
• Ability to manage both long- and short-term maintenance programmes.

And when it comes to safety, we expect the highest standards, including:

• Following Life Saving Rules at all times.
• Upholding Yorkshire Water’s Stop Work principle.
• Wearing PPE at all times.
• Ensuring your own competence for all tasks.
• Demonstrating strong H&S behaviours every day.
• Correct and safe use of tools and equipment.
• Auditing contractors working under the T&D framework.
• Always working in line with safe working practices.

Although we operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, it’s important to us that we support flexible working patterns and job share options (when we can), to help you make the best of both your work and home life. We know that juggling childcare responsibilities or getting that ideal work/life balance isn’t always easy!

Do we sound like your cup of tea?  

If you’ve got experience in working with wastewater assets and want to help us deliver great service for our customers whilst looking after the environment, then be sure to apply today to find out what a career with Yorkshire Water can offer you.  

Advert closing date: 10th June

Interviews: TBC

If successful for the role, you will be required to undergo pre-employment checks that will include a Basic Disclosure Check, carried out through a Third-Party Company, prior to commencing employment. Depending on the role, you may also be required to go through the security vetting process for either a Counter Terrorist Check or Security Check clearance.

All our roles are subject to a medical questionnaire, and further medicals when required.