Principal Wastewater Engineer

In a world of possibilities, pursue one with endless opportunities. Imagine Next!

At Parsons, you can imagine a career where you thrive, work with exceptional people, and be yourself. Guided by our leadership vision of valuing people, embracing agility, and fostering growth, we cultivate an innovative culture that empowers you to achieve your full potential. Unleash your talent and redefine what’s possible.

Job Description:

Parsons is seeking a highly capable Senior Wastewater Engineer to join our Water and Wastewater team. This position will provide technical leadership and process engineering expertise for municipal, industrial, manufacturing, groundwater, leachate, and advanced water treatment projects throughout the United States, Canada, and potentially international locations.

The successful candidate will support projects from feasibility evaluations and treatment process development through detailed design, procurement, construction, commissioning, startup, and operational troubleshooting. The role requires strong technical knowledge, excellent communication skills, sound engineering judgment, and the ability to work effectively with clients, vendors, constructors, and multidisciplinary project teams.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Lead and perform process engineering activities for municipal, industrial, manufacturing, groundwater, leachate, and advanced water and wastewater treatment projects.

• Develop and evaluate treatment solutions for conventional and emerging contaminants, including PFAS.

• Apply wastewater treatment principles, process selection criteria, hydraulic fundamentals, equipment selection practices, and treatment system integration requirements.

• Lead or support feasibility studies, alternatives evaluations, white papers, treatability studies, and process development activities, including:

  • Bench- and pilot-scale testing
  • Laboratory testing and data interpretation
  • Biological and physical-chemical treatment evaluations
  • Emerging contaminant assessments

• Design and evaluate treatment systems incorporating technologies such as:

  • Headworks and preliminary treatment
  • Primary and secondary clarification
  • Biological treatment, aeration, and advanced biological processes
  • Membrane bioreactors and other membrane processes
  • Ozone, ultraviolet, and disinfection systems
  • Reverse osmosis and high-purity water treatment
  • Anaerobic digestion and biogas cogeneration

• Solids handling and dewatering

• Groundwater, soil, and leachate treatment

• Prepare and review process design calculations, design reports, technical memoranda, process flow diagrams, piping and instrumentation diagrams, equipment specifications, technical specifications, and construction documents.

• Prepare equipment requisitions, material takeoffs, cost estimates, scopes of work, and vendor or subcontractor requirements.

• Lead or support the design of wastewater treatment facilities, lagoons, wet utilities, conveyance systems, and related municipal infrastructure.

• Conduct field investigations, site assessments, process evaluations, and data collection to develop reliable design information and support troubleshooting.

• Support equipment selection, procurement, vendor coordination, construction, commissioning, startup, and operations.

• Review vendor submittals, contractor shop drawings, equipment documentation, and other technical deliverables.

• Observe and evaluate treatment system installation and confirm that construction aligns with design intent.

• Coordinate with civil, mechanical, electrical, structural, environmental, instrumentation and controls, CAD, BIM, and other technical disciplines.

• Work effectively with vendors, contractors, constructors, and design-build partners.

• Provide technical direction and mentoring to engineers, designers, and other project team members.

• Manage or support small- to medium-sized projects, tasks, and technical work packages.

• Represent Parsons in client meetings, presentations, interviews, proposal activities, and other business development efforts.

• Communicate technical recommendations, project goals, risks, costs, schedules, and results to clients, senior management, and internal stakeholders.

• Anticipate technical, schedule, cost, safety, and constructability issues and develop practical solutions.

• Support process safety activities, including HAZOP and PHA studies, and help ensure compliance with applicable health and safety requirements.

• Travel to client offices, project sites, laboratories, equipment suppliers, and construction locations as required. International travel may be available for qualified and interested candidates.

• Perform other responsibilities associated with this position as appropriate.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Engineering (or related field)

• Master’s degree in Water/Wastewater Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or a related discipline preferred

• At least 10 years of progressively responsible experience in the design, evaluation, construction, commissioning, or operation of water and wastewater treatment systems, industrial facilities, or similar infrastructure.

• Professional Engineer licensure, such as a PE or applicable provincial engineering designation. Candidates licensed in another jurisdiction may be considered if they are able to obtain local licensure through reciprocity or mobility requirements.

• Demonstrated experience with industrial, municipal, manufacturing, groundwater, leachate, or advanced water and wastewater treatment projects.

• Experience with wastewater treatment lagoons, municipal wet utility infrastructure, treatment facility design, and conveyance systems.

• Experience with bench-scale, pilot-scale, or full-scale treatability studies, including laboratory testing and interpretation of results.

• Familiarity with laboratory procedures such as TSS, COD, pH, ion-selective electrode testing, and preparation of standard solutions.

• Strong knowledge of wastewater treatment processes, hydraulic principles, process design, equipment selection, applicable codes and standards, regulatory requirements, and treatment system operation.

• Experience preparing or reviewing engineering calculations, technical reports, specifications, design drawings, procurement documents, and construction deliverables.

• Experience with construction support, commissioning, startup, operational troubleshooting, and field investigations.

• Ability to provide technical leadership and serve as a project lead, process lead, or technical work package lead.

• Experience working with multidisciplinary teams, clients, vendors, contractors, and design-build partners.

• Understanding of process safety concepts and experience supporting HAZOP and PHA studies.

• Experience with client development, proposal preparation, interviews, and technical presentations.

• Excellent written, verbal, presentation, and interpersonal communication skills.

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications.

• Ability and willingness to travel as required by project and business needs.

• Experience with relevant engineering and design software, such as:

  • AutoCAD, Civil 3D, Revit, Navisworks, BIM, or related platforms
  • BioWin or similar biological treatment modeling software

• Pipe-Flo, WaterCAD, WaterGEMS, Visual Hydraulics, OpenUtilities, or similar hydraulic tools

• Chemical equilibrium software, Aspen HYSYS, or comparable engineering applications

Key Competencies

• Wastewater and advanced water treatment process design

• Industrial, municipal, and emerging contaminant treatment

• Treatability testing and process development

• Engineering judgment and technical problem-solving

• Technical leadership, mentoring, and quality review

• Client, stakeholder, vendor, and contractor communication

• Multidisciplinary coordination

• Design-build, construction, commissioning, and startup support

• Project, task, and technical work package management

• Process safety and health and safety awareness

Security Clearance Requirement:

None

This position is part of our Critical Infrastructure team.

For more than 80 years, our experts have designed and delivered the critical infrastructure that connects and protects communities around the world. We work in collaborative teams, both within the company and with our partners and customers, to plan, design, build, and modernize infrastructure. We take special pride in projects and solutions that improve communities as well as people’s quality of life by promoting economic growth, enhancing mobility, and increasing sustainability and resiliency. Powered by our people, we provide the imagination necessary to support our customers’ visions—and to help them see what's next!

Salary Range: $103,500.00 - $181,100.00

We value our employees and want our employees to take care of their overall wellbeing, which is why we offer best-in-class benefits such as medical, dental, vision, paid time off, Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), 401(k), life insurance, flexible work schedules, and holidays to fit your busy lifestyle!

This position will be posted for a minimum of 3 days and will continue to be posted for an average of 30 days until a qualified applicant is selected or the position has been cancelled.

Parsons is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, veteran status or any other protected status.

We truly invest and care about our employee’s wellbeing and provide endless growth opportunities as the sky is the limit, so aim for the stars! Imagine next and join the Parsons quest—APPLY TODAY!

Parsons is aware of fraudulent recruitment practices. To learn more about recruitment fraud and how to report it, please refer to https://www.parsons.com/fraudulent-recruitment/.