Water/Wastewater Engineer - Community Water

American-Water-Works-Association; Denver (CO); Hybrid; USD 82,000 - 98,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Retirement plan

Medical/Dental/Vision

Paid time off

Hybrid remote work policy

Job summary

American Water Works Association is seeking a Water/Wastewater Engineer – Community Water to coordinate a new community water program and deliver technical assistance to very small utilities nationwide. The role supports capital improvement planning, stakeholder engagement, and cross‑team collaboration.

Ideal candidates will have a civil/environmental engineering background, 6+ years in the water sector, and experience coordinating multiple projects with diverse partners.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in civil or environmental engineering required.
• Minimum six (6) years of civil/environmental engineering experience in the water sector preferred.
• Experience coordinating numerous concurrent water/wastewater projects with multiple stakeholders.
• Spanish language skills strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Direct technical assistance project management for small utilities.
• Facilitate technical, managerial, and financial evaluations for small utilities.
• Develop and manage capital improvement planning deliverables and cost estimates.
• Provide technical and managerial assistance to clients and volunteers.
• Support program development and Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning studies.

Education

Bachelor’s degree in civil or environmental engineering

Tools

Microsoft Word

Excel

PowerPoint

Outlook

Virtual meeting tools

Salesforce

Project management tools

Marketing tools

Job description

Description

Are you looking for employment with a purpose? Join the team at The American Water Works Association! At AWWA, you’ll find purpose, great benefits, relaxed culture, collaborative colleagues and interesting work. Our mission is providing solutions to effectively manage water, the world’s most vital resource. We are seeking a Water/Wastewater Engineer – Community Water to join our Standards & Optimization Programs (SOP) department. This position is funded through September 30, 2027 with potential to extend based on grant funding and satisfactory performance.

Position Objective/Purpose

Working in collaboration with program partners and other stakeholders, this position is responsible for the coordination of AWWA’s new community water program and its activities. This position assists with long-term program development, management of daily operations, and provides support to related staff and project teams for delivery of direct technical assistance projects to very small, resource-constrained utilities that serve disadvantaged communities across the country.

Essential Functions

• Direct Technical Assistance Project Management
• Facilitate and manage technical, managerial, and financial evaluations of small, resource-constrained utilities.
• Facilitate and manage volunteer completion of capital improvement planning deliverables, including but not limited to: Preliminary Engineering Reports (USDA-RD 1780-2), environmental reviews, alternative analyses, feasibility plans, and cost estimates.
• Provide technical and managerial assistance and to clients, partnering technical assistance providers, and volunteer teams.
• Technical assistance may include planning, design, and construction phase activities on drinking water or wastewater projects with very small community water systems (i.e. source, storage, treatment, distribution, collection, conveyance, treatment, regulatory compliance, capital improvement planning, etc.).
• Managerial assistance may include small utility management training.
• Managerial assistance will include working cross-organizationally on capital improvement funding prequalification activities as well as development and delivery of capital improvement funding applications.
• Serve as facilitator and act as the primary program point of contact for project-related inquiries from community applicants, partners, volunteers, and the project stakeholders.
• Process, track, and maintain project records and files as required by program guidelines and funders. Information includes, but is not limited to project background, agreements, project scope and schedule, project data, submittals, interviews, and evaluations.
• Develop and maintain project reporting through various project management tools and other methods (Microsoft, Google, etc.), ensuring that project reporting meets program guidelines and requirements.
• Utilize project management tools to document all discussions and decisions in project records and track project status to ensure timely delivery.
• Provide input and support on strategic program development, including conducting Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning studies of available program data and developing reports summarizing key findings.

• Program Communication and Outreach
• Conduct outreach to recruit volunteers, partners, and clients (resource-constrained utilities) by attending and presenting at conferences and events across the country.
• Assist in the development and distribution of marketing and outreach content as directed by the Program Manager and marketing team.
• Create program marketing content for publications, conferences, website, social media posts, and other outlets as directed by the Program Manager and marketing team.

• Other duties and responsibilities as assigned include but are not limited to:
• Attend and/or lead team meetings, phone conferences, and training as needed.
• Participate in training and professional development opportunities to further the program and your personal career goals.
• Know, understand, and follow employee guidelines, employment policies, and department or company procedures.

Requirements

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in civil or environmental engineering required, advanced degree in civil engineering, environmental engineering, and/or development preferred. An equivalent combination of education and experience is also considered.

Experience:

• A minimum of six (6) years of civil engineering or environmental engineering experience in the water sector (drinking water or wastewater) is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience coordinating numerous concurrent complex water/wastewater projects with multiple stakeholders required.
• Demonstrated knowledge working with underserved communities in a technical field preferred.
• Experience practicing community‑led development to ensure equitable project outcomes preferred.
• Experience working with volunteers and/or large committees preferred.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, virtual meeting tools, and Outlook required; proficiency with database systems (i.e. Salesforce), project management tools, and marketing tools preferred.

Other Requirements:

• Spanish language skills strongly preferred

Compensation/Benefits

Pay is dependent upon qualifications; Pay range is targeted between $82,400 - $98,000 per year and is paired with a comprehensive benefits package that includes:

• Immediate eligibility and vesting for retirement savings plan with a 3% employer contribution and up to 3% company match upon hire.
• Excellent medical, dental, and vision plans with generous cost sharing by employer.
• Three separate paid time off accounts (Vacation, Sick, and Personal).
• Flexible work schedules (Flex Fridays and Hybrid Remote Work Policy).

Position Term

This position is fully funded by an external grant with a performance period of October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027. While this is a full‑time role, employment beyond September 30, 2027 is subject to the successful renewal of grant funding and satisfactory performance.

Position is open until filled.

As an employer dedicated to equal employment opportunity, minorities, women, veterans and disabled are encouraged to apply.