Principal Consultant

Principal Consultant Water Microbiologist

Salary: £55,000+ depending on experience

Location: Swindon, Hybrid

The Vacancy

It’s an exciting time to join WRc as a Principal Consultant in water microbiology as we plan to increase our capacity and capability to meet future needs in this business area. The recent outbreak of cryptosporidiosis associated with tap water in Devon, the potential risks associated with surface water pollution and the inclusion of new microbial parameters in the EU Drinking Water Directive places greater emphasis on the need for microbially safe water and sanitation provisions, and Microbiologists play a key role in this.

As a Principal Consultant in our water microbiology business area, you will be leading our Microbiology Value Proposition over our three core microbiology workstreams: current & emerging hazards; target identification; and decision-making, which span across our consulting and commercial service offerings.

The position isfull-time, permanent basis with ahybridarrangement for both office (Swindon) and home working depending on requirements.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide line management and technical leadership for our water microbiology team.
• Collaborate with our Directorate Leadership team fostering cross-directorate working.
• Lead the microbiology team in the delivery of high-quality project outputs.
• Lead on the identification and development of new business opportunities working with our Business Development Lead.
• Lead on bids and proposals.
• Lead on developing current and new client relationships.

Person Specification:

• MSc or higher in Environmental Sciences, Microbiology, Environmental Engineering or similar, ideally with modules covering environmental and public health microbiology, sampling, analysis, water treatment and water distribution.
• Previous proven experience in working within the water sector.
• Experience with planning monitoring programmes in the field and in laboratory settings.
• Demonstrates an understanding of microbiological data and how to interpret the outputs.
• Experience in technical report writing and literature reviews.
• Ability to identify new opportunities in microbiology.
• Ability to engage with a range of internal and external stakeholders.

Additional Skills:

• Experience with routine microbiological sampling and analytical techniques for water quality analysis, preferably in an ISO17025 accredited environment.
• Knowledge or experience with novel analytical techniques for microbial water quality analysis such as flow cytometry, MALDI-ToF, and molecular techniques.
• Laboratory auditing experience under ISO17025.
• Strong statistical analysis capability advantageous, ability to use data analysis programme such as R. Proficient in Excel.

Salary and Benefits:

• Life assurance.
• Flexible working hours based on a 37-hour week, Monday to Friday.
• A flexible benefits programme including the option to buy additional holidays, health cash plan and discounted gym membership.

RSK Group Ltd is an equal opportunities employer.

About Us:

Water Research Centre (WRc) is an independent centre of excellence for innovation and growth that boasts more than 90 years of delivering leading, technical research and innovation services to the global water, waste management and energy sectors. Its subsidiary business, Cognica, is a leading provider of intelligent information-management solutions and services to the construction and estate-management markets. The businesses are based in Swindon, UK.

WRc’s 170 employees bring a shared purpose of discovering and delivering new and exciting solutions that enable clients to meet the challenges of the future. In addition to its wide breadth of services in water, WRc is also home to the National Centre for Environmental Toxicology, an expert team of scientists and toxicologists offering a toxicology-on-demand subscription service.

We are committed to fostering an inclusive workplace that welcomes individuals from all backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. We firmly believe that embracing and celebrating the diversity in our workforce makes us a stronger and more innovative company.

If you're passionate about making a difference, join us as we work together to build a brighter, more equitable, and sustainable future for all. Do you have what it takes?

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