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 minimize 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 behaviors 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.

You will be based at Kemble Court in Green Park, Reading, located just off the M4 and a 20-minute bus ride from central Reading.

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.
• Quick learner who can retain information and embrace change.
• 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.

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. 

• 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.
• Annual Leave is 24 days holiday per year increasing to 28 with the length of service. (Plus bank holidays)
• Contributory pension – Defined Contribution - Maximum of 12% -2x employee contribution.
• Personal Medical Assessments – Open to all once a year.
• Wider benefits scheme including our benefits hub, which is packed full of offers and information to save you money and support your wellbeing.

Who are we?

At Thames Water, our purpose is crystal clear - to deliver life’s essential service so our customers, communities and planet can thrive.

Water is life’s great leveller. Every living thing needs it, every single day. From people to plants, birds to bees, farms to factories, we all need it to thrive, and we’re committed to taking care of it for us all.

But keeping water flowing is becoming harder. From scorching summers to wetter winters, extreme weather affects everything from our pipes to our local rivers. We must keep millions more kettles boiling, public services operating, washing machines spinning, showers running and more, so every drop is more precious than ever. Are you ready to play your part?

Working at Thames Water

At Thames Water, we recognise that people are at the heart of our business. To help us succeed in providing life's essential service, we need a range of skills and capabilities, representative of society throughout our business.

We seek to attract and retain a cultural mix of people who can offer different but complementary attitudes, values, talents, and knowledge. We understand the importance of appreciating and harnessing the unique skills, experiences, backgrounds, and differences that each individual brings.

Our over-arching diversity and inclusion aim is to ensure Thames Water is a diverse and inclusive great place to work. We encourage applications from everyone and offer extra support for those who need it throughout the recruitment process.

Find out more about working at Thames Water.

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. We encourage you to apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.