Senior VP, Industrial Wastewater Operations

Cambrian Innovation; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation

Collaborative environment

Growth opportunities

Job summary

Cambrian Innovation is seeking a VP of Industrial Wastewater Operations to provide executive leadership across multi-site wastewater treatment, ensuring compliant, safe, and reliable operations.

This role drives performance, regulatory compliance, cost management, and continuous improvement, while partnering with Sales, Engineering, EH&S, and regulators to advance Cambrian's water reuse and treatment initiatives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering (chemical, environmental, civil) or related field.
• 10+ years leading industrial wastewater operations, multi-site.
• Deep knowledge of high-strength wastewater treatment and relevant regulations (NPDES, permits).
• Proven ability to lead large teams, manage budgets, and drive improvements.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management with regulators and customers.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and operational leadership for multi-site industrial wastewater treatment systems.
• Ensure compliance with customer contracts, federal, state, and local environmental regulations (e.g., NPDES, pretreatment standards, industrial discharge permits).
• Develop and execute the industrial wastewater operations strategy, aligning capacity, technology, and resources with business growth, production plans, and sustainability goals.
• Direct and mentor a team of site supervisors and operators; establish clear performance expectations, KPIs, and development plans.
• Oversee operating and capital budgets for industrial wastewater assets; approve major expenditures, track financial performance, and drive cost optimization without compromising safety or compliance.
• Lead process optimization and continuous improvement initiatives, including treatment performance, chemical usage, energy efficiency, sludge management, and water reuse recycling.
• Partner with sales, engineering, project management, operational compliance, EH&S, and other stakeholders to review initial plant designs and operating costs during the proposal phase.
• Sponsor and reinforce a strong safety culture, ensuring robust procedures, training, and incident learning for operations and maintenance teams.
• Guide selection, design, and implementation of new treatment technologies, automation, and control systems in partnership with engineering and external vendors.
• Serve as primary executive point of contact for environmental regulators and key customers on industrial wastewater issues, including negotiations, site visits, and responses to inquiries.
• Provide executive reporting to senior leadership on compliance status, risk profile, capital needs, and performance against operational and sustainability targets

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Stakeholder mgmt

Financial acumen

Regulatory compliance

Process safety

Cross-functional leadership

Multi-site operations

Change management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering

Job description

Cambrian Innovation is seeking a VP of Industrial Wastewater Operations to provide executive leadership across multi-site wastewater treatment, ensuring compliant, safe, and reliable operations.

This role drives performance, regulatory compliance, cost management, and continuous improvement, while partnering with Sales, Engineering, EH&S, and regulators to advance Cambrian's water reuse and treatment initiatives.