Job Description

Closing Date

2026-10-13

Job Title: Water Quality Technician

Location: Sussex

Contract Type: Permanent

Hours: Part time - 16/ per week - 7:00am - 15:00pm, Saturday & Sunday

Salary: £12,451.33 per annum

Benefits:

• Health Care cash plan cover (with options to upgrade for family coverage)
• Competitive Pension

For a full list of benefits, please visit our careers page or see below.

Full UK Driving Licence Required

Company van provided.

Join us and help protect water quality across Sussex.

We're looking for a Water Quality Technician to join our close-knit team. This is an excellent opportunity for someone who enjoys working outdoors, likes being out and about rather than based behind a desk, and takes pride in doing a job thoroughly and accurately.

No previous water industry experience is required. Full training will be provided through a structured buddy programme, making this a great entry point into the industry.

What will you be doing?

As a Water Quality Technician, you'll be responsible for collecting water samples from a variety of locations across the Island to help ensure water quality standards are maintained.

Your duties will include:

• Collecting water samples from water & waste operational sites and customer properties
• Undertake customer sampling and complaint handling
• Carry out on site analytical testing and associated quality checking to ISO17025, DWTS and MCERTS standards (training provided on these 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
• Assess operational sites for general condition of operation / defects / issues

Routes are planned in advance and vary from week to week, with efforts made to minimise travel where possible.

What are we looking for?

We're more interested in attitude than industry experience.

You'll be someone who:

• Enjoys working outdoors in all weather conditions
• Is comfortable working independently for much of the day
• Has good attention to detail and can complete paperwork accurately
• Is organised and able to manage their own workload
• Can follow procedures
• Has good communication skills and a professional approach when interacting with customers
• Holds a full UK driving licence

Standby and Overtime

There is no regular standby rota for this position. Following training, you may occasionally be asked to support standby cover to help maintain service levels during periods of colleague absence or increased demand.

Employees can earn additional overtime payments through standby duties, with many team members adding a few £1000 extra per year, depending on operational requirements and hours worked.

Progression opportunities

Southern Water offers career progression, training, and development opportunities.

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.

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.

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.

"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.

Additional information:

In line with Southern Water’s security requirements, successful candidates will be required to provide evidence of their identity, eligibility to work in the UK, criminal record check (DBS) and verification of their employment and/or education history for the past three years. Appointment to this role is subject to the successful completion of all pre-employment checks, including security vetting.

Please note that if a candidate does not meet the required security standards or fails to pass the vetting process, Southern Water reserves the right to withdraw the offer of employment. Some positions may also require higher levels of security vetting, which may involve providing additional documentation.