Drinking Water Safety Plan Analyst

Powered by Water, Driven by Purpose South West Water keeps the South West flowing with safe, reliable drinking water and wastewater services across some of the UK's most stunning landscapes. We're proud to be part of Pennon Group, a leader in the UK water sector, working towards a greener future. Our goals? As well as lowering our carbon footprint, we're working with partners to plant 300,000 trees, restore peatlands and supporting farmers and landowners to improve water quality and wildlife.

Whether you're starting out or seeking a new challenge, our scale and ambition create opportunities for you to shape your own career. Ready to make a splash? Join our team today. About the Role As a Drinking Water Safety Plan (DWSP) Analyst, you will play a key role in ensuring South West Water maintains a proactive, evidence-based approach to identifying, assessing and mitigating risks to drinking water quality from catchment to consumer.

This is a varied and rewarding role that combines technical risk assessment, data analysis, regulatory compliance and stakeholder engagement. You will work closely with operational, scientific and engineering teams across the business to maintain and continuously improve our Drinking Water Safety Plans, ensuring they remain aligned with regulatory requirements, industry best practice and company standards. Your work will directly support the protection of public health and help ensure the continued delivery of safe and reliable drinking water to our customers.

Key Responsibilities Drinking Water Safety Planning Develop, maintain and review Drinking Water Safety Plans (DWSPs) in accordance with Regulations 27 and 28, Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) guidance and Pennon Group methodology. Support the identification, assessment and mitigation of risks to drinking water quality and sufficiency across the entire supply chain, including catchment, abstraction, treatment, storage, distribution and customer taps. Ensure hazards, hazardous events and control measures are accurately captured and maintained within the DWSP framework.

Review and update DWSPs in response to operational changes, incidents, audit findings, emerging threats, new evidence and regulatory requirements. Work collaboratively across South West Water and the wider Pennon Group to gather technical information and operational data to support risk assessments. Ensure operational vulnerabilities, process control weaknesses and improvement actions are appropriately reflected within DWSP documentation. Maintain consistency, standardisation and alignment of DWSP information across the business.

Risk Assessment and Assurance Analyse operational, compliance and investigative data to support evidence-based risk assessment and decision-making. Identify trends, failures, emerging risks and areas for improvement through data interpretation and analysis. Evaluate the effectiveness, resilience and verification status of control measures. Maintain clear and auditable evidence trails to support risk scoring and mitigation decisions. Support the DWSP Principal Scientist / Manager in risk prioritisation, escalation and assurance activities.

Contribute to the continuous improvement of risk assessment methodologies, procedures and governance processes. Operational and Stakeholder Engagement Build effective working relationships with operational, engineering, scientific and regulatory stakeholders. Regularly engage with operational teams to verify the effectiveness of controls and process performance. Promote a strong culture of water quality risk management across the organisation. Coordinate and monitor actions arising from DWSP reviews, audits, investigations and assurance activities.

Support knowledge sharing and best practice across departments and business units. Regulatory and Reporting Support Support the preparation of regulatory submissions, governance reports and assurance documentation. Maintain accurate and auditable records in line with company and regulatory requirements. Assist in the development and review of DWSP guidance, templates, procedures and training materials. Knowledge, Skills and Experience Essential Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Ability to build collaborative relationships and influence stakeholders at all levels. Understanding of drinking water supply systems and water quality risk management principles. Strong analytical and problem-solving capability. Ability to interpret complex operational, scientific and technical information. Structured and evidence-based approach to risk assessment. Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines. Competent user of Microsoft Office applications, particularly Excel.

Full UK driving licence. Willingness to travel across the South West region and work independently where required.

Desirable Experience within the water industry or another regulated utility environment. Understanding of Drinking Water Safety Planning…