Location
Croydon, with flexible hybrid working options across UK offices including Manchester, Leeds, Basingstoke, Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Dublin, Nottingham, and Exeter.

Hours
Full Time - Flexible hybrid working model

Salary
Competitive salary commensurate with experience

About the Role
Join AECOM’s dynamic and multidisciplinary Water Environment team as a Principal Water Quality Scientist/Modeller, leading innovative water quality projects that shape the future of the water industry. You will act as a senior technical resource, guiding junior staff and enhancing our services to water utilities, industrial clients, government agencies, and local authorities. Your role will involve leading water quality assessments in rivers, lakes, transitional and coastal waterbodies, and developing tools to deliver efficient, innovative solutions.

Key projects include catchment-wide chemical investigations, Environmental Improvement Programme (WINEP) delivery, natural flood management and river restoration schemes, nutrient modelling in various water environments, and storm overflow investigations. You will collaborate closely with hydrologists, network modellers, and engineers to deliver high-quality outcomes.

This position offers the opportunity to be a technical lead within a talented, diverse team committed to innovation, efficiency, and sustainable water management. You will also mentor staff, build client relationships, and contribute to tenders and multimillion-pound framework contracts.

Experience
- Expertise in water quality, including compounds such as cryptosporidium, PFAS, geosmin, and disinfection by-products with effective treatment knowledge.
- Significant experience in fluvial and/or coastal water quality modelling software, with demonstrable knowledge of Environment Agency requirements for UPM or WINEP studies.
- Proven experience in model building for water quality studies.
- Experience completing mass balance calculations including simple, flow-weighted, and Monte Carlo statistical approaches.
- Understanding of hydrological assessments and tools such as REFH2 and FEH.
- Practical knowledge of scripting languages such as Python, Anaconda, or R and strong GIS skills (QGIS, ArcGIS, and/or MapInfo) is advantageous.
- Experienced in technical project delivery including bid preparation, drafting technical proposals, project management, and strong report writing skills.

About you
- A proactive and collaborative leader with the ability to mentor and develop junior staff.
- Strong communicator able to present complex technical information clearly to diverse audiences.
- Enthusiastic about innovation and continuous improvement in water quality modelling.
- Comfortable working within a multidisciplinary team and building strong client relationships.

Qualifications
- Master’s degree or equivalent in hydrology, engineering, mathematics, or a relevant discipline.
- Demonstrated ability to deliver high-quality technical outputs within agreed programmes and budgets.

If you meet some of the above requirements or have transferable skills, we encourage you to apply and join a global team dedicated to delivering a better world through sustainable water management.