Together we are Trusted to Serve Scotland.
How’s this for job satisfaction: at Scottish Water we look after Scotland's most precious natural resource. From source to tap, we’re guarding Scotland’s reputation for refreshingly pure water, and caring for our environment at the same time.
Sound good? We’re looking for a Sampling Officer to join our Water Sampling team, who keep a close eye on the water quality in Aberdeen and surrounding areas.
When there’s a water sample to be taken, you’re there – you’ll plan, collect, process and deliver them across your patch. That means visiting everywhere from water treatment works and service reservoirs to customer’s houses and Top Up Taps – every day is different.
Many of our sampling procedures are accredited by UKAS, so you’ll need a keen eye for detail. On your watch, the team will be confident you’ve sorted the pH from the pOH and recorded accurate measurements. And yes, you’ll often be working alone – but your contribution to the team’s targets will be huge.
Every day you’ll be out and about collecting samples, representing Scottish Water – your friendly, professional manner is part of the uniform.
You’ll spend a lot of time in one of our branded vans, so you’ll need a full, clean driving licence. (You can take the van home, so you can skip the morning commute – but you’ll need to leave it at the depot over holidays.)
Love a to-do list and always keep your calendar organised? Us too. Most days you’ll work to a schedule, but you’ll flex for the occasional logistical challenge or reactive job, such as urgent resampling. You should be goals-focused too, always with one eye on helping the team meet daily and weekly targets.
Sometimes a sample needs to be taken after dark or at the weekend – you’ll be part of a standby rota to cover these jobs.
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 role has 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
The starting salary for this role is £21,053. Full training will be provided, with salary enhancements after 12 months and 24 months if milestones are successfully reached.
All new Scottish Water employees are required to complete pre-employment security checks before they can start work. You will need to go through MOD Security Clearance for this particular role.
If you’re interested in this role – or know someone else who might be - we’ll be accepting applications until midnight on Monday 14 August 2023. We'll be interviewing the week beginning Monday 28 August 2023.
Do you have any support needs?
Please let us know if there are any changes we can make to our application and selection process to make it easier and more comfortable for you. Email us
here
with the vacancy reference number in the subject line so we can work with you to support you throughout your application.
Working at Scottish Water
Scottish Water is one of the UK's leading water companies, the quality of drinking water and satisfaction with the service we provide our customers has never been higher - but we want to be even better – and you could help play an important part!
We take employee engagement very seriously and have an inclusive and collaborative work environment where we respect people’s differences. We are committed to creating an engaging environment and a positive experience for our employees.
We were recently recognised as a Top 10 Flexible Employer in Scotland at the Flexibility Works Awards 2021 and by The Times as a Top 50 Employer for Women in 2019.
In 2019 we also won the Age Inclusive Award at The Herald and GenAnalytics Diversity Awards and were winners of the Best Public Sector Employer at the Family Friendly Working Scotland Awards 2020.
We have Carers Positive Exemplary Status and were Silver Award 2019 & Gold Award winners 2020 of the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (DERS).
We aim for work to be an energising and fulfilling experience and everyone plays their part to ensure that Scottish Water is trusted to serve our customers and communities.
We are passionate about creating opportunities for young people and are proud to have achieved the Gold standard in the Investors in Young People accreditation, demonstrating our commitment to creating rewarding opportunities for young people.
You will have access to a host of benefits which include 38 days holiday a year, a defined benefit pension scheme, a discounted medical cash plan and cycle to work, plus a variety of agile working arrangements and family-friendly policies designed to support your wellbeing.
Next Steps
Any offer of employment with Scottish Water will be subject to the successful completion of a mandatory pre-employment screening process, including Disclosure Scotland and eligibility to work in the UK. Details can be found on our website.
For more information about this role or if you require any additional support throughout the application process please contact the recruitment team:
As part of our commitment to developing a flourishing Scotland, it is important that Scottish Water employees are resident in Scotland and contribute to the Scottish economy by paying Scottish income tax on their earnings. As a result we ask all potential employees to confirm that they are resident in Scotland, or to confirm their intentions to move to Scotland within 3 months of their start date.
Please note that candidates who have not submitted an application in the last 12 months will be automatically removed from our system records.