Wastewater Engineer - UPW

At CS Power Systems, we're on a mission to transform lives by delivering clean, solar-powered electricity to millions worldwide—and we're just getting started. As a cutting-edge division of Canadian Solar, a global leader founded in 2001, we stand at the forefront of manufacturing high-performance solar panels, inverters, and advanced energy storage solutions. In this fast-growing, high-impact industry, our deep commitment to sustainability drives everything we do, creating innovative technologies that power a brighter, greener future.

Across Canadian Solar's powerful ecosystem—including CS Power Systems, CSPowerTech, e-STORAGE, Recurrent Energy, MSS, and CSI Solar—we're deeply invested in our people's success. If you're passionate about renewable energy and want to "Make the Difference" by building a lasting positive impact on the planet and communities everywhere, join us at CS Power Systems—where your talent can help shape the clean energy revolution.

Company Summary:

CS Powertech is a vertically-integrated manufacturer of ingots, wafers, cells, solar modules (panels) and custom-designed solar power applications. CS Powertech delivers solar power products of uncompromising quality to customers worldwide. CS Powertech’s world class team of professionals works closely with our customers to provide them with solutions for all their solar needs. For more information on the company, please visit www.canadian-solar.com.

Job Title:   Engineer – WWTP & UPW

Department: Facility

Reports To: Facility Manager

Location: Jeffersonville, Indiana

Job Description:

The WWTP & UPW Engineer is responsible for providing engineering and technical support for PVJC’s Industrial Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP), RO/DI, and Ultra-Pure Water (UPW) systems supporting PV cell manufacturing.

This position supports the Facility Manager in maintaining safe, reliable, compliant, and continuous operation of wastewater treatment and high-purity water systems. The Engineer is responsible for process monitoring, troubleshooting, process optimization, preventive and corrective maintenance support, water quality analysis, wastewater compliance support, system improvements, engineering projects, and technical documentation.

The Engineer works closely with WWTP & UPW Technicians, Production, Equipment Engineering, EHS, Quality, Laboratory, Facility Engineering, Project/Construction teams, contractors, and equipment/chemical suppliers to maintain system performance and support continuous manufacturing operations.

Primary Responsibilities:

i. Facility Management

·         Provide engineering and technical support for the operation and maintenance of the Industrial Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP), RO/DI, and UPW generation, storage, and distribution systems.

·         Support WWTP systems including wastewater collection, equalization, pH adjustment, chemical dosing, coagulation/flocculation, fluoride removal, sedimentation, filtration, fluoride resin treatment, final monitoring and discharge, sludge handling, and filter press systems.

·         Support UPW systems including pretreatment, RO, EDI, UPW polishing, storage tanks, distribution loops, chemical dosing, pumps, filters, instrumentation, and associated monitoring and control systems.

·         d. Monitor and analyze wastewater influent and effluent conditions, treatment performance, chemical consumption, sludge generation, equipment status, alarms, and system capacity.

·         e. Monitor UPW production, demand, tank levels, flow, pressure, resistivity/conductivity, pH, TOC, RO recovery, EDI performance, and other applicable water quality parameters.

·         f. Provide technical guidance to WWTP & UPW Technicians during normal operation, troubleshooting, maintenance, sampling, chemical replenishment, and system recovery activities.

·         g. Identify abnormal system conditions and recommend appropriate corrective actions to the WWTP & UPW Supervisor.

·         h. Support response and recovery for wastewater treatment upsets, abnormal discharge conditions, UPW quality excursions, water supply interruptions, and equipment failures.

·         Analyze production demand and system performance to identify potential capacity, reliability, or operational constraints.

·         j. Support continuous improvement to ensure WWTP & UPW systems operate at optimum, stable, and safe operating conditions.

ii. Project Management

·         Provide engineering support for WWTP & UPW improvement, expansion, modification, automation, capacity, and reliability projects.

·         Participate in design reviews, construction inspections, commissioning, system turnover, and production shutdown activities.

·         Review P&IDs, Process Flow Diagrams (PFD), equipment layouts, treatment processes, hydraulic loading, system capacity, control philosophy, alarm/interlock requirements, equipment specifications, and vendor technical submittals.

·         Perform engineering evaluations to verify system capacity against current and future production requirements.

·         Identify technical improvements based on operating experience, system performance, recurring failures, and lessons learned.

·         Coordinate technical matters with contractors, equipment vendors, chemical suppliers, Project teams, Production, EHS, and other stakeholders.

