Location
Beddington, Hogsmill (STW), Mogden (STW) - TW7 7LW (Hybrid working)

Hours
36 hours per week (Monday to Friday) plus participation in a standby rota with additional payment

Salary
Up to £60,000 per annum, depending on skills and experience, plus car allowance

About the Role
Are you a wastewater treatment technical lead? Thames Water is seeking a Principal Process Specialist to act as a subject matter expert shaping and leading environmental compliance across sewage treatment works in the South London area. As the most senior technical role in process compliance, you will provide expert wastewater knowledge to achieve regulatory requirements, blending process science, engineering, operations, and regulation to address escalations and complex issues.
You will provide strategic oversight on regional compliance performance and horizon scanning for future risks. Acting as a coach, mentor, and leader, you will promote continuous improvement and drive quality, assurance, and consistency. This role embodies a compliance-driven culture focused on improving environmental performance.

Key Responsibilities:
- Provide technical expertise in wastewater treatment and regulation, solving problems across multiple sites and process streams
- Analyse wastewater treatment KPIs, reporting and strategising on results
- Maintain comprehensive understanding of permitting requirements and generate innovative solutions for non-compliances
- Represent Operations teams in project design, delivery, and commissioning of capital schemes, including confident calculation handling
- Optimise site processes to reduce cost-of-treatment with a holistic cost-benefit approach
- Lead reduction of flow-related compliance issues, including storm discharges
- Undertake technical training and hold key process safety roles
- Stay proactive in learning new wastewater technologies and disseminate knowledge
- Lead, coach, and mentor colleagues to drive knowledge sharing and competency improvement
- Provide thought leadership, problem-solving, and positive engagement with colleagues
- Confidently present and communicate to all audiences
- Produce root cause analysis and peer review work to share lessons learned
- Participate in out-of-hours rota, offering advice during event scenarios
- Manage a sub-team of Process Specialists as an organised, empathetic, and supportive leader
- Coordinate input from multiple teams and departments to deliver complex outputs
- Spearhead development of wastewater learning materials, asset standards, and project scopes

Experience
- Significant experience with wastewater processes, regulation, and pollution investigations
- Proven track record in fault finding, process improvements, and delivering change
- Experience managing and leading technical teams, including coaching and mentoring
- Strong data handling, processing, reporting skills, and adaptability to IT systems

About you
- Curious, self-driven, and motivated
- Confident in technical conversations and able to communicate complex information to non-technical audiences
- Superb time management and self-organisation skills
- Empathetic and supportive leadership style
- Full UK driving licence with access to transport and business-use insurance (car allowance provided)

Qualifications
- BSc/MSc in science or engineering is highly advantageous