Celebrating Career Journeys: Susan Lee's Insights for Scottish Careers Week

In honour of Scottish Careers Week, General Manager of Scientific Services at Scottish Water, Susan Lee, shares her perspectives on career development, offering insights into the evolving job landscape in Scottish Water and beyond. This blog highlights the importance of fostering growth, adaptability, and passion in navigating career paths across various industries.

Susan oversees the laboratories, technical logistics, and field assurance activities at Scottish Water, ensuring compliance with customer and regulatory requirements in drinking water and waste water quality assurance.

Her professional experience is rooted in both scientific and leadership roles. Susan studied Microbiology at university, and shortly after graduating, she joined Scottish Water as an assistant scientist in the cryptosporidium laboratory at Juniper House. While her focus has primarily been on microbiology, particularly bacteria and parasites, she has also spent several years working on quantifying process emissions in wastewater treatment, a chemistry-based field.

As her career progressed, Susan embraced leadership opportunities within Scientific Services, where she has led teams in both Inverness and Edinburgh.

What sparked your interest in science, and what inspired you to pursue it as a career?

Being able to solve problems and piece together information using scientific data or evidence has always resonated with me and is how I like to make decisions.  I started to understand this in me during my secondary education and where the interest in science began, particularly in biology/microbiology and how I could make a positive contribution to society with science.

Tell us about your educational path and the journey that brought you to Scottish Water! 

I have a BSc (Hons) in Microbiology and Infection from the University of Edinburgh, and we had a very short module in water-based microbiology and the public health impacts in my 3rd year which exposed me to the water and wastewater industry. After graduating, I decided I wanted to stay in Edinburgh but was a little overwhelmed about what type of job I should get – it needed to have a good company reputation, promotional prospects and be exciting to work for.   

Scottish Water came up by chance in a job search and reminded me of my interest in water-based microbiology and during that interview I heard all about the Cryptosporidium team’s plans to develop their genotyping analysis which would be a first in the industry and I felt immediately excited to be part of that team and that excitement still continues as we are always pushing to be a leading function in Scientific Services. 

Can you walk us through your career journey so far? What attracted you to Scottish Water, and what have been some of your key roles along the way?

I started as an Assistant Scientist in the Cryptosporidium Laboratory in Juniper House and worked my way up to Scientist and then team leader over several years and a particular milestone in those years was that I facilitated the implementation of bacterial flow cytometry analysis to the wing. I really enjoyed that mix of leadership and science and this is really when I started thinking seriously about my career in Scottish Water and what that would look like for me.

A key opportunity and role for me was when I moved up to Inverness to be Team Manager in the lab and where I started really developing as a leader and they were some of the most rewarding and fulfilling years I’ve had in Scottish Water but home was calling and when the Team manager role in my old team in Edinburgh came up I knew it was time to come back.  

Other key roles have been my secondment to Irish Water with Scottish Water International as a subject matter expert to aid their laboratory rationalisation programme – this was such an eye opener to the world of stakeholder management! Then there was my time in Research and Innovation where I led the introduction of process emissions quantification to support our Net Zero target through the development of the R&I Net Zero Programme this exposed me to strategic thinking and planning.  

Both roles were instrumental in my development as a Scottish Water leader as they really challenged me in how to influence strategic direction using science and evidence-based decision making.  This has given me a solid foundation to build on in my role as GM. 

What does a typical day look like in your role, and what excites you about the work you’re doing now?

There is probably no day the same in this role from what I have experience so far.  The only constant is that everyday feels like a school day but in a good way.  A lot of what I’ve wanted in a career and role is to be part of exciting new science, influencing strategic direction, and making a positive impact to society, I get to do this every day now!  

I am really excited about where we can take Scientific Services and how we continue to strive to provide the most effective and accurate data for the business and how we lead in the industry.  For example, we are working on new ways to analyse for organic carbon with a new instrument called a LC-OCD, we are exploring how we analyse for AMR (Anti-Microbial Resistance), we continue to validate our MALDI-TOF for more bacteriological group identifications and we are developing how we provide more on-site field monitoring assurance. 

What makes Scottish Water a good place to work, especially as a woman in science? Are there aspects of the workplace culture, values, or opportunities that stand out to you?

I have been very focused on my career development since starting in SW and I have always been encouraged and supported by my line leaders in the areas I have wanted to develop in. I have had various mentors and coaches throughout my career (formal and informal) that have made significant impressions on me that have helped build my confidence and capability which has led me to go for opportunities within the business. I think what stands out to me about being a Woman in Science in Scottish Water is that if you put in the effort, understand what you want from your career and what drives you the opportunities and support are there. The culture is an encouraging and inclusive one. 

What advice would you give to young women interested in a science career, and perhaps even working in the water sector?

Go for it! Science and the Water Sector has personally been a really encouraging and inclusive work place and is an environment where you can be innovative and creative in your contributions.

Once you’ve joined us - Find yourself a mentor. This relationship will help you to build confidence in yourself in your new role so you can own your space, they will expose you to their network so you can start building your own and you can ask them all those “silly” questions that might be intimidating at first to ask in meetings until you find your feet!