Staff Industrial Water Systems Development Engineer

Job Description

Job Responsibilities

• Lead front-end and detailed engineering for industrial water supply systems serving manufacturing facilities, from greenfield source development through issued-for-construction packages, commissioning, and operational turnover 

• Evaluate, develop, and secure water sources including groundwater wells, surface water and river offtakes, wholesale interconnects, and alternative supplies; plan well programs, aquifer testing, intake design, and hydrogeological modeling to establish sustainable yield and long-term reliability 

• Design, specify, and oversee industrial water treatment and purification systems (filtration, RO/membrane, ion exchange, softening, disinfection, chemical feed, and polishing) for process, cooling, and utility water quality targets 

• Develop and own water balances, PFDs, P&IDs, hydraulic profiles, and control architectures; perform hydraulic calculations, pipeline sizing, surge analysis, pump selection, and network modeling for conveyance, pump stations, storage, and distribution 

• Prepare Owner’s engineering specifications, data sheets, scopes of work, RFPs, and technical bid evaluations for consultants, drillers, treatment OEMs, and contractors; lead technical procurement and award recommendations 

• Manage consultant, OEM, and contractor technical interfaces through design reviews, hold points, and change control; establish QA/QC requirements and review well logs, ITPs, material certifications, test packages, and vendor quality documentation 

• Provide on-site engineering support during drilling, construction, and startup, including RFI resolution, field changes, mechanical completion, system turnover, commissioning procedures, performance testing, and punch-list closure 

• Serve as technical owner for operating water assets, including production and treatment performance monitoring, reliability improvement, outage support, troubleshooting, and retrofit or capacity expansion projects 

• Lead water rights and permitting strategy (withdrawal authorizations, GCD rules, surface water rights, and related environmental approvals) and ensure compliance with AWWA, NSF/ANSI, ASME, EPA CWA/SDWA as applicable, TCEQ, TWDB, Texas Water Code, and local requirements 

• Mentor engineers and set technical standards for water development across Tesla sites; coordinate industrial water quality needs (process, cooling, fire water, potable) with environmental, facilities, and process partners, including reuse and low-/zero-liquid-discharge strategies where applicable 

Job Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Civil, Environmental, Mechanical, or Chemical Engineering, Hydrogeology, or a related technical field, or equivalent experience 

• Minimum of 10 years of progressive engineering experience in water resource development, industrial water supply, hydrogeology, and/or water treatment systems serving industrial or large institutional facilities 

• Demonstrated end-to-end ownership of water development projects from source concept through construction, commissioning, and operational support — not limited to a single project phase 

• Deep expertise in groundwater and surface water source development, including well design/drilling programs, aquifer testing, river/surface water offtakes, sustainable yield evaluation, and hydrogeological analysis/modeling 

• Strong experience designing industrial water purification and treatment systems (filtration, RO/membrane, ion exchange, chemical treatment, disinfection) to meet manufacturing process and utility water quality requirements 

• Proven ability to perform hydraulic calculations, pipeline sizing, pump station and storage design, and system modeling for raw and treated water conveyance under steady-state and transient conditions 

• Proven track record supporting water rights, withdrawal, well, intake, and related environmental permits, with working knowledge of AWWA and NSF/ANSI standards and federal/state frameworks (CWA, SDWA as applicable, TCEQ, TWDB, Texas Water Code, GCD rules); multi-state experience preferred 

• Ability to write specifications, lead bid evaluations, and manage technical interfaces with consultants, drillers, OEMs, and contractors, with hands-on field experience during drilling, construction, startup, and troubleshooting 

• Proficiency with water resources and hydraulic software across a substantial subset of: MODFLOW or equivalent, AQTESOLV or similar; EPANET, WaterGEMS, or InfoWater; PIPE-FLO or AFT Fathom; AutoCAD/Civil 3D or Plant 3D; Bluebeam; and familiarity with SCADA/historian platforms 

• Willingness to travel domestically, approximately 25% of the time, and to be based in or relocate to Houston, TX or Austin, TX; strong executive and regulatory communication skills; PE license preferred (PG a plus); industrial manufacturing water, reuse/brine management, and AWWA/OSHA-related credentials preferred