Are you interested in how science, data, and real-world operations come together to protect the environment? At Thames Water, our one year Process Compliance Industrial Placement offers you the opportunity to work closely with our Process Compliance team, supporting the performance and regulatory compliance of wastewater treatment sites.
What you’ll be doing across your placement year
- Supporting the Process Compliance team with technical work to improve wastewater treatment processes
- Learning how wastewater treatment sites operate and how they are managed day to day
- Helping ensure treatment sites operate in line with environmental regulations and permits
- Investigating process and compliance issues in real-world scenarios
- Using data, scientific principles, and root cause analysis to help identify and solve problems
- Supporting actions that help prevent pollution and improve environmental performance
- Communicating findings and recommendations clearly with a range of stakeholders
What you should bring to the role
To thrive in this role, the essential criteria you’ll need is
- Working towards an environmental science degree or related discipline
- A full driving license, access to own vehicle and business travel insurance is required due to travel across the Thames Valley Region
- We’re looking for enthusiastic and curious individuals who enjoy working with others and learning new skills. You’ll be someone who likes sharing ideas, asking questions, and contributing as part of a supportive and diverse team
What’s in it for you?
- Salary: £23,000
- Location: This role is flexible in base location and may be based at Reading, Oxford, Swindon, Banbury, or Little Marlow Sewage Treatment sites. The successful candidate should be comfortable travelling across the Thames Valley region as part of the role
- Duration: 1 year placement, starting September 2026 until August 2027
- 24 days holiday (plus bank holidays)
- Access to lots of benefits to help you take care of you and your family’s health and wellbeing, and your finances – from annual health MOTs and access to physiotherapy and counselling, to Cycle to Work schemes, shopping vouchers and life assurance
Next steps
- Apply online by completing the application form for the role
- Complete the online pre-screen and assessment sent to you by email after you apply. This stage helps us get to know you better and may include:
- Questions about your values, personality, and how you would handle different situations
- Reasoning exercises (including verbal, numerical, mechanical, or inductive), depending on the programme
- Upload evidence of your degree(s), or a letter from your university if you are currently studying, when requested
- Record a video interview so we can learn more about you and your motivations
- If successful, attend an interview which will be taking place from March 2026
- Offer and feedback
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 meaningful career opportunities, flexible working arrangements and excellent benefits.
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.
Real purpose, real support, real opportunities. Come and join the Thames Water family. Why choose us? Learn more.
We’re committed to being a great, diverse, and inclusive place to work. We welcome applications from everyone and want to ensure you feel supported throughout the recruitment process. If you need any adjustments, whether that’s extra time, accessible formats, or anything else just let us know, we’re here to help and support.
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 and meet colleagues.
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.