KTP Associate in Reservoir Water Quality and Availability Forecasting

Main duties and responsibilities

• Lead and manage the development of a decision-support system for nitrate forecasting and management.
• Demonstrate how that decision-support system can inform operational as well as long-term investment decisions.
• Develop deployment protocols and technical documentation to facilitate the embedding of the decision-support system within the strategic and operational frameworks the water company uses.
• Communicate effectively with key Anglian Water and academic staff to understand economic, environmental, regulatory and scientific implications of the project and ensure effective project management.
• Effectively disseminate project outputs via both publications, at external events (e.g. scientific conferences) and engagement with potential water company customers.
• Lead the project, attend project meetings, monitor milestones and produce technical documents as required. This includes planning your own workload to ensure the overall project milestones and objectives are met on time.
• Engage fully with the requirements of the knowledge transfer partnership scheme, including personal development and reporting. This includes attendance at residential training courses.
• Work across multiple sites, including at Anglian Water Huntingdon and Peterborough offices, and the University of Sheffield.
• Carry out other duties, commensurate with the grade and remit of the post.

The University of Sheffield, in association with Anglian Water Services Ltd. are recruiting a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) Associate to help develop and validate a groundbreaking decision-support system to jointly forecast (up to 3 months ahead) and manage water availability and quality in water supply reservoirs, with a focus on nitrate pollution. The technology has potential to immediately save millions of pounds, and to be deployed to reservoirs in the UK and beyond.

We are looking for a well-motivated individual, with a good technical background including numerical modelling and computer programming, and ideally experience of hydrodynamic and water quality modelling, seasonal weather forecasting system assimilation, and optimization under uncertainty. Working between Anglian Water and university premises, you will lead the development of the decision-support system, evaluate and improve its performance and lead its deployment for operational and investment decision-making (supported by Anglian Water Ltd.).

There will be significant opportunities for personal development including a residential programme at Ashorne Hill to further develop your professional skills and network. A generous development and training budget of over £4,000 is available. You will benefit from being a member of one of the largest urban water research groups in the UK, as well as gaining direct experience with one of the UK’s most innovative and forward-looking water companies. We are also committed to exploring flexible working opportunities.

The successful postholder will be based in Anglian Water Services Limited, Lancaster House, Lancaster Way, Ermine Business Park, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, PE29 6XU and will also be required to travel and work at different sites including Peterborough and Sheffield.