Principal Water Engineer

Kiewit; Denver (CO); On-site; USD 160,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans

Voluntary wellness programs

Generous paid time off

Job summary

Kiewit seeks a Principal Water Engineer in Denver, Colorado, to lead design efforts in Municipal Water treatment. This role demands deep expertise in process engineering and a minimum of 15 years of experience. The successful candidate will mentor the engineering team, ensure the quality of designs, and oversee multi-disciplinary design teams. Compensation ranges from $160,000 to $230,000, plus a comprehensive benefits package. Kiewit is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 15 years’ experience in process development and design.
• Professional Engineer (PE) registration preferred.
• Understanding of water treatment regulations is essential.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership for Municipal Water treatment design.
• Mentor Senior and mid-level engineers.
• Lead proposals and shape technical strategy for major pursuits.

Skills

Process engineering

Treatment optimization

Mentoring

Technical leadership

Project delivery

Education

Bachelor’s degree or higher in Chemical, Mechanical, or Civil/Environmental Engineering

Tools

AFT Fathom

AFT Arrow

Biowin

GPS-X

Job description

Requisition ID: 180554

Job Level: Senior Level

Home District/Group: Kiewit Industrial & Water Engineering

Department: Design Engineering

Market: Water/Wastewater

Employment Type: Full Time

Position Overview

We are looking for a strong leader, with deep expertise in process engineering, treatment optimization for advanced water/wastewater knowledge. As a Principal Water Engineer at Kiewit, you’ll be the technical force behind some of the most complex and meaningful water treatment projects in North America. This is a role for a true Municipal Water expert, someone who not only understands advanced treatment technologies, but has the passion and ability to turn them into safe, constructible, cost‑effective solutions that work in the real world. At Kiewit, your designs don’t stay on paper; they become facilities built by one of the largest and most capable self‑perform contractors in the industry.

You’ll guide multidisciplinary engineering teams, shape treatment strategies, and serve as the trusted technical voice during pursuits, design development, and project execution. From early process modeling to startup and commissioning, you’ll influence every stage of delivery—ensuring quality, innovation, and constructability are embedded into every decision. This is an opportunity to lead with expertise, mentor the next generation of water engineers, and help communities and industries secure reliable, resilient water infrastructure for decades to come.

District Overview

The Kiewit Water Engineering team, which includes process, mechanical, piping, electrical, instrumentation and control, structural, and civil disciplines, is a multi-faceted division of Kiewit with best-in-class technical expertise focused on collaborative Design-Build (progressive and/or fixed price) and EPC delivery models for complex water projects. The team brings project solutions to life across North America in the following areas:

• Water Treatment
• Potable Municipal and Groundwater Desalination
• Advanced Water Reuse
• Groundwater Remediation
• Storm water Recycling
• Industrial Water Treatment
• Wastewater Treatment
• Biosolids Treatment
• Pipelines and Conveyance

Clients are turning to Kiewit during all stages of design-build projects to lead and manage multi-disciplined design teams to work together to improve schedule, track design progress, control costs and minimize risk. We are a high performing team of engineers and designers that leads the water engineering process and collaborates with Kiewit’s construction teams to approach construction-driven engineering with a focus on safe, cost effective, and innovative designs, all working to develop the best possible delivery of water facility projects to our clients.

Location

This role can be based in our Lenexa, Kansas, Lone Tree, Colorado, Houston or Dallas/Fort worth offices. We will consider remote options in other locations for uniquely qualified Water Experts.

We do provide relocation assistance to our office locations.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical and engineering leadership for Municipal Water treatment design, which includes selecting and sizing treatment technologies, development and validating of process flow diagrams and mass balances.
• Serve as technical authority as the “go to” expert for treatment process decisions, approve critical design deliverables and technical calculations.
• Mentor Senior and mid-level engineers within the team.
• Establish and enforce Kiewit’s water design standards and best practices.
• Ensure designs are constructible, cost effective and aligned with field execution. This includes participating in model reviews, constructability workshops and value engineering, as well as supporting procurement of major equipment packages.
• Lead proposals and pursuits, shaping technical strategy for major water pursuits. Develop process narratives, basis of design documents and proposal content and support client interviews and presentations.
• Oversee project delivery through managing multi-disciplinary design teams, while ensuring quality control across all engineering deliverables for your project.
• Support permitting, startup, commissioning and operator training.
• Communicate/present industry trends, competitive situations or technology/regulatory issues.
• Actively participate in professional organizations. Be a practice leader for Kiewit in the Water market.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Chemical, Mechanical, or Civil/Environmental Engineering or related engineering discipline.
• Minimum of 15 years’ experience in process development, conceptual and detailed design with a background in the municipal and/or Industrial water market.
• Professional Engineer (PE) registration preferred
• Understanding of federal, state and local regulations and requirements related to water characterization, treatment and discharge
• Experience as process design engineering lead on design-build projects is preferred
• Must be willing and available to accommodate intermittent travel (20-30% maximum expected) if located at one of our main office facilities. If working remotely, travel may be up to 50% but would be scheduled travel.
• Preferred experience utilizing AFT Fathom or AFT Arrow hydraulic simulation software (or equivalent) and/or experience with process modeling and simulation software applications such as Biowin, GPS-X, Hysys and/or Aspen, WatPro, AqMB, SIMBA etc. #LI-JB1

Other Titles: Water Expert, Lead Water Engineer, Senior Water Engineer, Lead Water/Wastewater Engineer, Senior Process Engineer - Water Treatment, Principal Water/Wastewater Engineer, Principal Process Engineer, Water/Wastewater Tecnical Lead, Design Lead - Water Treatment, Discipline Lead - Water/Wastewater,

Other Requirements

• Regular, reliable attendance
• Work productively and meet deadlines timely
• Communicate and interact effectively and professionally with supervisors, employees, and others individually or in a team environment
• Perform work safely and effectively. Understand and follow oral and written instructions, including warning signs, equipment use, and other policies.
• Work during normal operating hours to organize and complete work within given deadlines. Work overtime and weekends as required.

Base Compensation: $160,000 - $230,000

(Actual compensation is subject to variation due to such factors as education, experience, skillset, and/or location)

Posting active from: 05/15/2026 - 08/01/2026

We offer our fulltime staff employees a comprehensive benefits package that’s among the best in our industry, including top-tier medical, dental and vision plans covering eligible employees and dependents, voluntary wellness and employee assistance programs, life insurance, disability, retirement plans with matching, and generous paid time off.

Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability and protected veteran status.

Company: Kiewit