Senior Wastewater Operations Manager

Arcadis; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 125,000 - 175,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical

Dental

Vision

401K

Life insurance

Paid parental leave

Tuition reimbursement

Job summary

Arcadis is seeking a highly experienced wastewater operations leader to support a major municipal facility in the San Diego region. The Senior Wastewater Operations Manager will act as the primary liaison between the operator and IBWC, overseeing performance, regulatory compliance, safety, and capital improvements.

The role requires hands-on leadership, credibility with operators and regulators, and the ability to coordinate maintenance, budgeting, asset management, and project execution across

Qualifications

• Operator Certification for water and/or wastewater in one or more states.
• 10+ years of municipal water and/or wastewater operations experience.
• Familiarity with distribution or collection system assets.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the technical and operational bridge between the facility operator and IBWC.
• Provide independent review and oversight of plant operations, maintenance programs, safety practices, and regulatory compliance activities.
• Promote timely, accurate, and transparent communication among the owner, operator, consultants, contractors, and other stakeholders.
• Monitor treatment plant performance and evaluate operational effectiveness against contractual, regulatory, and performance requirements.
• Review operating reports, compliance data, maintenance activities, staffing levels, process trends, and key performance indicators.
• Lead and participate in operational meetings, plant reviews, inspections, audits, and stakeholder discussions.
• Evaluate treatment processes, plant reliability, operator practices, maintenance strategies, laboratory functions, and training programs.
• Identify operational risks early and recommend practical actions to protect compliance, safety, reliability, and continuity of service.
• Support planning and coordination of major maintenance events, shutdowns, startups, commissioning activities, and capital improvement projects.
• Prepare executive briefings, technical memoranda, operational assessments, and clear recommendations for agency leadership.
• Serve as a trusted advisor on municipal wastewater operations and operational readiness.
• Support a culture of safety, accountability, compliance, continuous improvement, and professional collaboration.

Education

Operator Certification (state)

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. With the power of many curious minds, together we can solve the world’s most complex challenges and deliver more impact together.

Role Description

Arcadis is seeking a highly experienced wastewater operations professional to serve in a key leadership role supporting a major municipal wastewater treatment facility in the San Diego region.

This position will act as the primary liaison between the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) and a third‑party private wastewater treatment plant operator. The successful candidate will help ensure that operational performance, regulatory compliance, maintenance activities, and capital improvements are communicated transparently, coordinated effectively, and executed successfully.

The ideal candidate has extensive experience operating and managing municipal wastewater treatment plants, understands the full range of day‑to‑day plant challenges, and can build credibility with operators, maintenance personnel, engineers, regulators, contractors, and agency leadership.

Role Accountabilities

The Senior Wastewater Operations Manager / Owner's Representative will serve as the technical and operational bridge between the facility operator and IBWC. This role requires a practical, hands‑on leader who understands the complete operation of a municipal wastewater treatment plant and can independently evaluate performance, identify risks, communicate concerns, and facilitate solutions.

The selected professional must have the operational credibility to engage in meaningful discussions involving treatment processes, staffing, maintenance, safety, compliance, budgeting, asset management, plant reliability, emergency response, and capital improvement planning.

Key responsibilities include:

• Serve as the primary operational liaison between the wastewater treatment plant operator and IBWC leadership.
• Provide independent review and oversight of plant operations, maintenance programs, safety practices, and regulatory compliance activities.
• Promote timely, accurate, and transparent communication among the owner, operator, consultants, contractors, and other stakeholders.
• Monitor treatment plant performance and evaluate operational effectiveness against contractual, regulatory, and performance requirements.
• Review operating reports, compliance data, maintenance activities, staffing levels, process trends, and key performance indicators.
• Lead and participate in operational meetings, plant reviews, inspections, audits, and stakeholder discussions.
• Evaluate treatment processes, plant reliability, operator practices, maintenance strategies, laboratory functions, and training programs.
• Identify operational risks early and recommend practical actions to protect compliance, safety, reliability, and continuity of service.
• Support planning and coordination of major maintenance events, shutdowns, startups, commissioning activities, and capital improvement projects.
• Prepare executive briefings, technical memoranda, operational assessments, and clear recommendations for agency leadership.
• Serve as a trusted advisor on municipal wastewater operations and operational readiness.
• Support a culture of safety, accountability, compliance, continuous improvement, and professional collaboration.

Required Qualifications

• Operator Certification in one or more states for water and/or wastewater.
• 10+ years of municipal water and/or wastewater operations experience.
• Candidates must demonstrate a solid understanding of water and/or wastewater process equipment, as well as familiarity with distribution or collection system assets.

Preferred Qualifications

• Operator Certification for both water and wastewater in one or more states.
• Prior leadership or management experience in the operations and maintenance (O&M) of public utility systems.
• Experience in asset management, Reliability Centered Maintenance, energy management and/or emergency response training are highly desirable.
• Ability to work effectively in a team with strong interpersonal and relationship building skills, excellent at building both internal and client relationships.

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.

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, disability, veteran status, or any other basis prohibited by law.

Arcadis offers benefits for full time and part time positions.

• medical
• dental
• vision
• EAP
• 401K
• STD
• LTD
• AD&D
• life insurance
• paid parental leave
• reward & recognition program
• wellbeing benefits
• adoption assistance
• tuition reimbursement

We offer nine paid holidays and 15 days PTO that accrue per year.

The salary range for this position is $125,000 - $175,000.

Actual salaries will vary and are based on several factors, such as experience, education, budget, internal equity, project and location.