Senior Operation & Maintenance Engineer (Wastewater treatment)

Gradiant Malaysia Sdn. Bhd; Labuan; On-site; MYR 180,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

Gradiant Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. is seeking a Senior Operation & Maintenance Engineer to lead 24/7 wastewater treatment plant operations and continuous improvement initiatives.

You will oversee performance, safety, regulatory compliance, and budgeting while coordinating with cross-functional teams and vendors to ensure reliable service. The role requires hands-on experience in industrial water treatment, strong leadership, and the ability to drive audits, reports, and performance enhancements across

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations Management, or related field.
• 6–10 years of site/base management or operations experience.
• Knowledge of legal, safety regulations and quality systems.

Responsibilities

• Ensure smooth 24/7 wastewater treatment plant operations.
• Oversee budgets, costs, and reporting.
• Coordinate audits, safety and compliance initiatives.
• Lead cross-site projects and change management.

Skills

Leadership

Budgeting

Financial reporting

Vendor management

Change management

Communication

Analytical skills

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering, Operations Management, or related field

Job description

Senior Operation & Maintenance Engineer (Wastewater treatment)

Gradiant is a Different Kind of Water Company. With a full suite of differentiated and proprietary end-to-end solutions for advanced water and wastewater treatment powered by the top minds in water, the company serves its clients’ mission-critical operations in the world’s essential industries, including semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, food & beverage, lithium and critical minerals, and renewable energy. Gradiant’s innovative solutions reduce water used and wastewater discharged, reclaim valuable resources, and renew wastewater into freshwater. The Boston-headquartered company was founded at MIT and has over 1,400 employees worldwide. Discover us at www.gradiant.com.

Job Overview

The Base Manager is responsible for ensuring the smooth functioning, optimal performance, and continuous improvement of wastewater treatment plant operations on a 24/7 basis. This role requires strong hands‑on experience in wastewater treatment plant operations and maintenance, with a valid PCP competency being highly preferred.

The Base Manager acts as the primary point of contact for plant operations, overseeing operational performance, cost control, quality assurance, regulatory and safety compliance, vendor coordination, audits, and continuous improvement initiatives. The role also involves preparing operational and performance reports, monitoring budgets, and ensuring the plant consistently meets required performance, safety, environmental, and quality standards.

Specific Duties/Responsibilities

Responsible for smooth functioning and optimal performance of the system on 24/7.

Development of proposal/scenarios which serve Plant Management as decision basis for planned modernization, conversion, or renovation measures (no project planning or projection). Data about resource utilization, consumption and loading as well as repair expenditure serve as basis for this.

Updating and maintenance of cross-site service description regarding transparency, company-wide standardization and continuous optimization.

Planning, control and monitoring of costs, budgets and deadlines.

Standardization unified cross-site inventory documentation and unified reporting.

Supporting cross-site projects and measures.

Change management concept creation for necessary changes, implementation of changes to service performance.

Contact partner for Plant Management – regular meeting with Plant Management (operation of all service packages, engineering, controlling, purchasing, site manager).

Carrying out internal and external audits, supporting Plant Management during audits.

Order management, quote submissions and financial reporting.

Organization of operation management, executive and control of operation process.

Responsibility for compliance with applicable legal and technical regulations, work and operation safety, accident and fire protection, environmental protection.

Obligation to report to Plant Management in case of unusual, suspicious or dangerous conditions (e.g. using photos) as well as situations which constitute water or energy wastage.

Budget control and adherence to all deadlines required by Plant Management.

Quality management on quality control, quality assurance and quality inspection.

Preparation and support for audits (internal + external).

Deployment in case of escalation.

Preparation of data needed for Plant Management decision (e.g. investments, improvement, risk mitigation and etc.).

Building up the vendor emergency organization at the site (first aid, work safety, etc.).

Compliance with the traffic safety requirements.

Compliance with personal obligations.

Maintenance and revision of the personnel concept (e.g. in case of personnel change).

Identifying and implementing new laws and regulations connected to services contracted by the vendor.

Change management concept creation for necessary changes, implementation of change orders to service performance at the site.

Support Plant Management in the assertion of warranty claims, timely defect detection, gathering of evidence and support during commissioning.

Monthly reporting for all contracted service areas at the site, technical and economic, status quo, forecasts and recommendations.

Participation in regular meetings and other meetings with Plant Management.

Participation in FMEA assessment.

Qualification

Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering, Operations Management, or related field.

Extensive experience in operations, site management, or facilities management in industrial, utility, or water/wastewater sectors.

Strong understanding of legal, technical, and safety regulations relevant to site operations.

Knowledge of quality management systems and audit processes.

Familiarity with operational risk management, FMEA assessments, and change management practices.

Skill

Excellent leadership, organizational, and decision-making abilities.

Strong analytical and problem-solving skills for operational and financial performance monitoring.

Proficient in budget planning, cost control, and financial reporting.

Effective communication and interpersonal skills to coordinate with IFKM, vendors, and cross-functional teams.

Skilled in quality management, compliance, and safety standards.

Ability to implement and oversee change management strategies.

Capable of preparing technical and economic reports to support executive decisions.

Strong vendor management and contract compliance skills

Experience

Minimum 6–10 years of experience in site or base management, operations, or industrial service management.

Proven track record in managing multi-site operations, maintaining 24/7 operational performance.

Hands‑on experience in budgeting, cost monitoring, and financial reporting.

Experience in coordinating audits, quality inspections, and compliance initiatives.

Demonstrated ability to implement change management, safety protocols, and operational improvements.

Experience supporting warranty claims, commissioning, and defect management.

Strong experience in preparing reports, forecasts, and recommendations for executive decision-making.

Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO)

Gradiant is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class.