High Temperature Incinerator Operator

Job summary

Are you ready to run a powerful incineration systems that keep the environment safe?

Are you hands-on, detail-driven, and ready to tackle plant operations head-on?

Do you thrive in high-compliance environments where precision matters?

If so, this could be the perfect job for you.

The role involves safe and compliant operation of the high temperature incineration and animal cremation facilities, working within a structured management system and under the prescriptive requirements of an Environmental Permit. The role requires a focus on maximising efficient process throughput within the operational parameters of the equipment and prompt response and subsequent reporting of any equipment failures or indications of plant or process issues.

Other activities include:-

• Manage reception gate to process waste feed activity.
• Manage documentation systems and data records of all reception & despatch activities.
• Hands on operation of Fork-Lift Trucks and other mobile plant.
• Manage material and Environmental Permit compliance (material coming onto site and leaving the facility).
• Collaborate with other campus colleagues to ensure service requirements are achieved.

Job description

The role is responsible for the safe and compliant operation of the high temperature incineration and animal cremation facilities, working within a structured management system and under the prescriptive requirements of an Environmental Permit. The role requires a focus on maximising efficient process throughput within the operational parameters of the equipment and prompt response and subsequent reporting of any equipment failures or indications of plant or process issues.

Also responsible for the safe collection of waste containers from around the main site campus and off-loading of wastes arriving from associated facilities.

Key Responsibilities:

• Safe and compliant operation of the high temperature incineration and animal cremation facilities, working within a structured management system and under the prescriptive requirements of an Environmental Permit.
• Operate Incineration units on a shift basis, including but not exclusively, waste selection, checking and loading, control room monitoring, plant checks, Air Pollution Control (APC) reagent and APC residue sampling and bag change, bottom ash sampling and bin change.
• Maximising efficient process throughput within the operational parameters of the equipment and prompt response and subsequent reporting of any equipment failures or indications of plant or process issues.
• Ensure safe and compliant waste reception, despatch of waste streams to third party facilities, waste processing, compliant storage and inventory management of wastes and incinerator reagents.
• Manage gate to process waste feed activity.
• Manage documentation systems and data records of all reception & despatch activities.
• Hands on operation of Fork-Lift Trucks and other mobile plant.
• Work within the requirements of an Environmental Permit.
• Track daily waste throughput recording identity of materials destroyed against time charged, amending inventory stock. Generate certificates of destruction on the completion of loads.
• Carrying out basic plant and associated equipment maintenance and supporting maintenance colleagues.
• Immediately reporting plant maintenance issues, Environmental Permit issues and waste discrepancies from description.
• Handling and consigning off-site solid wastes.
• Receiving of engineering spares and other equipment, unloading of vehicles delivering raw materials and waste materials, checking and completing associated documentation.
• Monitor raw material inventory levels and notify supervision when re-order levels are reached.
• Download and disseminate process and emissions data for reporting and investigation purposes.
• Contribute to investigations into Environmental Permit near misses, issues and non-compliance events.
• Contribute to the writing of Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH), manual handling, task-based risk assessments and operational procedures.
• Responsible for the safe collection of waste containers from around the main site campus and off-loading of wastes arriving from associated facilities.

The shifts are 6.00am to 2.00pm and 2.00pm to 10.00pm. This vacancy is for the 2.00pm to 10.00pm shift, although flexibility to cover absence on the morning shift may be required. Every four weeks the shift is 2.00pm to 9.00pm, the five hours are made up on the Saturday morning that week (i.e. every four weeks a Saturday morning five hours is required).

Person specification

Essential skills and experience:

• Good team ethics and communication skills.
• Right first time mentality.
• Mature can-do attitude, able to buy into the need for change.
• Able to work efficiently, learn from mistakes and introduce change to prevent recurrence.
• Able to undertake physical work on a continuous basis.
• Good command of the English language, oral and written.
• Candidates will be expected to complete waste management industry specific training modules to advance their knowledge and understanding.

Licences

Driving licence

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Working Together
• Changing and Improving

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £33,350, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs contributes £9,661 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Infobite: Benefits of the alpha pension scheme (youtube.com)

Leave - If you work full time at Defra you are entitled to 25 days’ leave (rising, over 5 years, to 30 days’). If you work part time it will be pro-rated.

Privilege day - You are also entitled to a privilege day off in May to mark the King’s birthday (date varies), plus time off for the 8 public holidays a year.

Career breaks - We recognise that your work-life balance can extend beyond the short-term to the longer-term, and to support this you are able to apply for career breaks. These are unpaid extended breaks from work, granted at the discretion of the department.

Volunteering leave - 3 days paid volunteering leave every year (pro-rata). Once you have passed probation.

Season ticket loan – for an interest free season ticket loan, if you have worked within the Defra for more than three months. This can be used to purchase train and bus season tickets, as well as station car parking.