·         Perform field inspections and identify installation deficiencies, punch-list items, and deviations from approved drawings or specifications.

·         Support equipment and system testing, commissioning, startup, and performance verification.

·         Verify commissioning records, test results, equipment documentation, and as-built information before recommending system acceptance to the WWTP & UPW Supervisor.

iii. Preventive and Corrective Maintenance

·         Develop and oversee preventive and corrective maintenance programs for WWTP, RO/DI, and UPW systems and equipment.

·         Ensure preventive maintenance activities are completed according to schedule and overdue PM activities are properly managed.

·         Monitor the condition and performance of pumps, chemical dosing systems, agitators, filters, filter presses, RO membranes, EDI systems, resin systems, tanks, valves, piping, instruments, analyzers, and other critical equipment.

·         d. Monitor equipment failures, recurring alarms, downtime, membrane/resin performance, and maintenance history to identify reliability improvements.

·         e. Lead troubleshooting and recovery activities for major WWTP & UPW system failures.

·         f. Review Root Cause Analysis (RCA) and Corrective and Preventive Actions (CAPA) for significant water quality excursions, treatment failures, production interruptions, and recurring equipment problems.

·         g. Ensure online instruments, analyzers, and laboratory equipment are properly maintained, calibrated, and periodically verified against appropriate reference or laboratory measurements.

·         h. Maintain adequate critical spare parts, membranes, resin, filters, chemicals, instrumentation, and other consumables required to support continuous operations.

Safety and Compliance

·         Ensure WWTP & UPW operations comply with applicable local, state, and federal environmental and safety requirements, wastewater discharge permits, PVJC EHS requirements, and applicable industry standards.

·         Ensure wastewater discharge parameters remain within applicable permit limits and PVJC internal operating control limits.

·         Ensure required wastewater sampling, laboratory testing, monitoring, recordkeeping, and regulatory reporting are completed accurately and within required timelines.

·         Coordinate with EHS and applicable wastewater authorities regarding inspections, sampling, reporting, abnormal conditions, and compliance matters.

·         Ensure employees and contractors follow LOTO, confined space, line-breaking, chemical handling, PPE, permit-to-work, and other applicable safe work practices.

·         Ensure treatment chemicals including acids, caustics, calcium-based treatment chemicals, coagulants, flocculants, and other process chemicals are properly stored, handled, transferred, and used.

·         Lead operational response to wastewater treatment upsets, chemical releases, abnormal discharge conditions, UPW contamination, and other emergency conditions.

·         Participate in risk assessments, Management of Change (MOC), incident investigations, emergency drills, and corrective action follow-up.

·         Exercise stop-work authority when unsafe or environmentally non-compliant conditions or work practices are identified.

Energy and Waste Management

• Monitor raw water consumption, UPW production, wastewater generation, chemical consumption, RO recovery, reject water, sludge generation, and overall system efficiency.
• Identify opportunities to reduce water consumption, wastewater generation, chemical usage, energy consumption, and operating costs.
• Optimize RO recovery, UPW production, and wastewater treatment processes while maintaining required production water quality and discharge compliance.
• Monitor sludge generation, filter press operation, sludge moisture content, and dewatering performance.
• Coordinate sludge characterization, laboratory testing, storage, transportation, and disposal with EHS and approved waste vendors.
• Ensure wastewater treatment sludge and other treatment waste are properly characterized, stored, labeled, and managed according to applicable requirements.
• Support water reuse, recycling, sustainability, and cost-reduction initiatives where technically and economically feasible.

• Documentation and Reporting
• Maintain accurate records of WWTP & UPW operations, maintenance activities, inspections, sampling, laboratory results, chemical consumption, sludge generation, equipment performance, alarms, and incidents.
• Ensure P&IDs, PFDs, equipment lists, operating procedures, control logic, alarm/interlock documentation, equipment manuals, and as-built information are maintained and current.
• Review and approve WWTP & UPW SOPs, operating procedures, sampling procedures, emergency procedures, and maintenance instructions.
• Prepare and present reports on wastewater compliance, UPW quality, system availability, downtime, PM performance, chemical consumption, sludge generation, projects, and outstanding actions.
• Develop and monitor WWTP & UPW KPIs and drive corrective actions where performance does not meet requirements.
• Monitor key WWTP operating parameters including pH, fluoride, flow, temperature, TSS and other applicable wastewater parameters.
• Monitor key UPW parameters including resistivity/conductivity, pH, TOC, flow, pressure, tank levels, RO recovery, and other production-required water quality parameters.
• Ensure regulatory and operational documentation is accurate, traceable, and retained according to applicable requirements.

