At a Glance
- Tasks: Monitor alarms and respond to incidents, ensuring smooth operations 24/7.
- Company: Join South West Water, a leader in the UK water sector with a green mission.
- Benefits: Enjoy 23 days annual leave, health plans, and flexible working options.
- Other info: Be part of a diverse team that values inclusion and personal growth.
- Why this job: Make a real difference in a fast-paced environment while developing your skills.
- Qualifications: GCSEs in English and Maths; experience in busy environments preferred.
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.
Job Role
Are you looking for a role where no two days are the same, and where your actions make a real difference to operational performance and customer service? As an Alarm Technician, you will play a vital role within our Control Room team, monitoring and responding to critical alarm notifications, supporting operational teams across the business, and ensuring business-critical processes continue to run effectively 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. You'll be responsible for triaging alarms, coordinating responses to incidents, supporting customer contacts, and maintaining key systems and records.
This is an excellent opportunity for someone who thrives in a fast-paced environment, can remain calm under pressure, and enjoys working collaboratively to solve problems and support operational excellence.
What You'll Be Doing
- Alarm Monitoring & Incident Response
- Monitor, assess and triage SCADA alarms and system notifications.
- Identify alarm ownership, priority levels, and required response times.
- Investigate alarms using system and site data to determine appropriate actions.
- Maintain accurate alarm records and annotations to provide a comprehensive audit trail.
- Prioritise alarms effectively, particularly during operational incidents and adverse weather events.
- Conduct basic trend analysis to identify recurring issues and support proactive responses.
- Work closely with Central Process Control Technicians and operational teams to ensure effective service delivery.
- Emergency Response
- Manage emergency line calls, ensuring urgent contacts are immediately prioritised.
- Respond to welfare alerts, panic alarms and lone worker notifications in accordance with established procedures.
- Escalate incidents appropriately and support emergency response processes.
- Administration & Operational Support
- Coordinate National Grid shutdown notifications and communicate impacts to relevant stakeholders.
- Manage team mailboxes and ensure urgent communications are appropriately actioned.
- Process emergency work orders and maintain standby rotas.
- Produce detailed shift handover reports to support operational continuity.
- Support password resets and out-of-hours system administration activities.
- Record and escalate emergency service and media enquiries where required.
- Customer Contact Support
- Record, investigate and action customer contacts through CRM and associated systems.
- Support wider customer service operations when required.
- Ensure customer issues are recorded accurately and escalated appropriately.
- Security, Safety & Monitoring
- Monitor CCTV systems and carry out routine checks.
- Respond to building, hatch and security alarms.
- Manage welfare monitoring processes for colleagues working alone or remotely.
- Ensure all activities are completed in accordance with company Health & Safety requirements.
What We're Looking For
- Essential Qualifications
- GCSE (or equivalent) Grade C/4 or above in English and Maths.
- Essential Experience
- Experience working in a busy, high-volume environment.
- Experience within an office-based or administrative setting.
- Skills & Knowledge
- Strong IT skills, including Microsoft Office applications.
- Ability to analyse and interpret information to support decision making.
- Good organisational and prioritisation skills.
- Awareness of the importance of following procedures and business processes.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Personal Qualities
- Calm and resilient under pressure.
- Positive and proactive approach.
- Strong team player with excellent relationship-building skills.
- Flexible, adaptable and open to change.
- Able to work independently and use sound judgement when handling incidents.
Additional Requirements
- Ability to work a 24/7 shift rota, including weekends and public holidays.
- Commitment to delivering excellent service to both internal and external customers.
- Willingness to work in a fast-paced operational environment where priorities can change quickly.
Why Join South West Water?
At South West Water, our people are the heart of everything we do. We believe in creating an environment where everyone can thrive, bring their best every day and feel truly valued. That's why we offer a comprehensive benefits package designed to support your wellbeing, financial security and work-life balance.
Our Benefits Include:
- 23 days annual leave (plus bank holidays), increasing with service
- Holiday buy & sell scheme
- Competitive pension scheme with company contribution matching
- Life assurance cover
- Group income protection
- Enhanced family leave provisions
- Share schemes with discounted and matched share opportunities
- Health cash plan
- Free annual flu vaccination
- Employee Assistance Programme (24/7 support)
- Free on-site parking at our Exeter headquarters
- Cycle to Work scheme
- Give As You Earn charitable giving scheme
- Paid volunteering day
- Access to a wide range of retail discounts
Closing Date: 2nd Oct 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.
Alarm Team Technician in Exeter employer: South West Water
At South West Water, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer, offering a vibrant work culture that prioritises employee health and wellbeing. With a commitment to sustainability and community engagement, our Occupational Health and Wellbeing Lead will have the unique opportunity to shape impactful programmes while enjoying generous benefits, including 30 days of annual leave. Join us in making a meaningful difference in the lives of our employees and the environment.
