Senior Process Engineer – Water Treatment (EPC)

The Senior Process Engineer is responsible for providing senior-level process engineering expertise across the development, design, execution, commissioning, and operation of water and wastewater treatment projects.

The role focuses on ensuring that treatment processes are technically sound, fit for purpose, and capable of achieving required capacity, quality, efficiency, reliability, and performance targets.

The position works closely with EPC contractors, technology providers, equipment suppliers, project teams, and operations personnel to review engineering designs, resolve technical issues, support commissioning, and optimize plant performance.

Key Responsibilities:

Process Design & Engineering

• Develop and establish process design criteria and the overall process basis for water and wastewater treatment projects.
• Develop and review process engineering documents, including:
  • Process Flow Diagrams (PFDs)
  • Piping & Instrumentation Diagrams (P&IDs)
  • Mass and energy balances
  • Process calculations
  • Equipment lists
  • Equipment datasheets
  • Process design specifications
• Evaluate treatment technologies and develop appropriate process configurations based on feedwater/wastewater characteristics, required treatment capacity, discharge requirements, and operating conditions.
• Review and assess major treatment systems and process equipment, including filtration, membrane systems, biological treatment, chemical dosing, sludge treatment, pumping, and related treatment processes.
• Assess process risks, design constraints, and potential operational issues during project development and detailed engineering.
• Provide technical input during concept development, FEED, detailed engineering, and project execution.

Engineering & EPC Review

• Review engineering deliverables prepared by EPC contractors, engineering consultants, and technology providers.
• Verify that process designs comply with approved design criteria, project specifications, applicable standards, and required performance targets.
• Identify technical gaps, inconsistencies, design risks, and potential process issues and ensure appropriate corrective actions are implemented.
• Participate in technical meetings, design reviews, HAZOP, HAZID, and other process safety and risk assessment activities.
• Review vendor and package documentation for major treatment systems and equipment.
• Provide technical recommendations regarding equipment selection, process configuration, control philosophy, chemical dosing, and overall plant performance.
• Evaluate proposed technical changes and assess their potential impact on process performance, reliability, cost, and schedule.
• Coordinate with multidisciplinary engineering teams to ensure process requirements are properly incorporated into mechanical, electrical, instrumentation, and civil design.

Commissioning & Start-Up

• Provide process engineering support during equipment testing, commissioning, start-up, and plant handover.
• Review commissioning and start-up procedures and ensure process requirements are properly addressed.
• Support performance testing and verify that treatment systems achieve required capacity and quality parameters.
• Monitor key process parameters during commissioning and identify deviations or performance issues.
• Troubleshoot process problems during start-up and recommend appropriate corrective actions.
• Review operating procedures, process documentation, as-built drawings, and O&M manuals for technical completeness.

Plant Performance & Optimization

• Provide ongoing process engineering support for water and wastewater treatment plant operations.
• Monitor plant performance and key process indicators to identify opportunities for improvement.
• Conduct root-cause analysis of process and performance issues and recommend corrective measures.
• Optimize treatment processes to improve efficiency, reliability, capacity, water quality, chemical consumption, and energy usage.
• Provide technical recommendations for process modifications, equipment upgrades, and operational improvements.
• Support investigations involving process failures, non-compliance, equipment performance, and other technical issues.
• Develop and maintain process documentation, technical reports, and lessons learned for future projects.

Technical & Project Support

• Provide senior technical guidance to process engineers and other project team members.
• Coordinate with contractors, consultants, vendors, and other technical stakeholders to resolve process-related issues.
• Provide technical input during tendering, technology evaluation, and contractor/vendor selection when required.
• Support project teams in evaluating technical risks, deviations, and proposed changes.
• Ensure process engineering decisions are properly documented and technically justified.
• Participate in project meetings and provide updates on key process engineering matters.

Ideal Background:

• Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
• 8–15+ years of process engineering experience, preferably within water treatment, wastewater treatment, desalination, or other process treatment facilities.
• Strong experience in wastewater and/or water treatment process design and engineering.
• Good understanding of treatment technologies such as:
  • Biological wastewater treatment
  • Membrane processes
  • Reverse osmosis
  • Filtration and clarification
  • Chemical treatment
  • Sludge treatment
  • Disinfection
  • Water recovery and reuse
• Strong experience reviewing PFDs, P&IDs, mass balances, process calculations, equipment datasheets, and other engineering deliverables.
• Experience working with EPC contractors, engineering consultants, technology providers, or large-scale treatment project teams.
• Experience in HAZOP, HAZID, design reviews, commissioning, start-up, and performance testing.
• Demonstrated experience troubleshooting and optimizing treatment plant performance.
• Experience handling complex technical issues and coordinating with multidisciplinary teams.
• Strong technical communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Willingness to travel to project sites, fabrication facilities, commissioning locations, and other project locations as required.

Preferred Experience:

• Experience with large-scale or industrial wastewater treatment projects.
• Experience with EPC project execution.
• Experience with modular, packaged, or mobile treatment systems.
• Experience with membrane-based treatment and advanced water treatment.
• Experience with performance guarantees and plant acceptance testing.
• Experience working with international engineering standards and project specifications.