Hydraulic System Operator

As a Hydraulic System Operator, you will be part of the broader System Operations team, the only Thames Water Operations team that covers water supply from source to tap.

As a team, our main purpose is to identify emerging risks within our water supply system and implement solutions and mitigations for these to ensure our objectives for Health and Safety, Water Quality, customer service, leakage minimisation and energy usage optimisation are achieved.

As part of the Water Control team, you will contribute to the here-and-now delivery of a 24/7 service to our customers. 

What you’ll be doing as a Hydraulic System Operator

• Using our technology to identify problems before they happen and minimise disruption to customers.
• Ensuring the water, we provide meets strict water quality standards to protect public health.
• Providing technical guidance and advice during emergency work to prevent environmental damage and keep customers’ taps running.
• Keeping two steps ahead of constantly changing supply and demand patterns, influenced by factors such as the weather, social behaviours and even pandemics.
• Assisting with the delivery of multi-billion-pound engineering projects.
• Enabling the essential maintenance of Thames’ vast asset base whilst ensuring we continue to deliver for our customers.
• ⁠Assessing incoming information from e-mails, phone calls, direct messaging, and the control room systems to ensure risks are identified and responded to in priority order and high-consequence risks are escalated to the incident team as soon as possible.

Base location: Kemble Court in Green Park, Reading, located just off the M4 and a 20-minute bus ride from central Reading.

Working hours: This role involves working 12-hour shifts day and night on a shift pattern involving 14 days on, and 28 days off spread over a 6-week period (to be discussed further during the application process), ensuring a great work-life balance.

What you should bring to the role

• A problem-solver who works well under pressure.
• Understanding the importance of working in a team towards a common goal.
• The ability to analyse and use data to make decisions, respond to problems and deliver operational outcomes.
• IT literate (Microsoft Word, excel, outlook etc.) and quick to embrace new digital tools.
• Good numerical skills.
• Have good communication and interpersonal skills for day-to-day liaison with colleagues, stakeholders, and customers.
• Knowledge of SCADA and GIS systems would be advantageous, but not essential.
• Experience in water treatment, networks and regulation would be advantageous, but not essential.

What’s in it for you?

You will be joining a team working together and supporting each other to deliver a critical service in a fast-paced environment where no two days are the same. You’ll be a key worker, helping to deliver life’s essential service and making a real difference to millions of customers, the environment and public health every day.

The Water Control Centre is a fun, fast-paced environment where no two days will be the same. You’ll be a key worker, helping to deliver life’s essential service and making a real difference to millions of customers, the environment and public health each day.

• Competitive salary from £29,040 to £35,000 per annum depending on skills experience a full training and development programme is provided to ensure you feel confident in the role, and great opportunities for career progression.
• 24 days of annual leave, increasing to 28 days with length of service (plus bank holidays).
• Generous Pension Scheme through AON.
• Access to lots of benefits to help you take care of your and your family’s health and well-being, and your finances – from annual health MOTs and access to physiotherapy and counselling to Cycle to Work schemes, shopping vouchers and life assurance.

Find out more about our benefits and perks

Who are we?

We’re the UK’s largest water and wastewater company, with more than 16 million customers relying on us every day to supply water for their taps and toilets. We want to build a better future for all, helping our customers, communities, people and the planet to thrive. It’s a big job and we’ve got a long way to go, so we need help from passionate and skilled people, committed to making a difference and getting us to where we want to be in the years and decades to come.

Learn more about our purpose and values

Working at Thames Water

Thames Water is a unique, rewarding and diverse place to work, where every day you can make a difference, yet no day is the same. As part of our family, you’ll enjoy fast-tracked career opportunities, flexible working arrangements and excellent benefits.
Whether you’re interested in a role in one of our call centres or science labs, we’re looking for people like you with real passion and a burning desire to make things better.

So, if you’re looking for a sustainable and successful career where you can make a daily difference to millions of people’s lives while helping to protect the world of water for future generations, we’ll be here to support you every step of the way. Together, we can build a better future for our customers, our region and our planet.

The real purpose, real support, real opportunities. Come and join the Thames Water family. Why choose us? Learn more.

Our overarching aim is to ensure that Thames Water is a great, diverse and inclusive place to work. We welcome applications from everyone and offer extra support for those who need it throughout the recruitment process. We aim to remove any real or perceived barriers to success, so if you need assistance, we’re here to help and support you.

When a crisis happens, we all rally around to support our customers. As part of Team Thames, you’ll have the opportunity to sign up to support our customers on the frontline as an ambassador. Full training will be given for what is undoubtedly an incredibly rewarding experience. It’s also a great opportunity to learn more about our business, meet colleagues and earn some extra money along the way.

Disclaimer: due to the high volume of applications we receive, we may close the advert earlier than the advertised date, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.