Senior Civil Wastewater Engineer

Senior Civil/Environmental Wastewater Engineer - Lead the Next Generation of Water Infrastructure

Chicago, IL

Own complex water & wastewater projects that actually move the needle

You design systems that protect communities, the environment, and future generations. In this role, you’ll lead the planning and design of water and wastewater treatment facilities for a growing Great Lakes practice.

You’ll be the go-to engineer on medium-sized projects – driving concepts, solving complex treatment challenges, and making the key calls on budget, schedule, and quality.

You won’t just follow standards. You’ll develop new or improved techniques, processes, and methods when the project demands better answers.

If you’ve led wastewater treatment plant designs and want more ownership, more client impact, and more say in how projects are executed, we want to talk to you.

What You'll Work On

You’ll be in the middle of the most critical civil/environmental problems in the water space:

• Water and wastewater treatment facility design
• Hydraulics and treatment process design (physical, chemical, biological)
• Wastewater treatment plant conceptual and preliminary design
• Detailed design documents for treatment facilities
• Wastewater collection system projects
• Water and reclaimed water transmission/distribution projects
• Multi-stakeholder public infrastructure projects
• Projects supporting a growing Great Lakes area practice

Day to day, you’ll be in the thick of treatment plant design, collection systems, and transmission/distribution work – where engineering decisions are visible and measurable.

This is where deep wastewater design expertise meets real-world impact.

What You'll Be Doing

• Designing water and wastewater treatment facilities from concept through detailed design
• Planning, scheduling, and conducting engineering work on small to medium-sized projects
• Taking full responsibility for project budget, schedule, and quality standards
• Interpreting, organizing, executing, and coordinating complex civil/environmental assignments
• Acting independently on technical matters within the civil/environmental engineering field
• Developing new or improved techniques, procedures, equipment, materials, processes, or methods
• Preparing proposals and participating in client interviews
• Supporting contract negotiations with clients after selection
• Building and maintaining relationships with existing clients at the staff level
• Coordinating and working closely with subconsultants on active projects
• Participating in local, regional, and national professional association events and conventions
• Traveling to project sites or meetings when requested

What We're Looking For

• Bachelor's degree in Civil, Environmental, or Chemical Engineering
• 10-15 years of wastewater design experience in environmental consulting engineering
• Strong emphasis in hydraulics and physical, chemical, and biological treatment processes
• Proven experience designing wastewater treatment plants from concept through detailed design
• Demonstrated success managing and designing medium-sized projects with full responsibility for budget, schedule, contractual obligations, and quality
• Experience with wastewater collection systems projects
• Experience with water and reclaimed water transmission/distribution projects
• Registration as a Professional Engineer
• Ability to communicate effectively with clients and multidisciplinary project teams
• Proficiency with MS Word and Excel

The Experience That Will Really Get Our Attention

You’re the engineer teams call when a wastewater project is complicated, politically visible, and technically demanding. You’ve led treatment plant designs, balanced tight budgets and schedules, and still delivered a system that works in the real world.

You’re comfortable in front of clients, confident leading design teams and subconsultants, and motivated to push treatment technologies and approaches forward rather than repeat the same playbook every time.

High-signal experience: wastewater treatment plants, hydraulics, physical treatment processes, chemical treatment processes, biological treatment processes, wastewater collection systems, water transmission projects, reclaimed water distribution, environmental consulting engineering, MS Word, MS Excel, Professional Engineer (PE)

Why This Opportunity?

This is a senior seat at the table in a growing Great Lakes practice where your designs anchor critical water and wastewater infrastructure.

You’ll own medium-sized projects end to end – not just one discipline slice – with real authority over how the work gets done and how the client experiences it.

You’ll also be encouraged to stay active in the profession through associations and conventions, keeping you plugged into where the industry is heading while you help shape it on the ground.

Travel is required when requested.

Registration as a Professional Engineer is required.