Scientist

Together we are Trusted to Serve Scotland.

Most people don’t think too much about how clean water reaches their taps. Or what happens to their wastewater. 

But Scottish Water does. In fact, it’s all we think about. 

Want to help? As a Scientist within our busy Inorganics wing in Edinburgh, you’ll be on the front lines of making sure Scotland’s drinking water is high quality and great tasting, all while protecting our environment by checking our wastewater.

Together, we’ll tackle environmental challenges head-on, driving toward our Beyond Net Zero ambition while proudly upholding our ISO 14001 certification.  

What you’ll do

Clean water doesn’t just happen. Our team of 320 samplers, scientists and support staff are hard at work, analysing their way through an average of one test every minute. With so many tests going through the lab, you’ll prioritise work within your team. And you’ll manage routine maintenance of instrumentation to help avoid unplanned downtime. 

Day-to-day, you’ll be analysing inorganic parameters such as Biochemical Oxygen Demand, Chemical Oxygen Demand, pH and Nutrients in waters and wastewater using a variety of instrumentation and wet chemistry techniques to help ensure the quality of Scotland’s Water and environment. Then you’ll help us translate the results for customers. Getting it right is important, so you’ll work to ISO 17025 and ISO 14001 (if you know, you know). 

Naturally, we’ve got a big focus on health and safety. The goal? 100% compliance with the strictest standards – many of them set out in law. 

What you’ll need: 

First of all, you love science. You know chemical testing and analysis inside-out, ideally backed up by a HND or degree-level qualification in a Chemistry related scientific discipline. And, although it probably goes without saying, maintaining a safe and healthy workplace is your thing. 

Ideally, you’ll have some experience working in an ISO 17025 or GLP-accredited analytical laboratory – or at least have a good handle on the standard.

Beyond that, we hope that delivering great customer service is what gets you out of bed in the morning. And you’re committed to always improving processes. 

Looking out for you 

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. 

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. And for the everyday? We embrace flexible working. 

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 will participate in a company bonus scheme. 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 5. If you’re new to Scottish Water, you’ll join us on a starting salary of £33,951. Performance-driven pay progression would then allow you to move through the range to a maximum of £39,911.

If you’re interested in this role – or know someone else who might be - we’ll be accepting applications until midnight on the 12th October 2026.

The laboratory provides analytical services from 7.00 am to 7.00 pm with weekend working and standby requirements. 

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. Screening is conducted on our behalf by a third party, and must be completed before your start date. Don’t worry - we’ll only start these checks once you’ve accepted an offer.  

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!). We're 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, you'll need to commit to moving here within your first three months.

Candidates should be aware that a valid UK driving licence is required for driving on Scottish Water business and claiming business mileage expenses.

Please note, 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 (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