Trainee Modeller - Hydraulics

Job Description

Starting salary £31,000

Permanent / 37 hours per week / Full-time

Base location Peterborough

Water and wastewater services are essential to public health, communities, and the environment. Behind every reliable supply, every well-run treatment works, and every responsible return to the environment, there is engineering making sure water moves the way it should.

This trainee role is an opportunity to join our Anglian Water Engineering team and learn how to model, understand and improve our systems. It will suit someone who enjoys solving technical problems, wants to get hands-on with real engineering challenges, and is keen to develop into a genuine technical specialist. No prior modelling experience is needed as we will teach you on the job.

Over the course of the role, you will be trained and mentored to become an expert in two highly specialist areas: the hydraulics of water and wastewater treatment works, and surge and transient analysis of pumping systems and pipelines.

What you will be doing

You will start by working alongside experienced modellers on live projects, learning the software, the data, the assets, and the engineering principles behind the models. As your confidence grows you will start working more independently, aiming to build, calibrate and run hydraulic models in your own right and work with delivery engineers on capital and operational solutions and decisions.

Your work will involve:

• Understanding how water flows through treatment works - you will learn how water is distributed between tanks and processes, where headlosses occur, and how hydraulics can be optimised. You will gain experience using tools such as HADES or equivalent tools.

• Analysing pressure surges and transients in pumping systems and pipelines - you will support analyses that help protect assets from damage and inform the design of new schemes. You will develop experience using tools such as WANDA, VariSim or equivalent

• Supporting capital projects and operational problem-solving - you will contribute to new treatment works, pumping stations, rising mains, upgrades and other hydraulic assessments. You will also help other parts of the business troubleshoot operational hydraulic issues when they arise

We are looking for someone with:

• A degree in a relevant engineering or scientific discipline such as Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Mathematics, Physics or similar.

• A solid grounding and genuine interest in core technical areas such as fluid mechanics, pipe flow, pump systems and free surface flow.

• Confidence working with data and numerical analysis, including good Excel skills.

• Programming or scripting skills, for example Python, MATLAB, or VBA, would be beneficial but not mandatory

• An interest in working towards chartership with a recognised professional body.

What we offer you

• Mentoring from recognised experts in treatment works hydraulics and surge analysis, from people who genuinely want to pass on what they know.

• A clear development pathway from trainee to independent modeller to specialist, with targeted technical training along the way.

• Support towards chartership with a recognised professional body, such as ICE, IMechE, IChemE, IET, CIWEM or equivalent.

• Hands on experience, with your work feeding into engineering and operational decisions on live projects.

The benefits of working for Anglian Water:

• Private healthcare and physiotherapy

• 24-hour Virtual GP service for you and your household

• 25 days annual leave (rising with service)

• Competitive pension scheme – Anglian Water double-matches your contributions up to 7% (up to 21% combined)

• Bonus scheme

• Flexible benefits and working culture

• Life Assurance (8× salary) and Personal Accident cover

• Enhanced family leave policies

• Great discounts and perks

Why apply?

This is a unique opportunity to start your engineering career in a highly specialised and impactful field, where you’ll be supported to grow into a true technical expert. You’ll gain hands-on experience working on real-world challenges from day one, with your work directly influencing how we design, operate and improve critical water infrastructure.

With structured development, expert mentoring and support towards chartership, you’ll build a strong foundation for a long-term career in engineering. If you’re motivated by solving complex problems, making a tangible difference to communities and the environment, and developing niche technical expertise, this role will give you the platform to do exactly that.

Closing date: 28th June 2026

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