Mechanical Engineer

Hydrec; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Hydrec in Seattle is seeking an Engineering Manager - Systems Engineering to lead the technical delivery of complex water treatment systems from concept through commissioning. You will oversee design, FAT/SAT, and commissioning, ensuring safety, quality, and on-time delivery while guiding cross-functional teams and external partners. The ideal candidate has 8+ years in engineering leadership, with strong process, pumps, valves, and control systems expertise. Travel up to 25% may be required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor-level degree in a relevant engineering field.
• 8+ years delivering complex industrial equipment or water systems.
• Experience managing design through FAT, commissioning, handover.
• Strong knowledge of process, pumps, valves, piping, instrumentation, and control systems.
• Experience coordinating with OEMs, suppliers, and fabrication partners.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder influence.
• Willingness to travel up to 25%.

Responsibilities

• Own the technical delivery of industrial water treatment systems from concept through commissioning.
• Translate customer and process requirements into complete engineering solutions.
• Develop system architectures, PFDs, P&IDs, equipment specs and integrated packages.
• Make system-level engineering decisions balancing performance, cost, reliability, and manufacturability.
• Lead third-party engineering firms, fabricators, OEMs, and system integrators.
• Oversee design reviews, procurement, fabrication and technical acceptance.
• Manage multiple engineering programmes to keep projects on schedule and within budget.
• Lead FAT, SAT and commissioning activities.

Skills

Systems engineering

Water treatment

Project management

Cross-functional leadership

Vendor management

PFDs & P&IDs

FAT & SAT

Education

Mechanical Engineering

Chemical Engineering

Electrical Engineering

Controls Engineering

Systems Engineering

Tools

CAD

PLM

ERP

Job description

Location: Seattle, WA (Hybrid)

Our client is an innovative water technology company transforming industrial wastewater treatment through cutting-edge membrane technology. As they continue to scale globally, they are seeking an Engineering Manager - Systems Engineering to lead the technical delivery of complex water treatment systems from concept through commissioning. This is a unique opportunity to take ownership of high-value engineering projects, work with industry-leading partners, and help shape the future of a rapidly growing clean technology business.

The Role

You’ll be responsible for the systems engineering and technical execution of commercial water treatment systems delivered through external engineering, fabrication and integration partners.

You’ll oversee projects from initial design through fabrication, factory acceptance testing (FAT), commissioning and customer handover, ensuring every system is delivered safely, on time and to the highest quality standards.

This is a hands‑on leadership role ideally suited to someone who enjoys solving complex engineering challenges, leading multidisciplinary teams and driving continuous improvement.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the technical delivery of industrial water treatment systems from concept through commissioning.
• Translate customer, process and product requirements into complete engineering solutions.
• Develop system architectures, PFDs, P&IDs, equipment specifications and integrated engineering packages.
• Make system‑level engineering decisions that balance performance, cost, reliability and manufacturability.
• Lead third‑party engineering firms, fabricators, OEMs and system integrators.
• Oversee design reviews, procurement, fabrication and technical acceptance.
• Manage multiple engineering programmes simultaneously, ensuring projects remain on schedule and within budget.
• Lead Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT), Site Acceptance Testing (SAT) and commissioning activities.

Drive Operational Excellence

• Establish engineering standards, document control and configuration management processes.
• Identify technical risks early and implement mitigation strategies.
• Standardise designs, templates and engineering practices to improve future project delivery.
• Capture lessons learned from customer deployments and feed continuous improvements back into the business.

Collaborate Across the Business

• Partner closely with Product, Applications Engineering, Supply Chain, Operations and Customer Success.
• Support supplier selection and technical evaluations.
• Mentor engineers and help build a scalable Systems Engineering function as the business grows.

About You

You’ll be a systems-focused engineering leader with experience delivering complex industrial equipment or process systems.

Rather than being a specialist in one discipline, you’ll understand how mechanical, electrical, controls and process engineering come together to create reliable, high-performance systems.

You’ll enjoy taking ownership, leading through influence and delivering practical engineering solutions in a fast‑moving environment.

What We’re Looking For

• Degree in Mechanical, Chemical, Environmental, Electrical, Controls or Systems Engineering.
• 8+ years' experience delivering complex industrial equipment or water treatment systems.
• Proven experience managing projects from design through FAT, commissioning and customer handover.
• Strong understanding of process engineering, pumps, valves, piping, instrumentation and industrial control systems.
• Experience reviewing engineering documentation including PFDs, P&IDs, GA drawings, electrical schematics and BOMs.
• Strong programme and project management skills.
• Experience working with engineering partners, OEMs or fabrication contractors.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to influence both internal and external stakeholders.
• Willingness to travel up to 25%.

Highly Desirable

Experience with one or more of the following:

• Industrial water or wastewater treatment
• Reverse osmosis (RO)
• Electrodialysis
• Process skid design
• EPC contractors or packaged process equipment
• CAD, PLM or ERP systems
• PE, PMP or Systems Engineering certification
• High-growth technology or startup environments

Why Join?

This is an opportunity to become the technical owner of next‑generation industrial water treatment systems within one of the fastest‑growing companies in the sector.

You’ll work on challenging engineering projects that help global manufacturers recover and reuse water more sustainably, while building scalable engineering processes that will support the company’s continued international growth.

If you’re looking for a role where you can combine technical leadership, systems engineering and real ownership in an innovative clean technology business, we’d love to hear from you.