Water Program Director

PQ Corporation; Chester (Delaware County); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

PQ Corporation seeks an early-career to mid-career water treatment professional to own PQ’s water program across all manufacturing facilities. You will set water treatment strategy, select and manage programs and suppliers, and control operating and capital spend for water treatment company-wide.

The role requires 5–15 years in chemical industry, with at least 3 years at a major water treatment provider in technical service or sales. Travel >75% is expected.

Qualifications

• 5–15 years of chemical industry experience.
• At least 3 years with a major water treatment provider — in technical service or sales.
• Based within commuting distance of a major PQ plant or office (Chicago, Philadelphia, or Augusta).
• Willing to travel greater than 75% of the time.

Responsibilities

• Audit water programs at all PQ facilities.
• Decide water treatment programs and suppliers.
• Deliver preventative, restorative, and opportunistic value.
• Coordinate program implementation with plant personnel.
• Manage water treatment operating expense (OPEX) for the company — budget and spend.
• Attend all water-related outage inspections.
• Conduct root cause evaluation on all failures.
• Control capital expenditure (CAPEX) approvals and collaborate with local engineering on implementation.
• Promote and demonstrate safety as a priority and participate in risk assessments.
• Understand PQ Principles and how they are implemented at site level.

Skills

Water treatment expertise

Technical service or sales

Travel willingness

Education

BS degree in chemistry

BS degree in engineering

Job description

PQ is a leading global provider of silicates, silicas and derivative products. PQ’s products are used in a wide variety of industrial processes and many customer products, from decorative paints to green cement, from clean drinking water to green tires and from toothpaste to biofuels and beer.

Ideal candidates resonate with PQ’s Core Values of Integrity, Sustainability, People, Customer Focus and Safety. Successful employees embrace and model these values in their behaviors and actions.

Job Description

We are seeking an early-career-to-mid-career water treatment professional with 5 – 15 years of chemical industry experience to own PQ’s water program across all manufacturing facilities. This role sets water treatment strategy, selects and manages treatment programs and suppliers, and controls both operating and capital spend for water treatment company-wide. The successful candidate will combine hands‑on technical service or sales experience from a major water treatment provider with the commercial judgment to deliver measurable preventative, restorative, and opportunistic value at each site.

Location:This role can be based near a major PQ plant or office, such as Chicago, IL; Philadelphia, PA; or Augusta, GA.
Travel Requirement: Greater than 50%

Key Responsibilities:

• Audit water programs at all PQ facilities.
• Decide water treatment (WT) programs and suppliers.
• Deliver preventative, restorative, and opportunistic value.
• Coordinate program implementation with plant personnel.
• Manage water treatment operating expense (OPEX) for the company — both budget and spend.
• Attend all water-related outage inspections.
• Conduct root cause evaluation on all failures.
• Control capital expenditure (CAPEX) approval for all water treatment projects and collaborate with local engineering on implementation.

Qualifications:

• 5 – 15years of chemical industry experience (early-career to mid-career).
• At least 3 years with a major water treatment provider — for example Nalco/Ecolab or Veolia/Suez/GE — in technical service or sales.
• BS degree, preferably in chemistry or engineering.
• Based within commuting distance of a major PQ plant or office (Chicago, Philadelphia, or Augusta).
• Willing to travel greater than 75% of the time.
• Versatile — able to operate credibly across plant floor, technical, and office/commercial settings (“concrete, linoleum, and carpet”).

EHS Responsibilities

• Communicates, promotes and personally demonstrates Safety/Health (including PQP Principles) as #1 priority
• Participation in risk assessment audits as applicable
• Understand PQ Principles (PQP) and how they are implemented in the site organization, rules and procedures
• Completes HSE training requirements identified for the job in a timely manner