Senior Process Engineer

LVI Associates; Phoenix (AZ); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

LVI Associates is seeking a Senior Process Engineer to lead production, QA, process development, and field support for proprietary treatment media and water treatment products. The role links research, manufacturing, and customer applications to ensure efficient production, reliable performance, and regulatory compliance.

Responsibilities include transitioning lab- to pilot-scale processes, solving manufacturing challenges, improving quality systems, and guiding continuous improvement.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering or related field.
• Experience in industrial water or wastewater treatment applications.
• Strong understanding of water chemistry and treatment mechanisms.
• Experience designing laboratory- and pilot-scale studies.
• Experience developing quality standards and SOPs.
• Proficiency in data analysis and technical documentation.
• Experience supporting manufacturing operations and quality programs.
• Knowledge of root cause analysis and corrective actions.
• Willingness to travel to customer sites.

Responsibilities

• Lead transition of treatment media from lab development to commercial production.
• Investigate manufacturing challenges and implement sustainable solutions.
• Collaborate with production to introduce process enhancements.
• Oversee daily manufacturing activities to meet targets and schedules.
• Coordinate with procurement/logistics to align production priorities.
• Track manufacturing KPIs, waste reduction, and process efficiency.
• Create and maintain manufacturing documentation and training materials.
• Support equipment reliability through preventive maintenance.
• Define and refine product quality requirements, testing protocols, and acceptance standards.
• Monitor quality and release finished goods that meet specifications.
• Lead investigations into deviations and initiate corrective actions.
• Develop KPIs for quality, process stability, and manufacturing effectiveness.
• Support regulatory inspections and customer quality reviews.
• Plan and execute pilot testing programs for media performance.
• Provide leadership and training to production personnel.
• Manage materials inventory and supplier coordination.
• Assist field with installations and troubleshooting as needed.

Education

Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering

Master's degree in Chemical Engineering

Job description

The Senior Process Engineer serves as the technical lead for the production, quality assurance, process optimization, and field support of proprietary treatment media and associated water treatment products. This position bridges research, manufacturing, and customer applications by ensuring products are produced efficiently, perform reliably, and meet all internal quality expectations and external regulatory standards.

This role is highly hands‑on and is best suited for an engineer with strong water treatment expertise who is equally comfortable performing laboratory evaluations, supporting manufacturing operations, and troubleshooting field applications. The individual will play a key role in improving production processes, maintaining quality systems, supporting scale‑up efforts, and driving continuous improvement initiatives throughout the product lifecycle.

Manufacturing & Process Development

• Lead efforts to transition treatment media and related products from laboratory development to commercial production.
• Investigate manufacturing challenges and field performance issues, identify underlying causes, and implement sustainable solutions.
• Partner directly with production teams to introduce and validate process enhancements.
• Oversee day-to-day manufacturing activities to ensure production targets, quality expectations, and delivery schedules are achieved.
• Collaborate with procurement, inventory, logistics, and commercial teams to align production priorities with business needs.
• Track key manufacturing metrics including throughput, material utilization, productivity, process efficiency, and waste reduction.
• Create and maintain manufacturing documentation, including operating procedures, batch documentation, work instructions, and training resources.
• Support equipment reliability initiatives through preventive maintenance programs and troubleshooting efforts.

Quality Assurance & Compliance

• Define and continuously refine product quality requirements, testing protocols, and acceptance standards.
• Establish best practices for media loading, vessel packing, hydraulic distribution, flow performance, and pressure management.
• Monitor product quality throughout manufacturing and ensure all finished goods satisfy established specifications before release.
• Utilize statistical and operational data to identify trends, prevent quality drift, and drive corrective improvements.
• Maintain quality management procedures, documentation, and compliance records.
• Review manufacturing records and authorize product release for shipment.
• Lead investigations involving product deviations, nonconforming materials, operational issues, and customer concerns.
• Implement corrective and preventive actions designed to eliminate recurring quality problems.
• Develop and monitor KPIs related to quality performance, process stability, and manufacturing effectiveness.
• Provide support during regulatory inspections, certification audits, and customer quality reviews.

Pilot Studies & Performance Testing

• Plan, execute, and evaluate laboratory and bench-scale testing programs focused on treatment media performance.
• Conduct pilot projects for applications including industrial wastewater, stormwater treatment, and marine environments.
• Develop standardized testing methodologies, performance criteria, and validation procedures.
• Support process qualification and optimization efforts aimed at improving consistency, product performance, and manufacturing efficiency.

Manufacturing Leadership

• Provide guidance and oversight to production technicians and manufacturing personnel.
• Deliver training on production methods, quality systems, equipment operation, and workplace safety practices.
• Foster a work environment centered on accountability, operational excellence, continuous improvement, and safe work practices.
• Partner with technical leadership and company management to establish priorities for manufacturing growth and process advancement.

Materials Management & Supply Coordination

• Monitor inventory levels for raw materials, work-in-process inventory, and finished products.
• Work closely with suppliers and purchasing teams to ensure adequate material availability.
• Verify that incoming materials meet defined quality and performance specifications before entering production.
• Identify opportunities to improve inventory control, reduce waste, and lower operating costs.

Customer & Field Support

• Incorporate field observations and operational feedback into product improvements, testing methods, and manufacturing standards.
• Provide technical assistance for installations, startup activities, troubleshooting efforts, and performance evaluations when required.
• Support customers through on-site visits and operational assessments as needed.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering or a related engineering or scientific discipline.
• Demonstrated expertise in industrial water or wastewater treatment applications.
• Strong understanding of water chemistry, surface interactions, and treatment mechanisms.
• Experience designing and evaluating laboratory-scale and pilot-scale treatment studies.
• Background developing quality standards, analytical methods, operating procedures, and product specifications.
• Proficiency in data analysis, technical documentation, and reporting.
• Experience supporting manufacturing operations, production systems, and quality management programs.
• Knowledge of root cause analysis methodologies and corrective action implementation.
• Ability and willingness to travel to customer sites for testing, commissioning, troubleshooting, and technical support activities.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in Chemical Engineering or a related technical field.
• Experience working with adsorption technologies, filtration systems, activated carbon, treatment media, or water treatment equipment.
• Familiarity with regulatory frameworks governing stormwater, industrial wastewater, or marine discharge compliance.
• Exposure to product registration, certification testing, or regulated performance verification programs.
• Working knowledge of ISO quality systems, Six Sigma methodologies, or continuous improvement tools.
• OSHA 10-Hour, OSHA 30-Hour General Industry, or HAZWOPER certification.
• Experience supervising manufacturing personnel or production teams.
• Background with ISO 9001 Quality Management Systems.
• Six Sigma Green Belt, Black Belt, Lean Manufacturing, or equivalent operational excellence training.
• Experience in specialty chemicals, filtration media manufacturing, adsorbents, or water treatment product production environments.