Vendor and Contractor Management

·         Coordinate and oversee WWTP & UPW contractors, equipment vendors, laboratories, chemical suppliers, waste disposal companies, and technical service providers.

·         Review scopes of work, technical proposals, service requirements, treatment chemicals, equipment specifications, and contractor performance.

·         Ensure contractors comply with PVJC safety, environmental, QA/QC, engineering, and operational requirements.

·         Coordinate maintenance, calibration, membrane/resin replacement, sludge removal, laboratory testing, system modifications, and other external services.

·         Review vendor recommendations and ensure proposed treatment changes or equipment modifications are technically justified before implementation.

·         Evaluate vendor and contractor performance and ensure service quality meets PVJC requirements.

Team Collaboration

·         Lead, coach, and develop WWTP & UPW Engineers and Technicians.

·         Assign work priorities and ensure sufficient manpower and shift coverage to support 24/7 manufacturing operations.

·         Ensure team members are properly trained and qualified for wastewater treatment, UPW operation, chemical handling, sampling, testing, maintenance, and emergency response.

·         Work closely with Production, Equipment Engineering, EHS, Quality, Laboratory, Warehouse, Procurement, Facility Engineering, and Project teams to support operational goals.

·         Provide technical and operational guidance to the WWTP & UPW team.

·         Promote strong safety culture, environmental compliance, teamwork, ownership, communication, and continuous improvement within the team.

Qualifications

·         Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Water/Wastewater Engineering, or related engineering discipline.

·         5+ years of experience in industrial wastewater treatment, RO/DI/UPW systems, semiconductor, PV cell, electronics, chemical, or other high-tech manufacturing facility operations.

·         Supervisory or team leadership experience in a 24/7 manufacturing environment preferred.

·         Strong knowledge of industrial wastewater treatment and RO/DI/UPW systems.

·         Knowledge of pH adjustment, chemical precipitation, coagulation/flocculation, sedimentation, filtration, fluoride removal, ion exchange/resin treatment, sludge dewatering, RO, EDI, and high-purity water systems.

·         Ability to read and interpret P&IDs, PFDs, engineering drawings, equipment specifications, laboratory data, and technical documentation.

·         Strong troubleshooting, root cause analysis, organizational, project management, and leadership skills.

·         Familiarity with wastewater discharge requirements, environmental regulations, safety requirements, and industrial water quality control.

·         Strong communication and interpersonal skills.

 Preferred Skills

·         Semiconductor, PV cell, electronics, or other high-tech manufacturing facility experience.

·         Experience with fluoride-bearing industrial wastewater treatment.

·         Experience with RO, EDI, UPW polishing, storage, and distribution systems.

·         Knowledge of online pH, conductivity, resistivity, fluoride, flow, pressure, TOC, and other water quality instrumentation.

·         Experience with wastewater sampling, laboratory analysis, discharge permit compliance, and regulatory reporting.

·         Experience with sludge dewatering, filter press systems, waste characterization, and waste disposal.

·         Experience with FMCS/SCADA/PLC monitoring, trending, alarms, and control systems.

·         Experience with MOC, RCA, CAPA, commissioning, QA/QC, and system turnover.

·         Experience supervising contractors, laboratories, chemical suppliers, and wastewater service providers.

·         j. Ability to adapt to changing technologies and production requirements.

·         k. Willingness to continuously learn and develop technical and leadership skills.

 Working Conditions

·         Combination of office, wastewater treatment, RO/DI, UPW, chemical storage, utility, cleanroom, and manufacturing environments.

·         Work may involve wastewater, treatment chemicals, and industrial process environments with appropriate engineering controls and PPE.

·         May require work outside regular hours to address production-impacting issues, wastewater compliance issues, shutdowns, commissioning, or emergency conditions.

·         Supports a 24/7 manufacturing operation and may be required to participate in an on-call rotation.

Compensation and Benefits

CS Powertech offers a competitive salary plus fully comprehensive benefits and performance bonus package based on an annual objective achievement. Our generous benefits package includes a 401(k) Retirement Plan, medical/dental/life/disability program, PTO and sick days. This is a full-time position.

CS Powertech is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE). Qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, or veteran status.

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