Trade Effluent (TE) is the discharge of non-domestic wastewater from trade premises. It is essential to control TE to protect the public, our people, our assets, and the environment. Under the Water Industry Act 1991, sewerage undertakers have powers to control discharges to their sewers and raise charges to the premises occupier’s retailer.

The Trade Effluent Technologist is responsible for managing Trade Effluent customers within a specific catchment area.

What you will be doing as a Trade Effluent Technologist

  • Reviewing all new trade effluent applications within a specific timescale, including completing customer site visits to gather information for process, volumetric, pollution prevention, health & safety, and billing purposes.
  • Helping Thames Water achieve its Sewage Treatment Works compliance, pollution reduction, and leakage targets by managing Trade Effluent customers.
  • Working alongside our operational teams and responding to incidents involving Trade Effluent customers.
  • Carrying out Surface Water Pollution Risk Assessments (SWPRA) to ensure residual levels of chemicals reaching the environment after sewage treatment remains within safe limits.
  • Completing case reassessments on existing Trade Effluent dischargers as defined by the Urban Wastewater Directive, ensuring discharge consents are accurate and fairly charged.

Base location: Thames Valley, hybrid format with site visits twice a week.

Working hours: Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm, 36 hours a week.

Contract type: Fixed-term contract for 1 year.

What you should bring to the role:

  • Relevant work experience in trade effluent, pollution control, environmental protection, or wastewater areas. (e.g., wastewater sampling, laboratory sampling, laboratory technician roles)
  • Knowledge of the Water Industry Act will be beneficial.
  • An analytical mindset and self-motivation.
  • Strong ability to manage your workload independently, as conflicting priorities will arise.
  • Being ready for a physically demanding job involving site and business visits, using stairs, and handling equipment.
  • A full driving license and access to a vehicle with enough space to carry required equipment, including PPE, and other essentials for travel throughout the Thames Water catchment area.

What’s in it for you?

This is a unique and exciting opportunity to join a team responsible for monitoring and controlling trade effluent discharge into the public foul sewer. You will be customer-facing and working to reduce the risk to Thames Water’s assets, people, and the environment. Additionally, you’ll be conducting operational risk, health & safety, and pollution assessments, making a real difference in protecting the environment and public health.

  • Competitive salary from £30,400 to £35,000 per annum depending on skills and experience, plus a car allowance of £4,500.
  • Annual Leave - 24 days holiday per year increasing to 28 with the length of service.
  • Generous Pension Scheme through AON.
  • Access to lots of benefits to help you take care of your and your family’s health and well-being, 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

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 fast-tracked career opportunities, flexible working arrangements and excellent benefits.

Whether you’re interested in a role in one of our call centres or science labs, we’re looking for people like you with real passion and a burning desire to make things better.

So, 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.

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

Our overarching aim is to ensure that Thames Water is a great, diverse and inclusive place to work. We welcome applications from everyone and offer extra support for those who need it throughout the recruitment process. We aim to remove any real or perceived barriers to success, so if you need assistance, we’re here to help and support you.

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, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.