Job title Principal Instrument Controls and Automation (ICA) Engineer Ref 45291 Division Asset Operations & Capital Delivery Location Hybrid - Clearwater Court - RG1 8DB Contract type Permanent Full/Part-time Full-time Salary Competitive salary from £75,000 to £100,000 per annum depending on experience Job grade C Closing date 27/05/2026
In this important role you will have the opportunity to make a significant contribution to the Control and Instrument (ICA) team in Thames Water Above Ground Engineering to achieve Thames Water's Asset Management Period AMP8 ambitions and beyond.
What you'll be doing as a Principal Instrument Controls and Automation (ICA) Engineer
- Undertake ICA design work, including scope narratives, system architecture drawings, process narratives, and instrument and I/O lists.
- Ensure engineering works comply with regulatory requirements and internal asset standards.
- Provide technical support to Operations and Projects in resolving complex ICA issues.
- Lead technical sign-off and assurance throughout project delivery, including handover stages.
- Mentor and support the development of junior staff.
- Provide technical input into Project Definition Briefs.
- Manage and review engineering design partner deliverables.
- Provide ICA support to the process team and others in responding to waiver requests against Thames Water standards.
- Contribute ICA expertise to incident investigations and follow-up remediation activities.
- Lead ICA-related Hazard Reviews (HazRev) to assess process safety at major sites and identify remediation measures to improve water quality.
Base location: Hybrid - Clearwater Court - RG1 8DB, weekly attendance in the office required.
Working pattern or hours: 36 hours per week, Mon-Fri
What you should bring to the role
To thrive in this role, the essential criteria you'll need is:
- Be a recognised Control & Instrumentation technical leader with extensive, demonstrable ICA experience.
- Significant experience in ICA design, including data networks and some Safety Instrumented Systems (SIS), with familiarity in the water or utilities sector (or equivalent industries with comparable technical solutions).
- Strong knowledge of the regulatory environment, including detailed understanding of DSEAR, ATEX, and hazardous area requirements, and the ability to specify these effectively.
- Proven ability to collaborate with and influence senior stakeholders.
- Degree-qualified (or equivalent) in an engineering discipline, with professional chartership achieved or working towards it via a defined route.
- Good understanding of P&IDs, HAZOP, HAZID, OPMAN, and similar design and risk review processes.
- Awareness of contractual and commercial considerations, particularly when supporting project delivery teams.
- Strong understanding of project delivery, including constructability, commissioning, operability, maintainability, spares strategy, and security considerations.
Additional skills and experiences would be great to have
- Demonstrates a solid understanding of water and wastewater processes and associated process control systems. (preferred)
What's in it for you?
- Competitive salary from £75,000 to £100,000 per annum, depending on experience.
- 26 days holiday per year, increasing to 30 with the length of service (plus bank holidays)
- Performance-related pay plan directly linked to company performance measures and targets
- Generous Pension Scheme through AON.
- Private Medical Health Care.
- Access to benefits to help you take care of you and your family's health and wellbeing, and your finances - from annual health MOTs and access to physiotherapy and counselling, to Cycle to Work schemes, shopping vouchers and life assurance.
We welcome applications from everyone and want to ensure you feel supported throughout the recruitment process. If you need any adjustments, whether that's extra time, accessible formats, or anything else just let us know, we're here to help and support.
Disclaimer: Due to the high volume of applications we receive, we may close the advert earlier than the advertised date, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.