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Programme Graduate – Water Quality Science

 

Salary & Benefits

 

  • Starting salary: £32,000, rising to £37,000 by end of year 2
  • Extras: £2,000 signing bonus, annual bonus, 25 days holiday + bank holidays + wellness day
  • Pension: Up to 12% company contribution
  • Life assurance: 4x pensionable salary
  • Permanant substantive role offer upon completion of programme subject to performance

 

Flexible Benefits Package

 

Includes health cash plan, critical illness and dental insurance, life assurance flex (with partner cover), retail discounts, online GP access, cycle-to-work scheme, gym membership savings, and more.

 

Location: West Yorkshire with requirement for flexible travel across Yorkshire & Humber.

 

Work type:  37 hours per week between a working window of 8:00am-6:00pm Monday – Friday

 

Why Yorkshire Water?

 

Yorkshire Water delivers essential water and wastewater services to over 5.4 million people. But we’re more than taps and toilets—we protect the environment, support communities, and help shape Yorkshire’s future.

 

From tackling climate change to planning for droughts and floods, we’re solving some of the biggest challenges facing our region and we need talented graduates to help us do it.

 

Your Graduate Programme

 

Our two-year programme offers you five placements across your allocated business area, complemented by a choice of placements to suit your personal development needs in core functions such as Finance, Health & Safety, People, and Procurement, enabling you to have a balanced understanding of the business. You’ll gain hands-on experience, technical and leadership training, and support from mentors, managers, graduate alumni, and our Early in Careers team to support you from the day you make the decision to join us.

 

By the end of the scheme, you’ll be ready to step into a permanent role and make a lasting impact.

 

Your Team:

 

The variety within the programme will see you working across our business and undertaking activities alongside your colleagues to meet the challenges faced by our industry ranging from how to achieve net zero carbon emissions through to how we plan for drought or flood events. The Water Quality function covers a number of connected, yet discrete areas, with the opportunity to work across exciting areas, such as identifying and delivering innovation opportunities, championing nature based solutions, through to contributing to strategies central to Yorkshire Water achieving our vision.

 

We look after communities, protect the environment, and plan to look after Yorkshire’s water, today, tomorrow 24/7, 365 days a year. We provide essential water and wastewater services to every corner of the Yorkshire region, and play a key role in the region’s health, wellbeing, and prosperity.  

 

New environmental legislation, unprecedented levels of investment and changing expectations from customers means that this is an exciting time to discover opportunities within the water industry.

 

Water Quality is a key part of how we plan to meet the changing expectations of customers and regulators.   

 

Your Role

 

The role of a Graduate Water Quality Scientist is a vital one as you will help ensure that water quality targets and standards relating to specific legislation are met. This will ensure that we provide our customers with a wholesome water supply that everyone can enjoy.

 

As a Graduate Water Quality Scientist:

 

  • Your help will optimise, assets, systems, processes, and procedures in line with continuous improvement in water quality performance and protection of public health at all times both (water distribution and production sites).  You will work towards minimising water quality related contacts and to help deliver our vision of taking responsibility for the water environment for good.
  • You will support a co-ordinated, planned and effective response to incidents across the business, and to ensure that processes, procedures are followed and agreed actions or requirements are implemented.
  • You will help prepare reports for submission to our regulator/Senior Managers and investigatory reports and review of exception reports provided by the team of scientists.
  • You will ensure compliance with our Performance Commitments – specifically the Compliance Risk Index (CRI), the Event Risk Index (ERI), Drinking Water Customer Contacts and Unplanned Outage (UPO) commitments.
  • You will support and deliver key initiatives and projects in relation to Water Quality Compliance, Customer Contacts, Network, Production and Capital support.

 

What you’ll need to be successful:

 

  • Minimum 2:1 Bachelors degree in a Science or similar (environmental) discipline.
  • Enthusiasm and a drive to succeed
  • UK Driving License and access to own vehicle

 

If you have an enquiring mind and want to join our business at a time where you can make a difference to our customers, our environment and join our sustainability led efforts – please apply!

 

Please click on the button to apply and complete out graduate application form.

 

Recruitment Process – 

 

Closing date: 3rd November 2025 

 

Assessment Centres:  12th December 2025 

 

Start date:  21st September 2026

 

We are proud to serve the Yorkshire region and are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment that is reflective of the communities we serve. We strongly encourage candidates of all different backgrounds to apply. 

 

If successful for the role, you will be required to undergo pre-employment checks that will include a Basic Disclosure Check, carried out through a Third Party Company, prior to commencing employment. Depending on the role, you may also be required to go through the security vetting process for either a Counter Terrorist Check or Security Check clearance.  

 

Kelda Group reserve the right to close this position before the published closing date, should the need occur. We therefore advise that you complete and submit your application as soon as possible.

What's in it for you?

Career enhancement and development, colleague well-being and a genuinely positive work experience for all are key priorities. We are continuously evolving and improving our ways of working and you will support us in achieving our vision of 'taking responsibility for the water environment for good'.

If you feel this opportunity is suitable and you match the skills required, then please apply on line and complete the application process.

Kelda Group reserve the right to close this position before the published closing date, should the need occur. We therefore advise that you complete and submit your application as soon as possible.

The Kelda Group provides water and sewerage services to domestic and business customers across the UK, managing the following subsidiary companies: - 

Yorkshire Water, is the main subsidiary company providing water and sewerage services to 4.7 million people and 130,000 businesses in the Yorkshire region. Its activities are regulated by the Water Services Regulation Authority, Ofwat Loop Customer Management Ltd specialises in delivering customer service support to Yorkshire Water that includes billing, debt recovery and incident management. Employing more than 600 people, Loop have built up an impressive list of industry awards and achievements since being created in 2000 and is currently listed in the Sunday Times Top 100 list as being one of the best companies to work for.

Kelda Water Services (KWS) manages Kelda's non-regulated water and waste water contract operations. It is now the second biggest player in the UK market for outsourced clean and waste water services.

Kelda Water Services Retail offer quality, integrity and partnership but it is never just about the technologies behind our solutions in water. It is about the structure, delivery and even the financing of those solutions, and about giving our customers a level of convenience they never knew was possible.

KeyLand Developments Limited (KeyLand Developments) is responsible for managing, developing and disposing of the group's surplus property assets, either on its own or in partnership with outside organisations.

Kelda Group values equality, diversity and inclusion we believe that everyone should be treated with respect. We welcome applications from all individuals, regardless of gender, marital status, parental status, sexual orientation, race, colour, ethnic or national origin, disability, age, religion or belief and trade union membership.

Kelda Group reserve the right to close this position before the published closing date, should the need occur. We therefore advise that you complete and submit your application as soon as possible.

Programme Graduate - Water Quality Science

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