Experienced Water & Wastewater Treatment Specialist

Responsibilities

This position is based on a hybrid work schedule and will require in-office work 3 days per week.

Sargent & Lundy is seeking an Experienced Water & Wastewater Treatment Specialist / Project Associate to support the continued growth of our environmental water services practice. This role will apply strong technical expertise to the evaluation, design, review, and implementation of water supply and wastewater treatment systems for power generation, industrial, data center, and municipal clients. The successful candidate will contribute to project delivery, client engagement, proposal development, and the development of junior staff. 

What We Offer:

• The opportunity to work on technically challenging projects across the energy, industrial, municipal, and infrastructure markets.
• A collaborative environment that values technical excellence, professional growth, and client service.
• Opportunities to assume increasing responsibility in project delivery, practice development, and team leadership.
• Exposure to emerging water treatment, water reuse, and environmental technologies.

Key Responsibilties:

• Lead or support the design, evaluation, and review of water supply and wastewater treatment systems for new facilities, modifications, retrofits, and operational improvements.
• Prepare and oversee preliminary engineering studies, process evaluations, mass and water balances, technical specifications, and design reports.
• Review and verify vendor-supplied treatment equipment and systems, including reverse osmosis, zero liquid discharge, biological treatment, ion exchange, and chemical conditioning systems.
• Analyze complex water quality and treatment challenges and develop practical, technically sound recommendations for clients and internal stakeholders.
• Evaluate the effects of federal, state, and local environmental requirements—including Clean Water Act, NPDES, Effluent Limitation Guidelines, and RCRA requirements—on water and wastewater systems.
• Coordinate with project managers, engineers, environmental specialists, vendors, and clients across multiple concurrent projects.
• Support project execution through design reviews, technical meetings, site visits, construction support, commissioning assistance, and client presentations.
• Contribute to proposals through scope development, technical approaches, labor estimates, and written content.
• Mentor and support the development of junior and mid-level engineers and technical personnel.
• Maintain current knowledge of emerging treatment technologies, water reuse and recycling practices, regulatory trends, and applicable industry standards.
• Travel to client offices, project sites, conferences, and professional events as needed.

Qualifications

We do not sponsor employees for work authorization in the U.S. for this position.

Essential skills and experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Civil Engineering, or a closely related discipline from an ABET-accredited program.
• At least 7 years of progressive experience in water and/or wastewater treatment engineering.
• Demonstrated experience supporting systems for power generation, industrial, municipal, data center, or similarly complex facilities.
• Experience leading or contributing to multidisciplinary projects from study and design through implementation.
• Working knowledge of water and wastewater treatment processes, equipment, and system integration.
• Experience preparing or reviewing technical reports, specifications, process descriptions, and mass or water balances.
• Familiarity with environmental permitting and regulatory requirements applicable to water and wastewater systems.
• Strong analytical, organizational, leadership, and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain technical concepts to nontechnical audiences.
• Ability to manage priorities and deliver high-quality work across multiple projects and deadlines.

Valued, but not required:

• Professional Engineer license or progress toward licensure.
• Hands-on experience with reverse osmosis, ion exchange, zero liquid discharge, biological treatment, biological nutrient removal, cooling water treatment, industrial wastewater treatment, water reuse, or closed-loop systems.
• Experience with water treatment modeling, process simulation, or related engineering software.
• Experience supporting NPDES permitting, Effluent Limitation Guidelines evaluations, or other environmental permitting activities.
• Experience with proposal writing, scope development, estimating and client presentations
• Experience working with power generation, decarbonization, data center, industrial, or government-sector clients.
• Active participation in professional organizations, technical committees, or industry conferences.

Technology & Innovation

Sargent & Lundy values the appropriate use of technology to improve how work gets done and deliver high-quality outcomes for our clients. Depending on the role, employees may use data, automation, artificial intelligence, and other digital tools to support research, analysis, engineering and design activities, workflow improvement, or other aspects of their work. We value candidates who demonstrate an interest in learning and effectively using emerging technologies where relevant to their role. Employees remain accountable for their work and are expected to apply appropriate professional judgment and review when using technology-assisted tools. Experience with AI, automation, programming, or similar technologies is valued where relevant but is not required unless specifically identified elsewhere in the job description.

About Sargent & Lundy

At Sargent & Lundy, we care about the health and well-being of our employees. Our commitment extends beyond the workplace, offering comprehensive healthcare plans and generous paid time off to support our team members in every aspect of their lives. We understand the importance of work-life balance, which is why we are proud to provide competitive, award-winning benefits. Our dedication to employee satisfaction has earned us the prestigious Top Workplaces Culture Excellence Award for compensation and benefits in 2022, 2023, and 2024.

Health & WellnessFinancial BenefitsWork-Life Balance

• Health Plans: Medical, Dental, Vision
• Life & Accident Insurance
• Disability Coverage
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Back-Up Daycare
• FSA & HSA

• 401(k)
• Pre-Tax Commuter Account
• Merit Scholarship Program
• Employee Discount Program
• Corporate Charitable Giving Program
• Tuition Assistance
• First Professional Licensure Bonus
• Employee Referral Bonus

• Paid Annual Personal/Sick Time (PST)
• Paid Vacation
• Paid Holidays
• Paid Parental Leave
• Paid Bereavement Leave
• Flexible Work Arrangements

Compensation Range

$100,019 - $152,807

Transparency Statement

Sargent & Lundy discloses compensation ranges that comply with all local and state regulations. The total compensation package for eligible positions will include a base salary or an hourly rate and a comprehensive benefits package, reflecting our commitment to rewarding performance and supporting the overall well-being of our employees. Individuals may also be eligible to participate in our yearly discretionary bonus.

About This Business Unit

The Energy & Industrial Group (EIG) specializes in delivering advanced engineering solutions across various sectors, including power generation, environmental compliance, oil & gas, and industrial projects, from new plant design to plant betterment and upgrade services for operating facilities. We have designed nearly 900 conventional power plants, yielding over 100,000 megawatts (MW) of generation capacity. Our expertise includes numerous recent and ongoing combined cycle projects that leverage the latest advanced machinery, including combustion turbines, steam turbines, and heat recovery steam generators from all leading suppliers. EIG is recognized for its commitment to decarbonization through innovative technologies in renewable energy, carbon capture, and hydrogen power. We excel in detailed engineering services for photovoltaic (PV) solar projects and energy storage integration, and lead the industry in carbon capture technologies, managing projects from conceptual studies, pilot demonstrations and through commercial scale implementation for utilities and industrial plants.

Equal Opportunity

Sargent & Lundy is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any protected status as defined by applicable law.