Customer Water Quality Scientist - Reading, Berkshire

Customer Water Quality Scientist - Reading, Berkshire, RG1 8DB

Contract:

Permanent Salary:
Starting from £32,000 per annum, depending on experience

At Thames Water, we make a daily difference to the lives of 16 million customers by supplying 2.6 billion litres of water through 32,000km of pipes - keeping taps flowing and toilets flushing. We deliver life’s essential service so our customers, communities and the environment can thrive.
We’re looking for a Water Quality Scientist , who will play a vital role as the key interface between our Water Operations teams and our customers, managing escalated water quality complaints and ensuring they are thoroughly investigated, resolved to a high standard, and delivered within agreed timescales.
What you’ll be doing as a Water Quality Scientist
Working within our Customer Services Water Quality team, you’ll engage directly with customers by phone and in writing, providing reassurance, assessing risk, and ensuring every concern is handled professionally and empathetically.
Your key responsibilities will include:

• Responding to escalated water quality complaints within set deadlines.
• Speaking directly with customers to assess risk and understand concerns.
• Arranging water sampling and network operations where required.
• Carrying out in-depth investigations, including interpreting laboratory data.
• Monitoring complaint trends to identify wider events or emerging issues.
• Working closely with operational teams to resolve multiple complaints.
• Notifying external agencies (Local Health Authorities and Environmental Health) when necessary.
• Maintaining accurate, DWI-auditable customer contact records.

What makes this role unique

• You’ll be the critical link between customers and operations , making a real difference when it matters most.
• You’ll combine scientific investigation with customer care , using evidence to drive solutions.
• Your work directly supports public health, regulatory compliance, and customer trust.

This is a full-time role aligned to our escalation mandate of 9am–5pm, Monday to Friday , ensuring we meet regulatory and customer expectations without compromise.
Base location:
Hybrid - Clearwater Court, Reading
Working pattern: 36 Hours, Monday to Friday
What you should bring to the role
Essential:

• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent organisational and time-management abilities.
• Proven customer service experience (call-centre or complaint handling experience is highly relevant)
• Confidence using corporate IT systems.
• Strong problem-solving skills and attention to detail.

Desirable:

• Degree-level qualification (or equivalent) in a scientific discipline.
• Knowledge of water quality issues.
• Familiarity with water science terminology and laboratory data interpretation.

What’s in it for you?

• Competitive starting from £32,000 per annum, depending on experience
• Annual Leave - 26 days holiday per year, increasing to 30 with the length of service (plus bank holidays)
• Performance-related pay plan directly linked to company performance measures and targets.
• Generous Pension Scheme through AON.
• 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.

Find out more about our benefits and perks (Please note different T&Cs apply if on secondment)
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…