Senior Water & Wastewater Engineer

SLR Consulting; Irvine (CA); On-site; USD 115,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

Dental benefits

Vision benefits

401(k) with company match

Paid time off and holidays

Job summary

SLR Consulting (US) is seeking a mid- to senior-level Water & Wastewater Engineer to join our North American team in Irvine, CA. You will mentor junior staff, lead projects, and collaborate with operators, regulators, contractors, and multidisciplinary teams to deliver comprehensive water treatment solutions.

The role covers concept development through startup and optimization, with opportunities to advance technical leadership and client relationships across industrial, mining, and municipal

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science in Environmental, Chemical, or Civil Engineering.
• PE licensure is required.
• Experience with regulatory agencies, clients and contractors.
• Strong written and verbal communication and organizational skills.
• Proficiency in AutoCAD and Microsoft Office.

Responsibilities

• Evaluate industrial, mining, municipal, and commercial wastewater treatment challenges and develop practical, cost-effective treatment solutions.
• Perform process evaluations, feasibility studies, bench-scale testing, and pilot studies to assess treatment technologies and optimize system performance.
• Develop engineering designs for treatment systems, including process flow diagrams, hydraulic calculations, equipment selection, piping layouts, and technical specifications.
• Assess and troubleshoot existing treatment systems, identify operational improvements, and support facilities in resolving treatment and compliance issues.
• Participate in field investigations, site assessments, construction observation, startup, commissioning, and performance optimization of treatment facilities.
• Work directly with treatment plant operators and facility personnel to understand operational challenges and translate those needs into engineering solutions.
• Support water quality evaluations, discharge permitting projects, mixing zone analyses, and regulatory compliance assessments.
• Interpret and apply federal, state, provincial, and local regulatory requirements to client projects.
• Review operating data and treatment performance information to evaluate compliance, identify trends, and recommend process improvements.
• Coordinate with CAD designers and multidisciplinary engineering teams to develop plans, drawings, and construction documents.
• Lead technical tasks and provide guidance and mentoring to junior engineering staff.
• Develop and maintain long-term client relationships by serving as a trusted technical advisor on water and wastewater issues.

Skills

Communication skills

Public speaking

Analytical skills

Team collaboration

MS Office proficiency

AutoCAD

Education

Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering

Professional Engineer (PE) licensure

Tools

AutoCAD

MS Office

Job description

We are SLR Consulting (US), a 500+ coast-to-coast team of advisory, environmental/engineering, and regulatory professionals. We deliver environmental and sustainability services to our clients through the integration of over 30 advisory, technical environmental, and engineering disciplines to help clients address some of their most complex challenges around sustainability. We are Making Sustainability Happen.

As a mid- to senior-level Water & Wastewater Engineer, you will play an important role on a team whose work is essential to achieving this goal. This position will embrace technical expertise with mentoring of junior level staff and an eventual leadership role for our team.

At SLR, our water and wastewater engineers work on some of the most challenging water treatment projects across North America. Our team specializes in industrial wastewater treatment, mine water management and treatment, pumping and conveyance systems, decentralized water and wastewater infrastructure, and regulatory compliance projects.

This role offers the opportunity to work across the full project lifecycle, from evaluating treatment technologies and conducting pilot studies to detailed design, construction support, startup, and system optimization. You'll collaborate directly with clients, operators, regulators, contractors, and multidisciplinary engineering teams to solve complex water quality and treatment challenges.

Work directly with a multidisciplinary team of wastewater professionals whose expertise includes industrial treatment systems, process engineering, mine water management, and environmental permitting. You'll collaborate closely with senior engineers with decades of experience and gain hands-on exposure to treatment design, troubleshooting, permitting, and facility operations across a wide range of industries.

As our industrial wastewater practice continues to grow, this position offers a long-term pathway into technical and project leadership. Successful candidates will have opportunities to lead projects, mentor junior staff, strengthen client relationships, contribute to business development efforts, and help shape the future direction of the practice while continuing to develop as a technical expert.

