Principal Process Engineer

Location: Falmer, Sussex (must be willing to travel across the patch to attend site visits when required)

Contract Type: Permanent

Hours: 37

Salary: Competitive salary - to be discussed at interview stage

About the role:

Southern Water is investing heavily in the resilience, quality, and sustainability of our water and wastewater services. We’re driving major transformation across AMP8 and beyond, and we’re looking for a Principal Process Engineer to play a key role in shaping how we deliver cleaner, greener, more efficient solutions for our customers and the environment.

What you will be responsible for:

• Technical Leadership: Lead process design across multiple wastewater schemes, providing expert guidance and approvals. Oversee key technical deliverables, resolve complex issues, and ensure quality, compliance, and value for money.
• Safety & Sustainability: Promote a strong safety culture, develop risk assessments, and ensure designs meet CDM, environmental, and sustainability standards.
• Innovation & Improvement: Drive continuous improvement by challenging existing practices, adopting industry best practice, and championing digital design and standardisation.
• People Leadership: Support, mentor, and develop junior engineers, contribute to recruitment, and foster a culture that encourages innovation and collaboration.
• Financial & Commercial: Assist with business case development, manage design budgets, and influence stakeholders to secure best value.
• Programme & Customer Focus: Ensure design deliverables meet programme, customer, and regulatory expectations, and represent Southern Water at technical events.

What you’ll bring to the role:

• Qualifications: MEng/BEng/BSc or HNC in Chemical Engineering, Environmental, or a related discipline. Chartered Engineer status with a relevant institution is essential.
• Experience: A solid background in delivering water projects in the UK Water Industry, with a deep understanding of engineering principles, commercial operations, and risk management.
• Skills: Excellent communication, leadership, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to drive innovation and manage complex engineering challenges.
• Essential: A full, UK Driving Licence and access to a vehicle.

Southern Water is at the forefront of transforming Britain’s water industry, investing significantly to enhance resilience, sustainability, and service excellence. With £7.8bn planned investment for 2025-30, this is an unparalleled opportunity to join a business committed to delivering a generational shift in the way water services are managed.

You will be joining at a time of significant change, working alongside a highly skilled leadership team with a clear vision for the future. We offer an environment where senior professionals can make a meaningful impact, influence major strategic decisions, and drive long-term value creation.

Our mission is to protect and enhance life through water—and we need passionate people to help us achieve it. If you’re inspired by our purpose and believe you can contribute, apply today. You don’t need to meet every criterion; what matters most is your drive to make a difference.

If this role isn’t quite what you’re looking for but are keen to be contacted about opportunities at Southern Water, you can register your details here: Introduce Yourself.

Our Commitment to Diversity: We welcome applicants from all backgrounds, identities, and experiences. We do not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, or any other protected characteristic. If you need reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know.

Additional information: In line with Southern Water’s security requirements, successful candidates will be required to provide evidence of their identity, eligibility to work in the UK, criminal record check (DBS) and verification of their employment and/or education history for the past three years. Appointment to this role is subject to the successful completion of all pre‐employment checks, including security vetting.

Please note that if a candidate does not meet the required security standards or fails to pass the vetting process, Southern Water reserves the right to withdraw the offer of employment. Some positions may also require higher levels of security vetting, which may involve providing additional documentation.

Interested in the role? We reserve the right to close this advertisement early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications, so if you are interested in the position please do send your application over today to ensure consideration. We truly appreciate every application. Please note, that due to the volume of interest, we may not be able to provide personalised feedback to all applicants.

Our Benefits:

• Company and performance-related bonus
• Generous pension
• Life assurance payment equal to four times your annual salary
• Health benefits through a Cash Plan
• Two paid community volunteering days a year
• 28 days annual holiday
• Occupational health service
• Retail discount app
• We offer competitive maternity leave, and flexible return to work options

Everybody Welcome: We value diversity and are committed to providing an inclusive and accessible recruitment process. If you require any reasonable adjustments to facilitate your participation in the recruitment process, please do not hesitate to let us know.

Need flexibility in your work? Does this opportunity excite you but you’re not 100% sure if you meet all the requirements for the role? Or are you concerned that ‘normal’ office hours aren’t possible given your personal circumstances? Whilst we can’t accommodate every flexible working request, we’ll try to find a practical solution. So why not engage with us and find out more about this role?