Overview
Together we are Trusted to Serve Scotland. It’s not every job where you make a difference for the people of Scotland. Our work keeps Scotland’s water flowing, from reservoir to tap - and from sewer to treatment plant. At Scottish Water, we prioritise continuous investment in water and wastewater infrastructure to ensure these essential services run for homes, businesses and communities across the country. Over the coming years, we have planned £8.3 billion investment to upgrade infrastructure, improve river and coastal water quality, reduce emissions and strengthen Scotland’s resilience to climate change. This work is of national importance and these challenges are no small feat. The engineering decisions made now will be built into assets that need to perform reliably for decades to come.
This continuous drive to improve the service we deliver is why we are looking for an experienced Civil Engineer to bring valuable engineering insight, and support technical designs through planning, development and construction; to ultimately improve the quality, consistency and long-term performance of assets delivered across our capital investment programme.
What You’ll Do
You’ll work across a broad range of water and wastewater projects in our capital programme; getting involved at the initial stages where early design decisions are taking shape, tested and agreed, all the way through to live construction of our assets.
This role is about engineering judgement. You’ll review designs, be involved in technical innovation and discussion within our industry and ultimately help project teams work through complex engineering problems - allowing for successfully formed design which can be built into assets that will perform safely and reliably for decades to come.
You won’t be tied to a single programme. You’ll be weighing up service risk, whole-life cost, carbon, constructability and safety throughout projects within the portfolio of work we deliver; spanning regions and asset types, including both large scale investment and capital maintenance work. This gives you sight of the breadth of challenges and emerging risks faced across the wider sector, but importantly also of the opportunities to contribute to the improvement of how things are done, not just on one project, but across the organisation.
At Scottish Water we work hard to deliver our service; however, we continuously strive to better what we do - this is where your experience can make that difference.
What You’ll Need
You’ll bring solid civil engineering experience and the confidence to apply your judgement in complex, high-impact situations.
You’ll Have
* A degree in civil engineering, and be a Chartered Engineer or working towards chartership
* Experience of water and wastewater infrastructure, with a strong understanding of design and construction principles and the regulatory environment
* The ability to review, challenge and provide assurance within civil engineering designs across different stages of project development
You’ll be comfortable working with standards and requirements, including supporting their ongoing development and assessing waivers against these where needed. You’ll be able to weigh up technical, safety and regulatory considerations and justify your reasoning clearly where needed.
This role involves influencing and supporting successful design rather than directing. You’ll need to communicate well with a wide range of stakeholders, from operational teams and delivery partners to consultants and planners. It is important to be able to challenge constructively and professionally.
Character is important to us. Across the whole of Scottish Water, we look for people who are Bold, Responsible, Inspiring and Caring. (And you can expect these characteristics to make an appearance in your interview with us…)
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.
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 £44,030. Performance-driven pay progression would then allow you to move through the range to a maximum of £55,000.
If you’re interested in this role - or know someone else who might be - we’ll be accepting applications until midnight on 17th February 2026.
We operate Balanced Hybrid working at Scottish Water and we encourage people to work half their time in a Scottish Water location. You’ll come together with the team in person for a monthly meeting in Edinburgh, and you’ll spend two to three days a week working alongside Technical Support and Assurance colleagues in a Scottish Water office.
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.
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