Sr Process Engineer - Industrial Water & Wastewater Treatment

About the Company

This position offers the opportunity to work on technically challenging projects, influence treatment technology decisions, and contribute to innovative water and wastewater solutions across a broad range of industrial sectors. You'll join a collaborative team where your technical expertise will directly impact project success and customer outcomes.

About the Role

Senior Process Engineer - Industrial Water & Wastewater Treatment

• Location: Remote or Houston Area
• Travel: Approximately 25%

About the Opportunity

We are seeking a highly experienced Senior Process Engineer to lead the design, optimization, commissioning, and troubleshooting of complex industrial water and wastewater treatment systems. This role is ideal for an engineer with deep expertise in physical/chemical treatment processes, solids-liquid separation, filtration, and sludge management who thrives in a fast-paced, project-driven environment. The successful candidate will play a key role in developing treatment solutions for challenging industrial wastewater applications while collaborating with multidisciplinary engineering, operations, project management, and commercial teams.

Responsibilities

• Key Responsibilities
• Process Design & Engineering Leadership
• Lead the process design of industrial water and wastewater treatment systems.
• Develop process calculations including mass balances, hydraulic analyses, equipment sizing, chemical consumption estimates, and solids production calculations.
• Create and review process flow diagrams (PFDs), P&IDs, design criteria, operating philosophies, and technical specifications.
• Evaluate influent water quality, discharge requirements, reuse objectives, and downstream treatment requirements.
• Support technology selection, process optimization, and treatment train development for complex industrial applications.

• Physical/Chemical Treatment
• Design and optimize systems involving:
• pH adjustment and neutralization
• Chemical precipitation
• Coagulation and flocculation
• Oxidation/reduction processes
• Metals removal
• Chemical softening

• Support bench-scale, pilot-scale, and treatability testing efforts.
• Develop chemical feed system requirements, storage systems, safety considerations, and dosing strategies.

• Clarification, Separation & Filtration
• Design and troubleshoot:
• Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF) systems
• Clarifiers and settlers
• Media filtration systems
• Membrane pretreatment processes

• Evaluate treatment performance and identify solutions for solids carryover, fouling, scaling, filtration issues, and operational challenges.
• Support pretreatment design for downstream UF, RO, NF, ion exchange, and advanced treatment technologies.

• Sludge Handling & Residuals Management
• Develop solids management strategies for industrial treatment systems.
• Design sludge thickening, dewatering, storage, and disposal solutions.
• Size and specify equipment such as:
• Filter presses
• Screw presses
• Belt presses
• Centrifuges
• Sludge pumping systems

• Evaluate sludge characteristics, polymer requirements, disposal options, and residual handling strategies.

• Project Execution & Client Support
• Support projects from feasibility and conceptual design through commissioning and startup.
• Review vendor submittals, equipment selections, technical packages, and control narratives.
• Participate in HAZOPs, design reviews, value engineering sessions, and commissioning activities.
• Provide technical leadership to internal teams and serve as a trusted advisor to customers.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Civil/Environmental Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related discipline.
• 8+ years of process engineering experience within industrial water, wastewater, environmental treatment, or EPC/EPCM environments.
• Demonstrated experience designing and troubleshooting:
• Physical/chemical treatment systems
• DAF systems
• Clarification processes
• Filtration systems
• Sludge dewatering operations
• Strong understanding of water and wastewater chemistry, including pH, alkalinity, hardness, metals solubility, oxidation/reduction, and precipitation chemistry.
• Experience developing PFDs, P&IDs, hydraulic calculations, equipment specifications, and technical reports.
• Excellent communication, project management, and problem-solving skills.

Required Skills

• Deep expertise in physical/chemical treatment processes, solids-liquid separation, filtration, and sludge management.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, project-driven environment.
• Ability to collaborate with multidisciplinary engineering, operations, project management, and commercial teams.

Preferred Skills

• We are particularly interested in candidates with experience in one or more of the following areas:
• Industrial wastewater treatment
• Water reuse systems
• High-TDS wastewater
• RO pretreatment
• Brine management
• Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD)
• Pilot and demonstration systems
• Mobile treatment solutions
• Industrial manufacturing, chemical processing, mining, food & beverage, or similar markets.