Drinking Water Safety Plan Analyst in Exeter

Powered by Water, Driven by Purpose. South West Water keeps the South West flowing with safe, reliable drinking water and wastewater services across some of the UK's most stunning landscapes. We're proud to be part of Pennon Group, a leader in the UK water sector, working towards a greener future. Our goals? As well as lowering our carbon footprint, we're working with partners to plant 300,000 trees, restore peatlands and support farmers and landowners to improve water quality and wildlife.

About the Role: As a Drinking Water Safety Plan (DWSP) Analyst, you will play a key role in ensuring South West Water maintains a proactive, evidence-based approach to identifying, assessing and mitigating risks to drinking water quality from catchment to consumer. This is a varied and rewarding role that combines technical risk assessment, data analysis, regulatory compliance and stakeholder engagement. You will work closely with operational, scientific and engineering teams across the business to maintain and continuously improve our Drinking Water Safety Plans, ensuring they remain aligned with regulatory requirements, industry best practice and company standards. Your work will directly support the protection of public health and help ensure the continued delivery of safe and reliable drinking water to our customers.

Key Responsibilities

• Drinking Water Safety Planning: Develop, maintain and review Drinking Water Safety Plans (DWSPs) in accordance with Regulations 27 and 28, Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) guidance and Pennon Group methodology. Support the identification, assessment and mitigation of risks to drinking water quality and sufficiency across the entire supply chain, including catchment, abstraction, treatment, storage, distribution and customer taps. Ensure hazards, hazardous events and control measures are accurately captured and maintained within the DWSP framework. Review and update DWSPs in response to operational changes, incidents, audit findings, emerging threats, new evidence and regulatory requirements. Work collaboratively across South West Water and the wider Pennon Group to gather technical information and operational data to support risk assessments. Ensure operational vulnerabilities, process control weaknesses and improvement actions are appropriately reflected within DWSP documentation. Maintain consistency, standardisation and alignment of DWSP information across the business.
• Risk Assessment and Assurance: Analyse operational, compliance and investigative data to support evidence-based risk assessment and decision-making. Identify trends, failures, emerging risks and areas for improvement through data interpretation and analysis. Evaluate the effectiveness, resilience and verification status of control measures. Maintain clear and auditable evidence trails to support risk scoring and mitigation decisions. Support the DWSP Principal Scientist / Manager in risk prioritisation, escalation and assurance activities. Contribute to the continuous improvement of risk assessment methodologies, procedures and governance processes.
• Operational and Stakeholder Engagement: Build effective working relationships with operational, engineering, scientific and regulatory stakeholders. Regularly engage with operational teams to verify the effectiveness of controls and process performance. Promote a strong culture of water quality risk management across the organisation. Coordinate and monitor actions arising from DWSP reviews, audits, investigations and assurance activities. Support knowledge sharing and best practice across departments and business units.
• Regulatory and Reporting Support: Support the preparation of regulatory submissions, governance reports and assurance documentation. Maintain accurate and auditable records in line with company and regulatory requirements. Assist in the development and review of DWSP guidance, templates, procedures and training materials.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Essential: Strong written and verbal communication skills. Ability to build collaborative relationships and influence stakeholders at all levels. Understanding of drinking water supply systems and water quality risk management principles. Strong analytical and problem-solving capability. Ability to interpret complex operational, scientific and technical information. Structured and evidence-based approach to risk assessment. Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines. Competent user of Microsoft Office applications, particularly Excel. Full UK driving licence. Willingness to travel across the South West region and work independently where required.
• Desirable: Experience within the water industry or another regulated utility environment. Understanding of Drinking Water Safety Planning principles, WHO Water Safety Plan guidance and Drinking Water Inspectorate expectations. Knowledge of Drinking Water (Water Quality) Regulations. Experience analysing operational, compliance or environmental monitoring data. Understanding of water treatment processes, distribution systems, pollution pathways or operational risk management. Experience using Power BI, GIS platforms or risk management systems. Knowledge of root cause analysis, audit processes or assurance activities.

Qualifications

• Essential: Degree, equivalent qualification or relevant experience in a scientific, environmental, engineering or related discipline.

Benefits:

• Holiday Buy & Sell Scheme, giving you flexibility over your annual leave entitlement.
• Competitive Pension Scheme with company contribution matching and flexible contribution options.
• Life Assurance for added peace of mind.
• Group Income Protection to provide financial support during periods of long-term illness or injury.
• Enhanced Family Leave including maternity, paternity, adoption and shared parental leave.
• Employee Share Schemes, including discounted share purchase and share matching opportunities.
• Health Cash Plan to support you and your family's wellbeing.
• Free Flu Vaccination each year.
• Employee Assistance Programme, providing 24/7 wellbeing, mental health and financial support.
• Cycle to Work Scheme supporting healthy and sustainable travel.
• Car Share Scheme to help reduce commuting costs and environmental impact.
• Give As You Earn Scheme, allowing tax-efficient charitable donations.
• Volunteering Day, giving you time to support causes important to you.
• Retail Discounts Platform with access to thousands of savings and offers.

Closing Date: 24th Aug 2026. We may close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of applications. We encourage you to apply as soon as possible. Please note that the successful candidate will be subject to a mandatory DBS check as part of the onboarding process. Be yourself, we like it that way. Together, we will build a culture of belonging, where inclusion is instinctive. Diversity is our strength and a reflection of our communities. We care, we value everyone, we celebrate uniqueness. Our core values, which are essential to our success, are: Be Rock Solid - Build trust and be trusted. Be the one we all look to and can depend on. Be You - We want you to bring your best every day. Be yourself and make your mark in your individual way. Be the Future - Embrace change. Drive Progress. Own the challenge.