Principal Water Treatment Planning Engineer/Manager

Arcadis; Irvine (CA); On-site; USD 170,000 - 220,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental & vision

401K

Paid holidays

PTO

Job summary

Arcadis is seeking a Principal Water Treatment Planning Engineer/Manager to lead water quality and treatment planning projects in Southern California. The role includes guiding long‑term strategy development, mentoring a team of planners, engineers, and scientists, and collaborating with regional leaders to address regulatory requirements and climate resilience.

You will drive multidisciplinary planning initiatives, capital and asset planning, and client relationship development, while upholding

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Civil, Environmental, or Chemical Engineering or a related field.
• 12 years of progressive experience in water resources planning, water system planning, or related fields.
• Professional Engineer (PE) license.

Responsibilities

• Lead Water Quality and Treatment Planning: direct comprehensive water and recycled water quality and treatment planning efforts and develop strategies for long-term challenges.
• Represent Clients/Utilities during Design and Construction as Owner’s Agent and develop performance guarantees.
• Strategic Advisory & Policy Support: provide leadership on water policy, regulatory frameworks, and planning best practices.
• Support Business Development: develop client engagement strategies and maintain client relationships.
• Project Leadership & Delivery: oversee multidisciplinary planning projects within scope, schedule, budget and Arcadis standards.

Skills

Water resources planning

Project leadership

Client relationship management

Mentoring

Regulatory compliance

Education

Bachelor's in Civil/Environmental/Chemical Eng

Professional Engineer (PE) license

Master's degree preferred

Job description

Arcadis is the world's leading company delivering sustainable design, engineering, and consultancy solutions for natural and built assets. We are more than 34,000 people in over 30 countries, dedicated to improving quality of life. Everyone has an important role to play. Together we can solve the world’s most complex challenges and deliver more impact.

Role description

Arcadis is seeking a dynamic Principal Water Treatment Planning Engineer/Manager to join our Resilience Water Planning Practice in Southern California. This individual will lead water quality and treatment planning projects, guide long‑term strategy development, and support the delivery of complex, multidisciplinary planning projects. The role also includes mentoring a high‑performing team of planners, engineers, and scientists.

Role accountabilities

In this role, you will collaborate closely with regional leadership, national practice leaders, market sector leads, and client account managers to shape the future of water and recycled water planning across Southern California. You will support municipal and utility clients as they navigate evolving regulatory requirements, climate uncertainty, water supply resilience challenges, and infrastructure investment needs.

Responsibilities include

• Lead Water Quality and Treatment Planning: Direct comprehensive water and recycled water quality and treatment planning efforts, including treatment processes for regulatory compliance (groundwater and surface water treatment), operations evaluations (filter assessments or disinfection approaches), and distribution system water quality improvement (nitrification prevention and corrosion control). Develop strategies to address long‑term challenges related to water quality and treatment reliability, reuse, sustainability, resilience, and regulatory compliance.
• Lead Water and Recycled Water Treatment Improvements and Operations: Evaluate existing infrastructure and plan improvements to enhance operability, water quality, and infrastructure reliability. Support water and recycled water treatment utility start‑up, commissioning, and operations troubleshooting.
• Represent Clients/Utilities during Design and Construction: Act as the Owner’s Agent on alternative delivery projects, lead water quality evaluations, review designer treatment approaches, basis of design, and calculations, and develop performance guarantees and the associated start‑up and commissioning requirements.
• Strategic Advisory & Policy Support: Provide technical leadership on water policy, regulatory frameworks, and planning best practices. Advise clients on climate adaptation, drought resilience, water recycling, and sustainability initiatives.
• Support Business Development: Partner with Area Managers and Account Leaders across Southern California to develop and implement client engagement strategies. Build and maintain strong client relationships, identify and pursue strategic opportunities, and represent the firm at key industry events and conferences.
• Project Leadership & Delivery: Oversee multidisciplinary planning projects, ensuring deliverables are completed on scope, schedule, budget, and Arcadis quality standards. Provide technical guidance and quality assurance on planning analyses and documentation.
• Capital & Asset Planning: Lead development of capital improvement plans and asset investment strategies, incorporating risk‑based prioritization, lifecycle costing, funding strategies, and alignment with long‑term planning objectives.
• Professional Leadership: Actively participate in state and local professional associations to strengthen the Arcadis brand and expand networks. Contribute to industry committees and thought leadership initiatives.
• Develop and Inspire Talent: Mentor and develop water planning professionals, support recruitment efforts, and foster a collaborative, inclusive, and growth‑oriented team culture.

Travel (up to 20%) is anticipated across Southern California for client and project meetings, team engagement, planning initiatives, and industry events.

Qualifications & Experience

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Civil, Environmental, or Chemical Engineering or a related field.
• 12 years of progressive experience in water resources planning, water system planning, or related fields.
• Professional Engineer (PE) license.

Key Skills & Preferred Qualifications

Master’s degree in Civil or Environmental Engineering, MBA, or a related field preferred. Professional Engineer (PE) license in California preferred. A minimum of 15 years of progressively responsible experience in water resources, water planning, or related consulting services is preferred. Proven ability to lead multidisciplinary teams, manage client relationships, and successfully deliver large, complex water planning projects. Deep understanding of California’s regulatory environment and the municipal water and recycled water utility market. Demonstrated experience partnering with municipal agencies and utilities to develop and implement long‑term planning, resilience, and sustainability strategies.

Why Arcadis?

We can only achieve our goals when everyone is empowered to be their best. We believe everyone’s contribution matters. It’s why we are pioneering a skills‑based approach, where you can harness your unique experience and expertise to carve your career path and maximize the impact we can make together.

You’ll do meaningful work, and no matter what role, you’ll be helping to deliver sustainable solutions for a more prosperous planet. Make your mark on your career, your colleagues, your clients, your life, and the world around you.

Together, we can create a lasting legacy.

Join Arcadis. Create a Legacy.

Arcadis offers benefits for full‑time and part‑time positions. These benefits include medical, dental, and vision, EAP, 401K, STD, LTD, AD&D, life insurance, paid parental leave, reward & recognition program, and optional benefits including wellbeing benefits, adoption assistance and tuition reimbursement. We offer nine paid holidays and 20 days PTO that accrue per year.

The salary range for this position is $170,000 - $220,000/year. Actual salaries will vary and are based on several factors, such as experience, education, budget, internal equity, project and location.

Our Commitment to Equality, Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging

We want you to be able to bring your best self to work every day. Our ambition is to be an employer of choice and provide a great place to work for all our people. We are an equal opportunity employer. We are dedicated to a policy of non‑discrimination in employment on any basis including race, creed, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, citizenship status, veteran status, or any other basis prohibited by law.