Solutions Analyst in Tonbridge

Join our IT team as a Solutions Analyst and be the essential technical bridge to our Scientific Services department. In this role, you will lead the lifecycle management and development of our ThermoFisher LIMS suite, the digital engine driving our water testing operations. You will work side-by-side with Laboratory Managers and Scientists to translate complex analytical requirements into reliable technical workflows, ensuring every water sample moves accurately from collection to final report. Your work is fundamental to public health and national regulatory compliance. By maintaining a high-performing, integrated LIMS environment, you prevent operational bottlenecks and safeguard the integrity of thousands of daily water quality tests. Your expertise directly enables us to meet Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) standards, ensuring a safe and consistent water supply for millions of customers.

Main Responsibilities

• Conduct workshops and one-to-one sessions with laboratory staff to define the business objectives and functional outcomes required for new system enhancements.
• Design and specify software modules or configuration changes to the ThermoFisher platform to deliver solutions that improve laboratory efficiency and data quality.
• Develop and implement code changes, ad-hoc queries, and reports to meet the specific analytical needs of the Scientific Services team.
• Execute rigorous testing protocols on new software modules in accordance with IT policies to ensure "right first time" delivery and regulatory compliance.
• Analyse the impact of proposed system changes and coordinate the change control process to minimise risk to live laboratory operations.
• Provide 2nd and 3rd line technical support for reported system issues to resolve faults and maintain the availability of critical testing applications.
• Train end-users on new system functionality and mentor junior IT colleagues to ensure effective adoption and long-term supportability of the solution.
• Liaise with third-party suppliers (ThermoFisher) and internal infrastructure teams to implement major software upgrades and troubleshoot complex external defects.
• Maintain up-to-date technical documentation and manage code revisions to ensure the long-term maintainability and auditability of the system.
• Participate in the out-of-hours on-call rota to provide emergency technical response for critical system outages affecting 24/7 laboratory operations.

Skills / Qualifications / Experience

• Educated to degree level in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related discipline, or possessing equivalent vocational qualifications and significant operational experience in systems development.
• Certification in ITIL (Service Management) or relevant software development methodologies (e.g., Agile/Waterfall).
• Technical proficiency in configuring and customising Laboratory Information Management Systems (specifically ThermoFisher SampleManager or similar enterprise LIMS platforms).
• Strong coding skills in languages relevant to the LIMS environment (e.g., VGL, C#, .NET) and experience with scripting for automation.
• Advanced knowledge of SQL (Oracle or SQL Server).
• Ability to translate scientific business processes into clear technical specifications and functional designs.
• Skill in creating precise technical documentation, including change logs, code revisions, and user guides.
• Proven experience in the full software development lifecycle (SDLC), from gathering requirements through to testing, implementation, and post-go-live support.
• Experience collaborating with third-party software suppliers (such as ThermoFisher) to manage upgrades, patch deployments, and resolve escalated defects.
• Practical experience in integrating core business applications with other enterprise systems or laboratory instrumentation.
• A strong track record of managing software changes within a formal change control framework, ensuring risk analysis is conducted to prevent operational disruption.
• Experience providing 2nd and 3rd line technical support, troubleshooting complex application errors, and delivering training to non-technical business users.

We want to be the water company people want to be supplied by and want to work for. We know the communities we serve are diverse. We recognise creativity comes from diversity not similarity. That’s why we are enthusiastic about creating inclusion across age, race, gender, ethnicity, religion and identity. You will experience our dedication to equal opportunities and fair treatment for all: through your recruitment, employment and career progression with South East Water.

Benefits package

• Excellent Stakeholder pension scheme, up to 10% employer contribution.
• 5 weeks holiday plus