Scottish Water
Senior Mechanical Engineer (Fixed-term Opportunity up to 9 months)

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Together we are Trusted to Serve Scotland.
Senior Mechanical Engineer (9 month Opportunity)
Make a real impact with Scottish Water
It’s not every job that can make a difference to the people of Scotland. At Scottish Water our work keeps Scotland’s water flowing cleanly and sustainably, from reservoir to tap and sink to sea. If you’re passionate about engineering, sustainability, and making a difference, this could be the perfect next step in your career.
We’re looking for a Senior Mechanical Engineer to join our Technical Support and Assurance Team: Scottish Water’s Centre of Engineering Excellence & Technical Leadership. You will play a key role in shaping design decisions within Scottish Water’s capital investment programme, to support the delivery of innovative, efficient, and low-carbon solutions across Scotland.
What you’ll be doing
- You’ll be part of a friendly, multi-disciplinary team that plays a vital role in providing technical support and assurance for Scottish Water’s capital investment projects. This involves supporting designers with compliance, evaluating technical risk, and promoting best practice across the organisation.
- In this role, the majority of your time will be spent providing technical support and assurance across a portfolio of capital projects to ensure designs meet Scottish Water’s requirements and deliver long-term value.
- You will also get the opportunity to contribute towards the ongoing development of our design library, reviewing proposals that balance cost, carbon impact, safety, and risk, to contribute.
- You’ll have the freedom to manage your workload whilst working collaboratively with the rest of the TSA west team, project teams, consultants, contractors, and partners across the wider water industry to shape solutions that are innovative, efficient, and low-carbon.
- In addition, you will get the opportunity to support the development of new processes and technologies, help to coach and mentor others, as well as being able to develop professionally with plenty of CPD opportunities.
This is a role where your expertise will make a tangible difference, influencing both the consistency of our engineering standards and the success of projects that serve communities across Scotland.
Reasons to use Rodeo
I’m in my final year doing Economics and I don’t know whether to apply for grad schemes now or do a masters first. What do you think?
Honest answer — it depends on where you want to end up. A lot of top grad schemes (Big 4, civil service, banking) don’t need a masters. Let’s look at the ones you’d be competitive for now, and we can decide if a masters actually adds anything.
Also worth knowing: most autumn 2026 applications are open now. Timing matters more than you think.
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Graduate Consultant — 2026 Scheme
Why you're a good match
StrongYour economics background and your summer at a regional bank line up with what PwC looks for on the consulting scheme. Applications close in four weeks.
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Why you're a good match
You’ve got the grades and the economics background, and your bank internship is exactly the experience this scheme looks for. Apply soon — deadlines close within the month.
Experience fit
Your summer at the bank plus your econometrics coursework map directly to the day-one responsibilities on this scheme — client modelling, market briefings, and deal support.
Only hits
No noise. No "maybe this fits." Just roles with a clear explanation of why they're right — and where to focus when applying.
What you’ll bring
- To succeed in this role, you will need a degree in mechanical engineering and be a chartered engineer or working towards chartership.
- You’ll have solid knowledge and experience in water and wastewater engineering, combined with a strong understanding of design and construction principles and the regulations that govern them.
- A methodical approach to problem-solving and risk management is essential, along with the ability to apply sound judgement in complex situations.
- You’ll be passionate about championing Scottish Water’s standardisation ambition, familiar with the PPD processes, and committed to fostering a culture of continual improvement.
- Strong communication, negotiation, liaison, and influencing skills are essential, as you will work closely with a range of stakeholders to promote best practice and be an ambassador for standardisation.
Looking out for you
- While the work we do is important, we know 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 (Pro rata) 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 will participate in a company bonus scheme. Not to mention access to SW Splash – handy rewards that can save you money on holidays, bills, and shopping.
The not-so-small print
- This role will be a Grade 7. If you’re new to Scottish Water, you’ll join us on a starting salary of £45,699. Performance-driven pay progression would then allow you to move through the range to a maximum of £56,669. (Pro rata)
- If you’re interested in this role – or know someone else who might be - we’ll be accepting applications until midnight on 13th August 2026.
- We operate Balanced Hybrid working at Scottish Water and we encourage people to work half their time in a Scottish Water location.
- Job offers at Scottish Water are conditional, and will be confirmed on completion of our pre-employment screening, e.g. referencing, criminal record checks, license checks, etc. Screening is conducted on our behalf by a third party, and must be completed before your start date. Don’t worry - we’ll only start these checks once you’ve accepted an offer.
- 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.
- Please note, Scottish Water takes the safety, health and wellbeing of our employees, colleagues and customers very seriously and as such you may be subject to Drug & Alcohol testing in line with our policy.
- 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.


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