Principal Process Engineer - Water

Are you a recognised Process Engineering Subject Matter Expert with extensive municipal water treatment experience? Do you want to influence the future of the UK water industry while helping deliver one of the country's most ambitious environmental investment programmes?

At Thames Water, you'll play a critical role in delivering our AMP8 investment programme and beyond, providing technical leadership across major water treatment projects that will improve services for millions of customers and help protect the environment for future generations. This is an opportunity to shape engineering standards, drive innovation, mentor the next generation of engineers, and solve some of the industry's most complex challenges.

What you'll be doing as a Principal Process Engineer

As a Principal Process Engineer, you'll be a technical authority within your discipline, providing leadership, assurance and specialist expertise across a broad portfolio of water treatment projects and operational challenges.

You'll be responsible for:

• Leading the design, review and assurance of complex water treatment engineering schemes.
• Providing expert process engineering support to operational and project teams, helping resolve complex technical issues.
• Ensuring engineering solutions comply with regulatory requirements, industry legislation and Thames Water asset standards.
• Leading technical sign-off and oversight activities throughout the project lifecycle, from concept through to commissioning and handover.
• Mentoring, coaching and developing engineers, building a high-performing and collaborative engineering culture.
• Managing and reviewing engineering design partner deliverables to ensure quality, value and technical excellence.
• Supporting incident investigations and implementing process improvements to enhance operational performance and resilience.
• Influencing and continuously improving technical standards, best practice guidance and engineering governance.
• Working closely with multidisciplinary teams to deliver safe, sustainable and resilient engineering solutions.
• Supporting the evaluation, testing and implementation of emerging technologies and innovative approaches that improve customer and environmental outcomes.

Base location: Hybrid working with time split between home and our Reading office at Clearwater Court (RG1 8DB).
Working pattern: 36 hours per week, Monday to Friday.

What you should bring to the role

We're looking for a subject matter expert in water treatment process engineering who can provide technical leadership and inspire others.

Ideally, you'll have:

• Extensive experience within municipal water treatment process engineering, with a proven track record of delivering complex projects and solutions.
• Recognition as a technical leader with strong engineering judgement and decision-making capability.
• Experience leading, mentoring and developing technical teams.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence and challenge effectively at all levels.
• A passion for continuous improvement, innovation and professional development.
• A collaborative approach and commitment to creating an inclusive and diverse engineering environment.
• A degree in Process Engineering, Chemical Engineering or a related discipline.
• Chartered Engineer status (or demonstrable progress towards achieving chartership).
• A strong understanding of project delivery, including design, constructability, commissioning, operability, maintainability and whole-life asset performance.
• Awareness of commercial and contractual considerations when supporting capital projects and operational programmes.

What's in it for you?

This is an opportunity to join a business investing billions in its assets, people and communities, where you'll have the platform to influence major strategic programmes and help shape the future of water infrastructure.

• Salary of up to £90,000 per annum depending on experience. 
• 26 days holiday per year, increasing to 30 with the length of service (plus bank holidays)
• Car Allowance.
• Performance-related pay plan directly linked to company performance measures and targets
• Generous Pension Scheme through AON.
• Private Medical Health Care.
• Access to lots of benefits to help you take care of you and your family’s health and wellbeing, 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 (Please note different T&Cs apply if on secondment)

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 meaningful career opportunities, flexible working arrangements and excellent benefits.

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.

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

We’re committed to being a great, diverse, and inclusive place to work. We welcome applications from everyone and want to ensure you feel supported throughout the recruitment process. If you need any adjustments, whether that’s extra time, accessible formats, or anything else just let us know, we’re here to help and support.

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 and meet colleagues.

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.