Responsibilities

• Evaluate industrial, mining, municipal, and commercial wastewater treatment challenges and develop practical, cost-effective treatment solutions.
• Perform process evaluations, feasibility studies, bench-scale testing, and pilot studies to assess treatment technologies and optimize system performance.
• Develop engineering designs for treatment systems, including process flow diagrams, hydraulic calculations, equipment selection, piping layouts, and technical specifications.
• Assess and troubleshoot existing treatment systems, identify operational improvements, and support facilities in resolving treatment and compliance issues.
• Participate in field investigations, site assessments, construction observation, startup, commissioning, and performance optimization of treatment facilities.
• Work directly with treatment plant operators and facility personnel to understand operational challenges and translate those needs into engineering solutions.
• Support water quality evaluations, discharge permitting projects, mixing zone analyses, and regulatory compliance assessments.
• Interpret and apply federal, state, provincial, and local regulatory requirements to client projects.
• Review operating data and treatment performance information to evaluate compliance, identify trends, and recommend process improvements.
• Coordinate with CAD designers and multidisciplinary engineering teams to develop plans, drawings, and construction documents.
• Lead technical tasks and provide guidance and mentoring to junior engineering staff.
• Develop and maintain long-term client relationships by serving as a trusted technical advisor on water and wastewater issues.

What Makes This Role Different

• Work on industrial and mine water projects that require creative engineering solutions.
• Gain exposure to projects from concept development through startup and optimization.
• Work directly with treatment system operators, regulators, contractors, and client decision-makers.
• Participate in site visits throughout the United States and Canada.
• Help solve emerging water quality challenges involving metals, nutrients, treatment residuals, PFAS, and industrial process wastewater streams.
• Be part of a growing wastewater practice with opportunities for increasing technical and leadership responsibility.

Working @ SLR

With us, there is no doubt you’ll grow your subject-matter expertise and industry knowledge. We care about investing in our employees for the long-run, and if you ask our team, they’ll tell you that’s just one of the many benefits of working here. We want to be a place where you can experience career growth and satisfaction for many years.

Here’s what else you’ll enjoy as part of our team:

• Competitive total compensation package including medical, dental, orthodontia, vision, FSA/HSA, generous PTO accrual, 10 paid holidays, 401(k) retirement account with company matching program, company paid life insurance, short & long term disability insurance, and employee assistance program.
• The salary range for this position is $115,000-140,000. Final agreed upon compensation will be commensurate with individual education, professional designation, experience, internal parity, and location.
• Full-time, permanent role with opportunities for professional growth and advancement

Qualifications/Education/Memberships

• Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental, Chemical, or Civil Engineering
• 6+ years of experience in industrial wastewater treatment engineering and
• Professional Engineer (PE) licensure
• Experience working with regulatory agencies, clients, and contractors
• Effective written/verbal communication and organization/analytical skills
• Proficient with Microsoft Office suite of software
• Proficiency in AutoCAD
• Possess a valid driver's license
• Willing to travel within the US and Canada by airplane and car, including overnight travel
• Logical and methodical problem solving
• Attention to detail
• Excellent technical writing skills
• Strong communication skills and comfort with public speaking
• Ability to multitask and manage time effectively while working concurrently on different projects
• Ability to learn new skills
• Understand how to conduct internet and library research
• Ability to work well independently and as part of a team
• Understanding of budgets and deadlines
• Self-motivated, requiring limited oversight on common tasks
• Pro-active in seeking work tasks

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) are at the core of who we are and want to be.

SLR is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity / Aff…

At SLR, we embrace diverse cultures, perspectives, skills, and experiences within and outside our organization. We respect and celebrate differences and want to ensure that we continuously strive to build a place where everyone feels included and is encouraged to be their authentic self.

We are committed to these values, and our SLR Culture & Diversity Team works to actively promote diversity, equity, and inclusion across our people and talent processes, operations, and client work around the world. If you have a disability and need reasonable accommodations at any point in the application or interview process, please contact us at [e-mail].