Water quality scientist : Employers and vacancy sources

Water companies provide a major source of employment within the industry:

• in England and Wales, there are 10 large companies that supply both water and sewerage services to an entire region (e.g. Anglian, Yorkshire) and 11 listed as supplying only drinking water services to a single city or area (e.g. Cambridge, Bournemouth);
• in Scotland, Scottish Water  - a publicly owned business answerable to the Scottish Parliament - provides water and waste water services to households and acts as the wholesaler to the currently five licensed water and sewerage suppliers;
• in Northern Ireland, these services are delivered by Northern Ireland Water , part of the Department for Regional Development (Northern Ireland) .

For a list of water companies visit the Ofwat (The Water Services Regulation Authority) . Some of the largest water companies in England and Wales, particularly those that supply an entire region, have become part of larger multi-utility groups that also include gas and electricity companies. These groups may be international providers of utilities to many countries.

Other employers include regulatory bodies, particularly the Environment Agency (EA)  who is responsible for overseeing the quality of fresh, marine, surface and underground water in England and Wales. The Drinking Water Inspectorate  (DWI) oversees the quality of tap water, for which local authority environmental health departments also have local responsibility.

Environmental protection in Scotland, including groundwater quality, is the responsibility of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA)  and the Drinking Water Quality Regulator (DWQR) .

In Northern Ireland, pollution and groundwater quality are monitored by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) , which is part of the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland (DOE(NI)) .

There are a few vacancies in consultancies and environmental organisations.

Sources of vacancies

• Search graduate jobs on this site.
• Chemistry World Jobs  
• New Scientist Jobs  
• Useful directories: Who's Who in the Water Industry, ENDS Environmental Consultancy Directory  
• Local and national press.
• Careers service vacancy lists.
• Websites of water companies and regulatory bodies.

Careers services are sometimes notified of vacancies.

Recruitment agencies are now quite active in advertising posts for both permanent and temporary staff. Large national agencies are the most likely to be used by water companies.

Get tips on job hunting, CVs and covering letters and interviews.