Water Systems Engineer

Washington Water Service; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

California Water Service is seeking an intermediate-level engineer to support capital project planning across multiple districts in California, including San Jose, Bakersfield, and Torrance. The role involves assessing water systems, developing planning-level solutions, and coordinating with operators and regulatory teams.

You will prepare analyses, cost estimates, and project justifications to enable budget decisions and regulatory filings, with guidance from senior staff.

Qualifications

• Assesses district water systems to identify infrastructure needs and growth.
• Analyzes data and cost estimates to support planning and budgeting.
• Coordinates cross-functional teams and regulatory requirements for capital projects.

Responsibilities

• Identifies infrastructure needs related to supply, storage, and water quality.
• Develops planning-level cost estimates and preliminary facility requirements.
• Leads cross-functional planning meetings for capital project prioritization.
• Coordinates with district operators and other engineering disciplines.
• Prepares project tables, exhibits, and budgeting documents.
• Supports CPUC rate-case proceedings with data requests and testimony support.
• Conducts site visits to validate field conditions.

Job description

California Water Service

Job Description: California Water Service Group (Cal Water) invites you to build a meaningful career with the third largest publicly traded water utility in the United States. Guided by our mission to be the leading provider of water and wastewater services, we are dedicated to improving the quality of life for the customers, communities, and employees we serve. Our culture is grounded in core values-integrity, quality, service, value, health and safety, respect and collaboration, and corporate citizenship-and is reflected in our recognition as a Top Workplace, a Great Place to Work, and a J.D. Power leader in customer satisfaction for multiple years. Join Cal Water and be part of a purpose driven organization where your work makes a lasting impact. This is the intermediate level position in this classification series. All job functions listed below shall be under the technical guidance of higher level engineers/manager/supervisor as required, perform routine engineering projects using prescribed methods that require standard solutions, and/or include specific and limited portions of a broader assignment of an experienced engineer. Requires increasing independence of judgment and action. With guidance, shall make presentation to districts and outside agencies; may coordinate and participate in meetings with outside agencies. This position can be located in San Jose, Bakersfield or Torrance, CA.

Essential Functions:

• Assesses district water systems to identify current and future infrastructure needs related to supply, storage, demand, pressure, fire flow, growth, water quality, reliability, asset condition, and operations.
• Collects and analyzes system data and demand scenarios to identify operational, regulatory, and reliability deficiencies and determines necessary infrastructure improvements in accordance with Title 22, CPUC General Order 103A, and Cal Water planning criteria
• Works directly with water system operators in their region and other engineering disciplines doing work in and supporting district operations, to develop an in-depth understanding of water system operations, issues and needs short and long term.
• Leads cross-functional planning meetings to evaluate and prioritize capital projects for inclusion in rate case filings, balancing system needs, regulatory requirements, risks and customer affordability.
• Develops and evaluates reasonable project alternatives and recommends preferred planning-level solutions and documents the technical basis, assumptions, constraints, risks, tradeoffs, and consequences of not proceeding.
• Develops conceptual engineering solutions and planning-level scopes for water infrastructure projects, including preliminary facility requirements, supporting calculations, layouts, and other information needed to define the proposed improvement and prepare a planning-level cost estimate.
• Identifies and coordinates additional field investigations, technical studies, permitting requirements, and specialized engineering support needed to complete the project scope.
• Reviews capital project scopes, analyses, conceptual designs, and cost estimates to ensure they address the identified project need and are consistent with Company requirements and operating conditions.
• Gathers and evaluates available cost information to support preliminary project budgeting, alternative comparisons, and reasonableness reviews. Detailed cost estimates may be prepared by consultants or cost estimators.
• Develops clear and defensible project justifications that describe the project need, supporting data, alternatives considered, selected solution, conceptual scope, regulatory or operational basis, risks, and consequences of inaction.
• Documents data sources, calculations, assumptions, limitations, stakeholder input, project prioritization, and QA/QC reviews to provide traceable support for planning decisions and GRC filings.
• Creates and maintains proposed capital projects, scopes, schedules, costs, and supporting information in PowerPlan and other designated planning and budgeting systems.
• Coordinates with Rates and other departments to evaluate the budget and rate impacts of proposed capital projects.
• Prepares project tables, exhibits, summaries, and justification materials for annual capital budgets, GRC applications, and CPUC review.
• Supports CPUC rate-case proceedings by assisting with data requests, testimony support, district tours, settlement responses, negotiations, and other capital-related information requests.
• Presents proposed projects, system assessments, recommendations, and supporting analyses to internal leadership, district stakeholders, consultants, and regulatory participants.
• Conducts site visits to validate field conditions, understand operational constraints, confirm planning assumptions, and support conceptual scope development.
• Tracks capital project cost, schedule, and completion trends and uses the results to recommend improvements to planning assumptio