Field Automation Specialist

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 Field Automation Specialist / Electrical & Mechanical Multiskilled Craftsperson to join our team covering Allanfearn & Inverness on a permanent basis.

If you are focused on excellent customer service with a proven Engineering (E&M) skilled background, this role is a great opportunity to develop your skills further.

What you’ll do

You'll be the hero of repairs, installations, and maintenance for Waste Water sites. Using your amazing electrical and general mechanical skills, you'll tackle issues for both our awesome internal team and sometimes even our external customers.

Whether it's reacting to incidents or tackling planned work, you'll ensure things run like clockwork while keeping costs in check.

Safety's a big deal, and you'll be the champion of it. You will be undertaking Risk Assessments to help with the selection of appropriate equipment and safe working practices

You will undertake a range of electrical craft skills including good experience with working on 3phase & single-phase equipment, which include fault finding and diagnosis, overload setting, maintenance to motors, motor starters, generators, lighting, variable speed drives, instrumentation and the calibration of process equipment, resetting of automation equipment and variable speed drive parameter setting.

Additionally, you will undertake a range of general mechanical craft skills, which may include some maintenance or removal of pumps, pump component replacements, engines, valves, gearboxes, specialist electrical interface hydraulics and pneumatics, fitting, pipe disconnections, and mechanical devices (such as bearing’s couplings, brakes and safety guards).

You will help figure out what the business needs and setting up systems that work like a charm for our telemetry systems. That includes everything from setting up outstations to tweaking internal system settings. You'll always be on the lookout, making sure our communication systems are running smoothly and stepping in whenever they need a helping hand. Think of it as being the tech hero for our telemetry systems.

When it's time to update software or upgrade hardware, you're the one who gets it done with minimal fuss. Plus, you'll keep our software library in tip-top shape and log all those changes.

You'll also be the go-to person for fixing, maintaining, and calibrating field instrumentation – the gear that keeps our processes in check.
 

Making our telemetry data even better is on your to-do list. You'll use your skills to improve the information we collect and join the team to speed up field automation tasks. You'll also be the one sending out reports about maintenance, data quality, and calibration. Helping out your E&M colleagues with any field automation hiccups is part of the deal.

Lastly, you'll be the expert in configuring and supporting the day-to-day requirements of users regarding functionality and accessibility within the telemetry/ PLC/IMCC/ SCADA
systems.

What you’ll need

You have completed a full apprenticeship and you have an HNC or NC in Mechanical/Electrical Engineering, or you have equivalent experience. You're the tech whiz when it comes to systems and processes, whether it's setting up servers or dealing with telemetry issues. You also have experience in calibration of instrumentation.

 You'll be the master of all things electrical. Plus, you'll dive into mechanical work and you will be 17th/18th Edition trained.

 Being friendly, confident, and a top communicator is key. You'll interact with both our internal and external customers, giving them updates and always leaving them with a smile.

You’ll bring strong communication skills and confidence working on your own. And be comfortable turning your hand to new computer systems – we like to move with the times.

You’ll always have health and safety at the top of your list, making sure we tick every box of every regulation.

Databases don't scare you. You know how to dive in and grab the data we need, and you have strong problem-solving skills. You are comfortable making decisions, especially in a fast-paced, customer-focused setup, and your communication skills are top-notch, whether it's in writing or talking.

You have a good knowledge of MS Office, including Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and SharePoint. A valid UK driver's license is also a must.

Beyond that, we’re looking for a few ‘nice-to-haves’. If you know your way around water and wastewater processes, that's a bonus. Being customer-oriented and always looking for ways to improve is right up your alley and ideally, you've got 17th/18th Edition training.

Looking out for you 

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 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 paid 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), as well as 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  

This role will be a Grade 7. If you’re new to Scottish Water, you’ll join us on a starting salary of £41,000. Performance-driven pay progression would then allow you to move through the range to a maximum of £51,970.

In November 2024, we are moving to a 35hr week to support the wellbeing and work/life balance of our employees.

If you’re interested in this role – or know someone else who might be - we’ll be accepting applications until midnight on the 5th of November 2024.

Job offers at Scottish Water are conditional, and will be confirmed on completion of our pre-employment screening, e.g. referencing, criminal record checks, license checks, etc. Screening is conducted on our behalf by a third party, and must be completed before your start date. Don’t worry - we’ll only start these checks once you’ve accepted an offer.

A few final things worth knowing…

Research shows that some people avoid applying for jobs unless they can meet every single criteria. If you’re interested in this job, but don’t tick all the boxes, apply anyway We hardly ever hire people who can do every part of a job from Day One. Everyone has a learning curve. So don’t rule yourself out

Let us know if there are any changes we can make to our recruitment process to help you perform at your best. Lots of our people have disabilities or neurodiverse conditions (including some of our recruiters). We're also aware that some people might be experiencing temporary challenges because of life events, like menopause. We’re very used to making adjustments, so please don’t be afraid to ask.

As part of our commitment to developing a flourishing Scotland, it’s important that all our employees are Scottish taxpayers. If you join us, your home address will need to be in Scotland. If you don’t already live here, you'll need to commit to moving here within your first three months.

Finally (finally), candidates who haven’t submitted an application in the last 12 months will have their records removed from our recruitment database. You won’t need to do anything. Your data will be automatically deleted.