Scientific Services Graduate Programme Dundee 2024

Start your career with a splash. When you join Scottish Water as a Graduate, it’s more than just a great launchpad for your career. You’ll play an important part in helping Scotland to flourish, by delivering the critical infrastructure and services that our nation relies on every day. 

You’ll be joining us at a fascinating time, as we endeavour to transform into a more agile, innovative organisation that provides truly excellent service, delivers great value for money, and works in an environmentally sustainable way that goes beyond Net Zero. 

What you’ll do 

On the Scientific Services Graduate Development Programme, starting in September 2024, you will have the opportunity to gain exposure to the work of multiple teams over the 2 years you spend as a Scottish Water Specialist Graduate. You will undertake a variety of interesting and challenging placements, which will allow you gain a breadth of experience whilst helping you to identify where your strengths lie.

Science skills in the water sector are growing in significance as the world confronts the interlinked threats of climate change, resource sustainability, pollution and population growth. Scottish Water’s business is inextricably linked to these challenges and requires strong scientific developments, capabilities and skills going forward to deliver advances in treatment approaches to ensure that Scottish Water successfully addresses future water and wastewater compliance issues, supports sustainable economic growth and delivers a resilient and good value service for our customers.

You will be able to work with a wide range of teams with the potential to be involved in challenging technical projects, from leading laboratory analysis right through to cutting-edge field-testing processes. You will also gain an understanding of the day to day responsibilities and activities of the scientific services teams either by embedding within their operational teams or by assisting them in their improvement projects. These projects are focused on transforming the way in which we work within scientific services and help us support the Scottish Water strategic ambitions. You will experience a variety of on-site environments occasionally in beautiful surroundings and you will receive extensive technical as well as management systems training which will also help you pursue Chartered status in your specialist Science field. The aim of this two-year programme is to further develop your skills and expertise to enable you to take on a specialist technical role on completion of your Programme. 

How does the graduate programme work? 

• You’ll be employed on a permanent contract from Day One. 
• The starting salary for this role will be from £28,500. After each successful 6-month placement, your salary will increase by up to £1000. 
• You’ll be part of a cohort of c.60 graduates, giving you an instant and invaluable network of contacts throughout the business. 
• There is plenty of support. As well as your day-to-day manager, we’ll match you up with a mentor who will support and coach you as you go through your programme. 
• You’ll have access to both structured and informal training designed to equip you with the skills you need now, and in the future. 

What you’ll need 

You’ll have graduated within the last three years (or be on track to graduate next summer). Holding at least a 2:2 Science degree or are on track for at least a 2:2 degree, in disciplines such as Chemistry, Biology, Analytical Science, Environmental Science, Applied Sciences and Natural Sciences. Ideally you will have analytical laboratory skills and experience. You will work with multi-functional teams across Scotland which may include our specialist laboratories, sampling teams, quality teams, regulatory teams and operations, dependent on the placements given, to support and develop the delivery of resilient and sustainable water and wastewater scientific services.

• You’ll need to live within commuting distance of one of our Dundee office.
• And you’ll need a full UK-issued (DVLA) driving license – or be on track to pass your test. 

In terms of essential requirements? That’s it. 

But here’s the thing: We get thousands of applications for our Graduate roles each year. What makes the best candidates stand out? 

Here are a few things we love to see

• CVs that tell us more than what grades you earned over the years. Show us what you’ve learned. What you love. What your aspirations are. 
• Cover letters that tell us why you’re interested in Scottish Water (and in Engineering and Construction in particular).
• People who use their application to show that they are Bold, Responsible, Inspiring and Caring.  

Looking out for you 

While the work we do is important, 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 paid 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), as well as 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. 

What happens next? 

• The closing date for applications is Sunday 17th March 2024
• Interviews will happen late March / early April. Where you can give us a good grilling too. 
• If you accept a place on the programme, you’ll go through some pre-employment screening during the Spring, including a criminal record check. 
• All our new Graduates will start together in September, with a week-long induction event in Glasgow. You’ll learn more about the organisation, meet our leaders, visit some of our operational sites, start making friends, and have a lot of fun.

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.

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.