Process Scientist - Waste Water

Together we are Trusted to Serve Scotland.

Are you passionate about improving wastewater treatment processes and making a real difference to environmental performance?

We're looking for a proactive and motivated Waste Water Process Scientist to join our Bioresource team. This is an exciting opportunity to work closely with operational teams and stakeholders across the business to optimise treatment processes, solve complex operational challenges and drive continuous improvement.

As online monitoring, instrumentation and process control continue to play an increasingly important role in wastewater treatment, you'll help shape how these technologies are used to improve performance, resilience and compliance across our Bioresource Treatment Centers.

What you'll do

You’ll provide technical process support to wastewater treatment and sludge treatment operations for the Nigg bioresource center.

Investigate process failures, undertake Root Cause Analysis (RCA) and ensure actions are implemented through to successful mitigation.

Identify and deliver opportunities to improve process performance, resilience and operational efficiency.

Support the development and application of online instrumentation, process monitoring and process control technologies.

Work collaboratively with operational teams and stakeholders across the business to deliver practical, sustainable solutions.

Use data, technical expertise and innovation to support operational excellence and continuous improvement.

Build positive working relationships that influence decision-making and improve business performance.

What you’ll need

You’ll be proactive, self-motivated and enjoys solving problems.

Have a passion for improving wastewater treatment and sludge treatment processes.

You can analyse information, identify root causes and develop effective solutions.

Have knowledge of, or a strong desire to develop expertise in, online instrumentation, process monitoring and process control technologies.

Build strong collaborative relationships with operational teams and stakeholders.

Be able to communicate technical information clearly and confidently.

You’ll have a positive attitude towards change and a commitment to continuous improvement.

Looking out for you

While the work we do is important, we know it’s not the only thing that matters. That’s why we make sure you have everything you need to find a good work-life balance.

You’ll get plenty of time to recharge with 38 days (Pro-rata) of holiday every year (including public holidays). And you can even buy five more if you need a little extra time. You can also take time off to volunteer in your community.

When it comes to major life events we have family-friendly policies around adoption, maternity, and parental leave. And for the everyday? We embrace flexible working.

For your future, there’s our pension (the ‘know-what-you’ll-get-when-you-retire’ kind), and life assurance.

As for some nice extras? You will participate in a company bonus scheme. Not to mention access to SW Splash – handy rewards that can save you money on holidays, bills, and shopping.  

The not-so-small print  

This role will be a Grade 6. If you’re new to Scottish Water, you’ll join us on a starting salary of £37,815. Performance-driven pay progression would then allow you to move through the range to a maximum of £48,395.

If you’re interested in this role – or know someone else who might be - we’ll be accepting applications until midnight on 27th August 2026.

Job offers at Scottish Water are conditional, and will be confirmed on completion of our pre-employment screening, e.g. referencing, criminal record checks, license checks, etc. Screening is conducted on our behalf by a third party, and must be completed before your start date. Don’t worry - we’ll only start these checks once you’ve accepted an offer. 

A few final things worth knowing…

Research shows that some people avoid applying for jobs unless they can meet every single criteria. If you’re interested in this job, but don’t tick all the boxes, apply anyway! We hardly ever hire people who can do every part of a job from Day One. Everyone has a learning curve. So don’t rule yourself out!

Let us know if there are any changes we can make to our recruitment process to help you perform at your best. Lots of our people have disabilities or neurodiverse conditions (including some of our recruiters!). We're also aware that some people might be experiencing temporary challenges because of life events, like menopause. We’re very used to making adjustments, so please don’t be afraid to ask.

As part of our commitment to developing a flourishing Scotland, it’s important that all our employees are Scottish taxpayers. If you join us, your home address will need to be in Scotland. If you don’t already live here, you'll need to commit to moving here within your first three months.

Candidates should be aware that a valid UK driving licence is required for driving on Scottish Water business and claiming business mileage expenses.

Please note, Scottish Water takes the safety, health and wellbeing of our employees, colleagues and customers very seriously and as such you may be subject to Drug & Alcohol testing in line with our policy.

Finally (finally!), candidates who haven’t submitted an application in the last 12 months will have their records removed from our recruitment database. You won’t need to do anything. Your data will be automatically deleted. 

We’re here to help. Ask us anything at SWRecruitment@ScottishWater.co.uk