Scientific Sample Administrator (Edinburgh) – 21 hours per week

Together we are Trusted to Serve Scotland. It’s not every job where you make a difference for the people of Scotland. But it’s what’s behind every job here. Our work keeps Scotland’s water flowing, from reservoir to tap – and from sewer to treatment plant. Join our Technical Support team for Scientific Services at our Juniper House lab on the outskirts of Edinburgh as a Scientific Sample Administrator. You’ll help our teams make sure Scotland has a constant supply of safe, high-quality water. What you’ll be doing: Clean water doesn’t just happen. Our team of 300 samplers, scientists and support staff analyse their way through an average of one test every minute. As a Scientific Sample Administrator within our Technical Support Team, you’ll play a crucial role in our extensive analytical testing service. You’ll be following our processes to register and receive a high volume of water and wastewater samples from all over Scotland, from both internal and external customers. To keep the high volume of work flowing, you will investigate and resolve common customer queries. You’ll help schedule and prioritise work within your team and carry out routine maintenance and calibration of equipment. Naturally, we’ve got a big focus on health and safety. The standard? 100% compliance with the strictest standards – many of them set out in law. This role is an ideal entry level role for someone looking to start their Scottish Water career. What you’ll need: You’ll need top-notch customer service skills and the confidence to talk to anyone. And of course, you’ll know your way around Microsoft Office – even the fiddly bits, like table formatting. Attention to detail is a must: you will need to make sure all data is entered correctly to allow technical interpretation of laboratory results by others. Character is important to us. Across the whole of Scottish Water, we look for people who are Bold, Responsible, Inspiring and Caring. (And you can expect these characteristics to make an appearance in your interview with us…) What you’ll get: While the work we do is important, we know it’s not the only thing that matters. That’s why we make sure you have everything you need to find a good work-life balance. This is a part time role (21 hours per week), with some standby requirements. The hours of work will normally be Monday to Friday, 5.00 pm to 9.00 pm, although we may need you work until 10.00 pm on a Tuesday at some times of the year. You’ll get plenty of time to recharge with 38 days of holiday every year (including public holidays). And you can even buy five more if you need a little extra time. You can also take time off to volunteer in your community. When it comes to major life events we have family-friendly policies around adoption, maternity, and parental leave. For your future, there’s our pension (the ‘know-what-you’ll-get-when-you-retire’ kind), and life assurance. As for some nice extras? You can expect an annual company bonus. Not to mention 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 a Grade 3. If you’re new to Scottish Water, you’ll join us on a starting salary of £25,980 (or £14,746 pro rata). Performance-driven pay progression would then allow you to move through the range to a maximum of £30,000 (or £17,028 pro rata). The role will be based at Juniper House in Edinburgh and is not suitable for flexible/home working. Job offers at Scottish Water are conditional, and will be confirmed on completion of our pre-employment screening, e.g. referencing, criminal record checks, license checks, etc. These checks are conducted on our behalf by a third party. Don’t worry - we’ll ask your permission before starting these checks. If you’re interested in this role – or know someone else who might be - we’ll be accepting applications until midnight on Sunday 14 July 2023. We’ll be interviewing the week beginning Monday 22 July. A few final things worth knowing…
Research shows that some people avoid applying for jobs unless they can meet every single criteria. If you’re interested in this job, but don’t tick all the boxes, apply anyway! We hardly ever hire people who can do every part of a job from Day One. Everyone has a learning curve. So don’t rule yourself out!
Let us know if there are any changes we can make to our recruitment process to help you perform at your best. Lots of our people have disabilities or neurodiverse conditions (including some of our recruiters!). Were also aware that some people might be experiencing temporary challenges because of life events, like menopause. We’re very used to making adjustments, so please don’t be afraid to ask.
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, youll need to commit to moving here within your first three months.
Finally (finally!), candidates who haven’t submitted an application in the last 12 months will have their records removed from our recruitment database. You won’t need to do anything. Your data will be automatically deleted.
We’re here to help. Ask us anything at SWRecruitment@ScottishWater.co.uk