Wastewater Engineer / Operations Liaison

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

Job summary

Arcadis is seeking a Wastewater Engineer / Operations Liaison to support a high-profile wastewater program in the San Diego region. This role links a private operator with IBWC to ensure coordination, transparency, and successful program delivery.

The position offers exposure to operations, regulatory coordination, stakeholder engagement, capital improvements, and utility management beyond traditional design work, serving as a trusted advisor in a high-visibility setting.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Civil, Environmental, Chemical, Mechanical or related Engineering discipline.
• 5–10 years in wastewater treatment, utility operations, or water/wastewater consulting.
• Strong communication and stakeholder coordination abilities.
• Experience with regulatory compliance and reporting is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Serve as day-to-day liaison between private facility operator and IBWC.
• Coordinate operational updates, maintenance, and performance reporting.
• Prepare agendas, meeting summaries, and executive briefings.
• Review data, compliance reports, and engineering documentation.
• Support planning of facility improvements and upgrades.
• Identify operational concerns and help develop practical solutions.

Skills

Communication skills

Facilitation

Coordination

Stakeholder management

Attention to detail

Technical communication

Driver’s license

Bilingual (EN/ES)

Education

Bachelor's degree in Civil/Environmental/Mechanical/related Engineering

Tools

None

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:

We are seeking a motivated and collaborative Wastewater Engineer / Operations Liaison to support a high-profile wastewater treatment program in the San Diego region. This unique role will serve as a critical link between a private wastewater treatment plant operator and the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC), helping ensure effective coordination, transparent communication, and successful program delivery.

This position offers an exceptional opportunity for an engineer who wants to expand their experience beyond traditional design work and gain firsthand exposure to wastewater treatment operations, regulatory coordination, stakeholder engagement, capital improvements, and utility management.

The successful candidate will become a trusted advisor and communicator in a highly visible role supporting one of the region's most important wastewater infrastructure programs.

Role Accountabilities:

As the primary operations-owner liaison, you will help facilitate communication, coordination, and problem-solving among a diverse group of stakeholders, including plant operators, government agencies, consultants, contractors, and technical staff.

Key responsibilities include:

• Serve as the day-to-day liaison between the private facility operator and IBWC representatives.
• Foster open, transparent, and professional communication among all project stakeholders.
• Coordinate operational updates, maintenance activities, performance reporting, and technical reviews.
• Track and communicate key action items, commitments, risks, and decisions.
• Participate in regular plant meetings and support preparation of agendas, meeting summaries, and executive briefings.
• Review operational data, compliance reports, performance metrics, and engineering documentation.
• Support planning and implementation of facility improvements, rehabilitation projects, and optimization initiatives.
• Assist with plant inspections, field observations, and condition assessments.
• Identify and elevate operational concerns while helping stakeholders develop practical solutions.
• Prepare reports, presentations, and briefing materials for technical and executive audiences.
• Support a culture of collaboration, accountability, safety, and continuous improvement.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Civil, Environmental, Chemical, Mechanical, or related Engineering discipline.
• 5 to 10 years of experience in wastewater treatment, utility operations, water/wastewater consulting, or related services.

Key Skills and Attributes

• Working knowledge of municipal wastewater treatment processes and treatment plant operations.
• Outstanding verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong facilitation, coordination, and relationship-building abilities.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with multiple stakeholders and organizations.
• Strong organizational skills with attention to detail and follow-through.
• Ability to communicate technical information clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Valid driver's license and ability to work periodically at treatment plant facilities.

Preferred Qualifications

• Professional Engineer (PE) license or Engineer-in-Training (EIT) certification.
• Experience working with public agencies, utilities, or wastewater treatment operators.
• Familiarity with regulatory compliance, permitting, and operational reporting requirements.
• Experience supporting capital improvement projects or treatment plant upgrades.
• Knowledge of wastewater process optimization and performance monitoring.
• Bilingual English and Spanish proficiency.
• Experience working in highly visible or politically sensitive environments.

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. These benefits include medical, dental, and vision, EAP, 401K, STD, LTD, AD&D, life insurance, paid parental leave, reward & recognition program and optional benefits including wellbeing benefits, adoption assistance and 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.

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