Water Systems Engineer - Mechanical Engineer

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Full Time Berkeley, California, Berkeley, CA, US

Position Summary

The Water Systems Engineer is responsible for the design, operation, maintenance, reliability, and continuous improvement of process and facility water systems supporting both the ALS-U project and ongoing ALS Operations. This position serves as the primary technical authority for cooling water infrastructure associated with accelerator systems, beamlines, experimental equipment, HVAC interfaces, and associated utility systems.

The role requires close coordination with engineering, facilities, operations, installation, controls, EH&S, and scientific staff to ensure water systems meet performance, reliability, safety, and operational availability requirements for a world-class synchrotron user facility.

• Lead the design and engineering of cooling water systems supporting ALS-U and ALS operational infrastructure.
• Develop system architectures, P&IDs, flow diagrams, hydraulic calculations, equipment specifications, and design documentation.
• Perform engineering analysis related to heat transfer, fluid flow, pump sizing, pressure drops, thermal stability, and water quality management.
• Specify and oversee procurement of pumps, heat exchangers, filtration systems, expansion tanks, piping systems, valves, instrumentation, and water treatment systems.
• Coordinate integration of water systems with accelerator, beamline, cryogenic, HVAC, and facility utility systems.
  Ensure designs comply with ASME, ANSI, California building and mechanical codes, laboratory engineering standards, and safety requirements.
• Oversee the daily operation of closed-loop LCW and DI water systems, monitoring critical parameters like resistivity, dissolved oxygen (DO), and pH.
• Manage chemical dosing, UV sterilizers, mixed-bed deionizers, and reverse osmosis (RO) systems to prevent biological growth, scaling, and galvanic corrosion.
• Develop and execute preventative maintenance (PM) schedules. Troubleshoot mechanical, electrical, and chemical issues—including pump failures, resin degradation, and leaks.
• Plan, design, and commission system expansions or retrofits. Evaluate pipe materials (e.g., PVDF, electropolished stainless steel), valves, and instrumentation to maintain ultra-pure water standards.
• Ensure water systems adhere to strict environmental and industrial safety standards.

Operations & Maintenance

• Serve as system owner for operational water systems supporting ALS and ALS-U.
• Develop preventive and predictive maintenance programs for cooling water infrastructure.
• Monitor system performance, reliability, and lifecycle condition.
• Troubleshoot operational issues including flow instability, thermal excursions, equipment failures, water chemistry concerns, and leakage events.
• Coordinate outages, repairs, commissioning activities, and maintenance schedules to minimize operational impact.
• Support 24/7 operational reliability and rapid response during facility incidents or system failures.
• Manage water-system-related projects from conceptual design through installation and commissioning.
• Coordinate with contractors, vendors, installation teams, and facilities personnel.
• Develop project schedules, cost estimates, and technical scopes of work.
• Review installation quality and ensure conformance with engineering specifications.
• Support startup, testing, balancing, and commissioning activities.

Documentation & Configuration Control

• Maintain accurate engineering documentation including drawings, specifications, operating procedures, maintenance procedures, system inventories, and engineering calculations.
• Support configuration management and change control processes.
• Develop operational standards and best practices for facility water systems.

Safety & Compliance

• Ensure all activities are conducted in accordance with Integrated Safety Management (ISM), EH&S requirements, laboratory policies, and applicable regulatory standards.
• Participate in hazard analyses, readiness reviews, and safety assessments.
• Support lockout/tagout planning and operational safety procedures.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or closely related discipline.
  Minimum 8 years of relevant professional engineering experience, including substantial experience in the design, operation, and/or maintenance of industrial process or facility water systems; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Specific knowledge of the design, operation, and maintenance of the facility’s Low Conductivity Water (LCW) and deionized water systems.
• Ensure optimal water purity, prevent equipment corrosion, manage chemical treatments, and lead troubleshooting efforts to minimize system downtime.
• Experience with closed-loop cooling water systems, process utilities, mechanical infrastructure, and industrial piping systems.
• Knowledge of hydraulic and thermal system design principles.
• Experience interpreting and producing engineering drawings and P&IDs.
• Familiarity with pumps, heat exchangers, cooling towers, water treatment systems, instrumentation, and controls.
• Strong troubleshooting and root-cause analysis skills.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities in a complex operational environment.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Desired Qualifications

• Professional Engineer (PE) license.
• Experience supporting large scientific facilities, accelerators, semiconductor facilities, or other high-availability technical infrastructure.
• Experience with EPICS or industrial controls systems integration.
• Familiarity with vibration-sensitive or thermally stable cooling systems.
• Experience with commissioning and startup of large utility systems.
• Knowledge of reliability-centered maintenance practices.
• Experience working in DOE national laboratory environments.

Working Conditions

• Work is performed in office, laboratory, mechanical room, and construction environments.
• Occasional after-hours or weekend support may be required during shutdowns, commissioning, or operational events.
• Position may require access to confined mechanical spaces and industrial equipment areas.

Reporting Relationship

This position reports to the ALS-U / ALS Engineering or Facilities Management organization and works closely with accelerator systems, facilities engineering, operations, and scientific staff across the laboratory.

Position Impact

This role is critical to ensuring reliable thermal and utility performance for ALS-U construction and long-term ALS operations. The Mechanical Engineer – Water Systems directly contributes to facility uptime, equipment protection, operational reliability, and successful delivery of the ALS-U project mission.