Tenancy deposit loan – for an interest free loan, to assist you in meeting the deposit costs for your privately rented home.

Tax-Free Childcare (TFC) scheme – Since the closure to new entrants of the employer childcare voucher scheme, the government introduced the Tax-Free Childcare (TFC) scheme. In this scheme, working parents open an online childcare account and for every £8 they pay in, the government adds £2, up to a maximum of £2,000 a year for each child or £4,000 for a disabled child. Parents then use the funds to pay for registered childcare.

Support to buy a bicycle – we run two schemes that can help you buy a bicycle for your commute:

1. The Cycle to Work Scheme –you can apply for a bicycle for your commute, up to the value of £6,000, which is recovered from you through salary sacrifice, as a tax-free benefit. At the end of the repayment period, you have the option to buy the bike if you wish, saving around 30% of the original cost.
2. Bike loan – if you are not eligible to apply for the Cycle to Work Scheme, you can apply for a loan of up to £1,000 towards the cost of a bike using the Bike loan Scheme. This however is not a salary sacrifice scheme.

High-street and online discounts - Offers through SmartSpending™ which is accessed through the STaR platform. Accessible 24/7, you can save at hundreds of top retailers.

Maternity leave, paternity leave and shared parental leave - We offer generous maternity leave, paternity leave and shared parental leave. You are entitled to up to 39 weeks of Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP), if you meet the qualifying conditions. You are entitled to 26 weeks at full pay, with up to 13 weeks at reduced pay (statutory rate). Most partners are entitled to 15 days of paid paternity leave. Shared parental leave arrangements are in place, allowing parents to divide their leave with each other.

Professional Membership - Defra group will fund one professional membership for each permanent employee which is relevant to their role.

Eye care scheme - If you use a computer screen in connection with your job, we will pay for a regular eyesight test, and you may also be entitled to help towards purchasing new glasses, if they are needed for computer use.

The Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) is a free 24/7 confidential telephone advice service, available to all of our staff throughout the year.

Civil Service Sports Council - The opportunity to join the Civil Services Sports Council.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.

Application Process

As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete a CV. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Sift

Sifting will take place week commencing 13 April 2026.

Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to interview/assessment.

Interview

If successful at application stage, you will be invited to interview where you will be assessed on experience, behaviours and strengths.

Your interview will be conducted face to face at the Weybridge Office, KT15 3NB.

Interviews are scheduled to take place week commencing 27 April but may be subject to change.

Near Miss Candidates

Candidates who are judged to be a near miss at interview may be considered for other positions in Core Defra which may be at a lower grade but have a potential skills match.

Location

Travel costs to non-contractual workplaces will be subject to departmental travel and subsistence policies. Travel costs to contractual workplaces are the responsibility of the employee.

The successful candidate is required to carry out all their duties from a UK location, and cannot do so from an overseas location at any time.

Please note this role is based at the Weybridge Office, KT15 3NB on a full time/shift basis. Please note this role is full time only. The role is required to work on an eight hour shift basis as part of a full time team. Travel to other sites and overnight stays may be required for meetings or training events.

Full Time Onlyand Shift Pattern

This role is full time only. Applicants who wish to work an alternative pattern are welcome to apply however your preferred working pattern may not be available and you should discuss this with the vacancy holder before applying.

The shifts are 6.00am to 2.00pm and 2.00pm to 10.00pm. This vacancy is for the 2.00pm to 10.00pm shift, although flexibility to cover absence on the morning shift may be required. Every four weeks the shift is 2.00pm to 9.00pm, the five hours are made up on the Saturday morning that week (i.e. every four weeks a Saturday morning five hours is required).

Reserve List

A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.

Salary

New entrants to the Civil Service are expected to start on the minimum of the pay band. The internal roles rules apply to existing Civil Servants, i.e. level transfers move on current salary or the pay range minimum, transfers on promotion move to new pay range minimum or receive 10% increase. Either case is determined by whichever is the highest.

Reasonable Adjustment

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

• Contact Government Recruitment Service via defrarecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
• Complete the ‘Assistance required’ section in the ‘Additional requirements’ page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at an interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

Accessibility

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

Childcare Vouchers

Any move to Defra from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare; for further information visit the Childcare Choices website.

Visa Sponsorship Statement

Please take note that Defra does not hold a UK Visa & Immigration (UKVI) Skilled Worker License sponsor and are unable to sponsor any individuals for Skilled Worker Sponsorship.

Criminal Record Check

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf.

However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.

Internal Fraud Database Check

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

NSV

All of these posts require the successful candidate to hold basic security clearance. Candidates posted to Weybridge may be subject to a higher level of clearance because of the security requirements for that location. Job offers to these posts are made on the basis of merit. Security vetting will only take place after the receipt of a job offer.

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the Demystifying Vetting website.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Andy Scorer
• Email : andy.scorer@defra.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : defrarecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Further information

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact Government Recruitment Services via email: defrarecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: here