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Form of work
Salary Together we are Trusted to Serve Scotland.
Most people don’t think too much about how clean water reaches their taps. Or what happens to their wastewater.
But Scottish Water does. In fact, it’s all we think about.
Want to help? Join the Chemistry Team as an Analytical Scientist. You’ll be on the front lines of making sure Scotland’s water is totally, dependably pure.
What you’ll be doing:
Clean water doesn’t just happen. Our team of 300 samplers, scientists and support staff analyse their way through an average of one test every minute. With so many tests going through the lab, you’ll prioritise work within your team. And you’ll manage routine maintenance of instrumentation to help avoid unplanned downtime.
Day-to-day, you’ll be applying methods including LCMS, GCMS, ICP, Wet Chemistry techniques and radiochemistry to help ensure the quality of Scotland’s Water. Then you’ll help us translate the results for customers.
Getting it right is important, so you’ll work to ISO 17025 (if you know, you know).
Naturally, we’ve got a big focus on health and safety. The standard? 100% compliance with the strictest standards – many of them set out in law.
What you’ll need:
First of all, you love science. You know chemical testing and analysis inside-out, backed up by an HND or degree-level qualification in a chemistry related discipline. And, although it probably goes without saying, maintaining a safe and healthy workplace is your thing.
Ideally, you’ll have some experience working in an ISO 17025 or GLP-accredited analytical laboratory – or at least have a good handle on the standard.
Beyond that, we hope that delivering great customer service is what gets you out of bed in the morning. And you’re committed to always improving processes.
What you’ll get:
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.
This is a full time (37 hours per week) role with some weekend working and standby requirements. But you’ll get plenty of time to recharge with 38 days 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 can expect an annual company bonus. 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 5, with a salary range from £29,800 to £35,760. New external hires will join on the minimum salary and then progress through fixed points in the range on an annual basis.
All new Scottish Water employees are required to complete pre-employment security checks before they can start work.
If you’re interested in this role – or know someone else who might be - we’ll be accepting applications until midnight on Thursday 18 April.
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.
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
