Water Recycling Operations Graduate, Colchester

Job Title: Water Recycling Operations Graduate

Water Recycling Operations Graduate

Salary: 33,000, Permanent role.

Start date: September 2027

Location: Roles available region wide. Please note your placements may vary across the region and departments, so flexibility is essential.

Help shape the future of water, the environment and the communities we serve

With a plan worth over 11 billion of investment, we're building for better - for you, for the communities we serve, for our environment. As part of this we are looking for you to join Anglian Water's Water Recycling Graduate Programme and tackle some of the biggest environmental and infrastructure challenges facing the region. From climate resilience and major engineering projects to digital innovation and customer experience, you'll develop the skills, experience and support needed to become one of our future leaders or specialists.

Your career path

The water industry is changing rapidly, creating exciting opportunities for the next generation of talent. At Anglian Water, you'll work on real challenges that matter, developing expertise across your chosen profession while contributing to projects that support customers, communities and the environment.

You'll learn from experienced colleagues, take on meaningful responsibility and build the skills, knowledge and confidence to shape your future career, while helping us shape the future of water.

To find out more from our recent graduates please visit our Anglian Water careers page: Graduates - Anglian Water Careers

Professional Development & Memberships

We're committed to helping you build a career, not just gain a job. Through our two-year graduate programme, you'll experience different placements, work on real business challenges and learn from experienced colleagues across the organisation. You'll have access to a wide range of development opportunities, support towards professional qualifications and funded membership of a relevant professional institution, helping you grow your expertise and achieve professional accreditation where appropriate.

Your programme

Our Water Recycling Graduate Programme offers a unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience across various operational teams, developing the knowledge, skills and leadership capability needed to lead complex operational teams in the future. Through a structured two-year programme, you'll work alongside experienced operational leaders, contribute to real business challenges and build a broad understanding of how we deliver safe, reliable and sustainable services.

You'll complete a series of diverse placements designed to give you exposure to every aspect of operational leadership, including:

responding to operational incidents, managing risks and maintaining service performance.

identifying opportunities to improve performance, resilience and efficiency through planning and optimisation.

gaining hands-on experience working directly with operational teams and understanding the realities of day-to-day service delivery.

learning how financial, contractual and commercial decisions support operational success.

understanding how we transform waste into valuable resources while supporting environmental and sustainability objectives.

gaining insight into water production, distribution networks, customer outcomes and operational performance.

developing an understanding of safety leadership, risk management and regulatory responsibilities.

You'll also benefit from shadowing opportunities across teams which support our front-line operational teams, providing valuable insight into how decisions are made across the business and how effective leaders create high-performing teams. Throughout the programme, you'll be supported by mentors, technical experts and operational leaders while delivering meaningful projects that create real value for the business.

This is more than a graduate programme. It's a pathway to becoming a confident, capable operational leader with the breadth of experience needed to drive performance, innovation and continuous improvement across our operational teams.

What you will bring

We are looking for people who are curious, ambitious and ready to learn. Individuals who enjoy solving problems, working collaboratively and bringing different perspectives to the challenges we face. Most importantly, we're looking for graduates who want to help shape the future of water while developing a successful and rewarding career of their own. We welcome applicants who are excited about technology products and passionate about the water industry.

For this role, you'll need to have obtained in the last 3 years or be studying towards a minimum 2:2 in any degree discipline and have graduated by September 2027 for the 2027 intake.

Benefits

Alongside a competitive salary, you'll receive a comprehensive health and wellbeing package, private healthcare, 26 days' annual leave plus bank holidays, and a double-matched pension scheme with up to 21% total contribution. We also offer an excellent family leave package, including enhanced maternity, paternity and shared parental leave, helping you balance your career with the moments that matter most.

Closing Date: 27th September 2026

Site Tour: You may be invited to a local site tour or meet the team session as part of the recruitment process. This is an opportunity to visit your potential workplace, meet the team, and learn more about the role and working environment.

Assessment Centres: Successful candidates will be invited to attend a face-to-face assessment centre at one of our locations across the Anglian Water region.

Assessment Centre Dates:

Norwich - 27 October 2026

Lincoln - 30 October 2026

Ipswich - 4 November 2026

Huntingdon - 5 November 2026