Water Engineer

Perfect Timing Personnel Services; Berkeley (CA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, California, seeks a Water Systems Engineer to lead the design, operation, reliability, and continuous improvement of cooling water and utility systems supporting the ALS-U upgrade. You will be the primary technical resource for LCW and DI water infrastructure across accelerator systems, beamlines, and facility utilities.

Preferred candidates have LCW circuit design experience in accelerator environments, strong communication skills, and the

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related field.
• 8+ years of experience designing and supporting cooling water, LCW, process water, or facility utility systems.
• Experience with pumps, heat exchangers, piping systems, water treatment equipment, and utility systems.
• Knowledge of fluid flow, hydraulics, heat transfer, and thermal system design.
• Ability to interpret and develop engineering drawings, P&IDs, and technical specifications.

Responsibilities

• Design and support closed-loop cooling water, LCW, and deionized water systems.
• Develop engineering documentation including P&IDs, specifications, calculations, and technical drawings.
• Perform hydraulic, thermal, and water quality analyses to optimize system performance.
• Oversee pumps, heat exchangers, filtration, water treatment, reverse osmosis, and related utility equipment.
• Troubleshoot operational issues and implement long-term reliability improvements.

Skills

Troubleshooting

Communication

Analytical thinking

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field

Tools

EPICS

Job description

Our client, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, is seeking a Water Systems Engineer to lead the design, operation, reliability, and continuous improvement of critical cooling water and utility systems supporting the Advanced Light Source Upgrade (ALS-U), a major modernization project at one of the nation's premier scientific research facilities.

This role serves as the primary technical resource for process and facility water infrastructure supporting accelerator systems, beamlines, experimental equipment, and facility utilities. Candidates with direct experience designing low-conductivity water (LCW) circuits and cooling systems for particle accelerators, synchrotrons, beamlines, or similar accelerator facilities are strongly preferred. Working closely with engineering, facilities, operations, controls, EH&S, and scientific teams, you'll help ensure water systems operate safely, efficiently, and reliably.

• Duration : 1-year, starting in October
• Schedule : Full-time, M-F, 40 hours/week
• Background Check : Criminal background check required

What You'll Be Doing

• Design and support closed-loop cooling water, low-conductivity water (LCW), and deionized (DI) water systems.
• Develop engineering documentation including P&IDs, specifications, calculations, and technical drawings.
• Perform hydraulic, thermal, and water quality analyses to optimize system performance.
• Oversee pumps, heat exchangers, filtration, water treatment, reverse osmosis, and related utility equipment.
• Troubleshoot operational issues and implement long-term reliability improvements.
• Develop preventive maintenance strategies and support outage planning, repairs, and commissioning activities.
• Manage water-system projects from design through installation and startup.
• Coordinate with contractors, vendors, facilities personnel, and project stakeholders.
• Maintain engineering documentation and support configuration management and safety compliance activities.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related field.
• 8+ years of experience designing and supporting cooling water, LCW, process water, or facility utility systems, including hydraulic analysis, equipment sizing, and system design.
• Experience with pumps, heat exchangers, piping systems, water treatment equipment, and utility systems.
• Knowledge of fluid flow, hydraulics, heat transfer, and thermal system design.
• Ability to interpret and develop engineering drawings, P&IDs, and technical specifications.
• Strong troubleshooting, problem-solving, and communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience designing LCW circuits or cooling systems supporting particle accelerators, synchrotrons, beamlines, or similar scientific research equipment.
• Professional Engineer (PE) license.
• Experience supporting scientific research facilities, semiconductor manufacturing, DOE laboratories, or other mission-critical technical environments.
• Experience with utility system commissioning and startup.
• Familiarity with EPICS or industrial control systems.
• Knowledge of reliability-centered maintenance practices.