Principal Engineer - Risk & Lifecycle Planning

Together we are Trusted to Serve Scotland. Our work keeps Scotland’s water flowing, from reservoir to tap – and from sewer to treatment plant. Join our Risk & Lifecycle Planning Team (R&LP) in Scottish Water’s Wastewater Directorate as a Principal Process Engineer on a permanent basis. The role of R&LP is to understand, predict, and manage current and future risks to service by providing assets that are safe, reliable, resilient, and capable of achieving expected performance.

Responsibilities

• Full technical support to the existing DSEAR Compliance Programme, working across assessments, remediation planning, and verification to maintain regulatory compliance and operational safety.
• Work with CSD Operations to ensure that all operational assets remain within their ongoing regulatory compliance and operational safety as the DSEAR Compliance programme completes and we transition into a BAU position.
• Collaborate with SW Capital investment teams to ensure that the delivery of all capital projects is undertaken without compromising compliance.
• Work with Service Planning teams to understand, predict, and manage current and future risks to service.
• Conduct root cause analysis and promote solutions aligning with Scottish Water's vision and the identified need.
• Provide technical expertise and opinion across a variety of projects.
• Drive innovation and ensure consistency and compliance across the capital investment programme.
• Evaluate the capability and performance of our treatment assets and develop solutions to meet identified needs across a portfolio of wastewater projects.
• Apply Root Cause Analysis principles to collaborate with teams to determine when our assets might fail and under which scenarios.
• Advocate for and facilitate the implementation of low-carbon solutions to assist Scottish Water in reaching net zero emissions by 2040.
• Enhance cooperation with Research & Innovation teams to expedite the innovation process and the adoption of low-carbon and nature-based technologies.
• Help develop and implement new tools and technologies, including Generative Design, to enhance investment and risk planning.
• Manage and update Process Requirements as a Requirement Owner.
• Define and implement asset standardization using Standard Products, Designs, and Processes.

Additional Responsibilities – DSEAR Compliance Programme Support (Key Requirements)

• Lead and update Explosion Protection Documents (EPDs) and close out Equipment Verification Reports (EVRs) for compliance.
• Define and scope remediation works using the Repair Matrix; validate pricing and programme alignment.
• Provide ventilation assessments and mitigation specifications for hazardous areas.
• Issue and manage PMIs, enabling surveys, and tracking progress against P6/3MLA plans.
• Collaborate with CSPs/JV partners to resolve technical queries and unblock PO/hold conditions.
• Assure designs meet DSEAR standards, including Ex-rated equipment and IS barriers.
• Produce concise governance reports on site status, remediation, and verification close-out.
• Support innovation and standardization while integrating low-carbon solutions into DSEAR compliance.

What you’ll need

• A degree in Chemical / Process / Mechanical Engineering or similar and will have achieved CEng status.
• Demonstrable experience in the evaluation of process treatment plants including high level design and asset enhancement, preferably within the waste treatment or water industries.
• Expert knowledge of wastewater treatment technologies.
• Understanding of design and construction principles within the legislative requirements of Scottish Water.
• Capability of understanding the wider context of decision making within the investment planning scenario.
• Established a wide network and maintained relationships with industry and academia.
• Strong communication, negotiation, liaison, and influencing skills.
• Problem solver who evaluates evidence and delivers results by managing safety and risk.
• Good working knowledge of MS Office Suite.
• Comfortable in acting as an early adopter of new technologies and software programs.

Looking out for you

You’ll get plenty of time to recharge with 38 days of holiday every year (including public holidays). You can even buy five more if you need a little extra time. You are entitled to two paid volunteering days every year to support your community. We have family-friendly policies around adoption, maternity, and parental leave. And every day, we embrace flexible working. For your future, there’s our pension, as well as life assurance. You can expect an annual company bonus and 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 in Grade 8. If you’re new to Scottish Water, you’ll join us on a starting salary of £54,776. Performance-driven pay progression would then allow you to move through the range to a maximum of £74,386. If you’re interested in this role, we’ll be accepting applications until midnight on the Friday 12 June 2026.

Job offers at Scottish Water are conditional, and will be confirmed on completion of our pre-employment screening, e.g. referencing, criminal record checks, driving license checks, etc. These checks are conducted on our behalf by a third party.

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.

Scottish Water takes the safety, health and wellbeing of our employees, colleagues and customers very seriously and as such you may be subject to Drug & Alcohol testing in line with our policy.

Finally, candidates who haven’t submitted an application in the last 12 months will have their records removed from our recruitment database.