Senior Water & Wastewater Lead Engineer — Growth

Sargent & Lundy; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 135,000 - 206,000; Full time

Job summary

Sargent & Lundy in Chicago seeks a senior water and wastewater engineer to lead and grow our practice across energy, industrial, and municipal markets. You will guide design, evaluation, and review of water supply and wastewater treatment systems for power generation, data centers, and large facilities.

The role emphasizes technical leadership, mentoring, and business development—winning proposals, cultivating client relationships, and ensuring compliance with federal and state environmental

Qualifications

• BS in Chemical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, or a closely related discipline from an ABET-accredited program.
• Ten or more years of experience in water and/or wastewater treatment engineering, with demonstrated expertise in systems serving the power, industrial, municipal or data center markets.
• Strong Leadership and organization skills.
• Proven ability to lead multi-disciplinary project teams and manage complex, concurrent projects.
• Experience in business development activities such as proposal writing, scope development, and client management.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including presenting technical material to non-technical audiences.
• Mentor and develop junior and mid-level engineers, fostering a collaborative and technically rigorous team culture.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the design, evaluation, and review of water supply and wastewater treatment systems for power generation, data centers, industrial facilities, and municipal clients.
• Assist in the selection, training, development and management of technical personnel.
• Prepare and oversee preliminary engineering studies for new installations, system modifications, and retrofits of water and wastewater treatment systems.
• Independently verify designs of vendor-supplied treatment equipment and systems, including reverse osmosis, zero liquid discharge (ZLD), biological treatment, and chemical conditioning systems.
• Analyze complex water quality and treatment challenges, develop technical solutions, and present findings and recommendations to clients and internal stakeholders.
• Evaluate the impact of federal, state, and local regulatory requirements (e.g., Clean Water Act, Effluent Limitation Guidelines, NPDES) on water and wastewater systems for new and existing facilities.
• Prepare complex technical reports, specifications, and mass/water balances.
• Travel to client offices and project sites as needed for project reviews and client engagement.
• Serve as a key leader in expanding S&L's water and wastewater practice, including identifying supporting proposal development, and cultivating client relationships.
• Collaborate with project managers and practice leadership to establish work priorities across multiple concurrent projects.
• Maintain and enhance knowledge of emerging technologies, regulatory trends, and industry standards relevant to water and wastewater treatment.
• Represent S&L at industry conferences, code committees, and professional organizations to elevate the firm's visibility in the water sector.

Skills

Leadership

Project management

Business development

Communication

Mentoring

Team leadership

10+ yrs exp in water/wastewater

Education

ABET-accredited BS in Chemical/Environmental Eng

Tools

Reverse osmosis

ZLD

Biological treatment

Chemical conditioning

Water modeling

Job description

Sargent & Lundy in Chicago seeks a senior water and wastewater engineer to lead and grow our practice across energy, industrial, and municipal markets. You will guide design, evaluation, and review of water supply and wastewater treatment systems for power generation, data centers, and large facilities.

The role emphasizes technical leadership, mentoring, and business development—winning proposals, cultivating client relationships, and ensuring compliance with federal and state environmental