Repair and Maintenance Technical Specialist

Who are we?Thames Water is the UK's largest water and wastewater company. We make a daily difference to our 15 million customers by supplying 2.6 billion litres of water through 32,000 km's of pipes, to keep taps flowing and toilets flushing. We are an essential service and have operated throughout the Covid19 pandemic. We are dedicated to delivering a continuous supply of drinking water to our customers through our infrastructure. The Water Networks Repair and Maintenance teams are responsible for completing repair and maintenance activities on Thames Water's underground water network - pipes and ancillary fittings.At Thames Water, every one of our actions, big and small, matters every day. Water is essential to daily life, and that means our business is always open.What you will be doingWe will be recruiting for Repair & Maintenance (R&M) Technical Specialists across the Thames Valley, South London, and North London on a shift pattern of 1 in 4 weekends, 1 in 4 weeks on a late shift, and 1 in 8 weeks on standby on an average of 45 hours per week. We will also be offering a limited number of positions on a working pattern of Monday to Friday, fixed day shifts, or Monday to Friday, fixed late shifts. Flexibility to undertake overtime during peak demand is essential.As a Repair and Maintenance Technical Specialist, your role is to provide technical, problem-solving expert support both on-site and remotely to ensure quality repairs are undertaken on the water network.Your role will work with and coach repair and maintenance teams to deliver for customers in the right-first-time, effective way of working, always keeping a priority focus on health and safety.We're looking for you to:

• Support the on-site delivery of repair and maintenance activities within SLA to achieve business and customer outcomes in the most timely, safe, and cost-effective way
• Oversee more complex repairs on-site, for example, deep excavations, and provide on-site validation of permits to break ground
• Provide technical support and expertise to help teams comply with health and safety through all aspects of the repair
• Mentor and coach less experienced team members to develop their technical skills and ability to operate in a compliant, safe, and effective manner
• Engage with our customers and councils to get work delivered promptly with minimal disruption
• Work to reduce leakage and the number and length of service interruptions in your area, and support our ability to ensure we are always ready to respond
• Undertake competency assessments of the R&M teams to ensure H&S compliance, quality of work and to support ongoing skills development

Qualifications:To succeed in the role, it is expected that you will have:Essential

• Full UK Driving Licence
• EUSR Water Hygiene
• Street works qualified (NRSWA)/SMSTS
• Service Avoidance L2
• First aid qualified
• Asbestos and COSHH awareness

Desirable

• Abrasive wheels
• Manual handling training
• Confined space awareness

What's in it for you?Our competitive salary package includes an excellent contributory pension, 26 days holiday per year increasing to 30 with the length of service, and a wider benefits scheme.Thames Water is a dynamic, rewarding, and diverse place to work, with opportunities around every corner. If you join our team, you'll enjoy a fulfilling career, flexible working arrangements, and great benefits. We're also proud to be an equal opportunity employer, Stonewall Diversity Champion, and Disability Confident Leader and we're a Times Top 50 Employer for Women. Find out more about working at Thames Water.We deliver life's essential service so our customers, communities, and the environment can thrive. This means, that when a crisis happens, we all rally around to support our customers. As part of your role, you'll be asked to help out our Instant Support Team to help our customers in their hour of need. This is incredibly rewarding, and you'll be given full training - it's also a great opportunity to learn more about our business and meet colleagues. Disclaimer: due to the high volume of applications we receive, we may close a vacancy earlier than the advertised date. This is so we can manage all the applications properly and give candidates a positive experience. Once closed, we can't consider any further applications, so please submit your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.