Sr. Water Quality Engineer

qtsdatacenters; Cedar Rapids (IA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

qtsdatacenters is seeking a Senior Water Quality Engineer to lead water quality programs supporting data center infrastructure. You will optimize cooling systems, establish water treatment standards, evaluate water sources, and mentor engineers across global projects.

Requires 7+ years in industrial water treatment or water quality engineering, a BS in Engineering, and ability to travel up to 50%. Data center experience preferred.

Qualifications

• BS in Chemical, Mechanical, or Environmental Engineering, or equivalent experience.
• At least seven years in industrial water treatment or cooling water systems.
• Strong knowledge of cooling water chemistry, corrosion control, and water treatment.
• Experience with data center cooling infrastructure and project management.

Responsibilities

• Lead development and implementation of water quality strategies for data center campuses.
• Establish engineering standards for cooling water chemistry and treatment programs.
• Support design, commissioning, operation, and maintenance of cooling towers and chilled water systems.
• Evaluate municipal, reclaimed groundwater sources for data center cooling.
• Develop water balance models and optimize Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE).
• Collaborate to integrate water-efficient cooling into data center designs.
• Analyze water chemistry, corrosion, scaling, microbiological activity and treatment performance.
• Develop water management plans compliant with regulations and Legionella risk.
• Review vendor performance and improve chemical treatment programs.
• Support commissioning, startup, and operational readiness for new facilities.
• Investigate water quality incidents and perform root cause analyses.
• Evaluate innovative cooling technologies including liquid cooling and reclaimed water.
• Mentor junior engineers and provide leadership across project teams.
• Support global infrastructure expansion with water quality expertise.

Skills

Water treatment

Cooling chemistry

Project management

Data center infra

Communication

CFD modeling

Education

Bachelor's in Engineering

Tools

AutoCAD

Bluebeam

BIM

CFD software

Job description

Senior Water Quality Engineer

Position SummaryThe Senior Water Quality Engineer is responsible for providing technical leadership for water quality programs that support the design, construction, commissioning, and operation of mission-critical data center infrastructure. This role focuses on optimizing water quality and treatment for cooling systems, chilled water plants, cooling towers, reclaimed water systems, and other mechanical infrastructure to maximize reliability, efficiency, and sustainability.Working closely with engineering, EHS, operations, and sustainability teams, the Senior Water Quality Engineer develops water management strategies, establishes technical standards, evaluates emerging technologies, and supports portfolio projects from concept through operations.This role requires work hours to support a 7X24X365 data center environment.

RESPONSIBILITIES, other duties may be assigned.

• Lead the development and implementation of water quality strategies for hyperscale and enterprise data center campuses.
• Establish engineering standards for cooling water chemistry, treatment programs, and system performance.
• Support the design, commissioning, operation, and maintenance of cooling towers, chilled water systems, heat rejection equipment, and associated water infrastructure.
• Evaluate municipal, reclaimed, groundwater, and alternative water sources for data center cooling applications.
• Develop water balance models and optimize facility Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE).
• Collaborate with engineering and sustainability teams to integrate water-efficient cooling solutions into data center designs.
• Analyze water chemistry, corrosion, scaling, microbiological activity, and treatment performance to ensure long‑term equipment reliability.
• Develop water management plans that comply with applicable regulations and industry standards, including Legionella risk management.
• Review water treatment vendor performance and recommend improvements to chemical treatment programs.
• Support commissioning activities, startup procedures, and operational readiness for new facilities.
• Investigate water quality incidents, equipment failures, and operational issues, performing root cause analyses and implementing corrective actions.
• Evaluate innovative cooling technologies, including liquid cooling, closed‑loop systems, reclaimed water reuse, and alternative cooling strategies.
• Mentor junior engineers and provide technical leadership across multidisciplinary project teams.
• Support global infrastructure expansion by providing subject matter expertise on water quality and water stewardship initiatives.

Qualifications

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's of Science degree in Chemical, Mechanical, or Environmental Engineering, OR equivalent professional experience in lieu of degree
• Minimum of seven years of experience in industrial water treatment, water quality engineering, cooling water systems, or mission‑critical infrastructure.
• Strong knowledge of cooling water chemistry, corrosion control, scaling prevention, microbiological control, and chemical treatment programs.
• Experience with cooling towers, chilled water plants, condenser water systems, and industrial water treatment.
• Experience managing complex engineering projects across multiple stakeholders.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills with the ability to interpret water quality data and operational trends.
• Excellent communication, technical writing, and presentation skills.
• Ability to travel (up to 50%) to other Data Center locations as required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Ten or more years of experience in industrial water treatment, water quality engineering, cooling water systems, or mission‑critical infrastructure, four or more years of which were conducted in hyperscale or enterprise data centers.
• Knowledge of liquid cooling technologies for high‑density computing environments.
• Experience with ASHRAE guidance related to data center cooling and water systems.
• Familiarity with water sustainability strategies, water reuse, and alternative water sourcing.
• Experience supporting commissioning and startup of mission‑critical facilities.
• Knowledge of environmental permitting, industrial wastewater management, and stormwater compliance.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Advanced knowledge of industrial water treatment and cooling water systems.
• Strong understanding of corrosion science, scaling mechanisms, microbiological control, and water chemistry.
• Knowledge of water efficiency metrics, including Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE).
• Familiarity with CFD‑informed cooling strategies and heat rejection systems is desirable.
• Ability to develop engineering standards and best practices for global infrastructure.
• Strong project management and organizational skills.
• Ability to work effectively across multidisciplinary engineering teams.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, AutoCAD, Bluebeam, BIM collaboration platforms, and water chemistry modeling and data analysis tools.

Work