Senior Operations Specialist (Water)

Overview

At HDR, our employee‑owners are fully engaged in creating a welcoming environment where each of us is valued and respected. We empower everyone to bring authentic ideas to work every day. Our culture of inclusion asks, “What is our impact on the world?”

HDR’s Water Business Group helps communities manage water for generations to come—providing safe drinking water, treating wastewater, developing sustainable supplies and protecting life and property through flood control. This role impacts public health, environmental sustainability, and infrastructure resilience.

Position Summary

Senior Operations Specialist – full‑time, focused on municipal and industrial water treatment facilities. You’ll work on projects ranging from small municipalities to iconic U.S. plants, collaborating with HDR’s nationwide Operations Team.

Primary Responsibilities

• Support HDR project leaders at local, state, and regional levels on water treatment projects requiring operations specialist input.
• Review drawings for operability and HazOps analysis to ensure successful operation of varied treatment processes.
• Manage operations and maintenance projects with municipal and industrial clients, including client interfacing, regulatory reporting, personnel, subcontractor, and maintenance management.
• Develop startup and commissioning plans; host workshops to share those plans with clients’ contractors and operators to ensure plant‑specific success.
• Perform startup and commissioning of new water treatment facilities, working alongside contractors and engineers to verify equipment function before handoff.
• Provide formal and informal training to help our clients’ treatment plants operate at optimal performance.
• Participate in facilities testing to ensure readiness for startup and post‑startup compliance with design capacity.
• Perform condition assessment and asset‑management tasks on water and wastewater facilities using state‑of‑the‑art evaluation tools.
• Conduct operational or maintenance troubleshooting and evaluations on municipal and industrial water facilities.

Projects will be based primarily in the southern portion of the central United States, with additional assignments across the country. Travel may be required 30–40% of the time; weekend travel is usually not required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Minimum 10 years field experience troubleshooting mechanical, electrical, and instrumentation equipment at water‑treatment facilities, or resolving treatment‑process problems. Construction experience is a plus.
• High‑level water‑treatment operator license or professional engineering license.
• Ability to interpret engineering plans and specifications.
• Experience with Microsoft Office products and computerized maintenance management systems.
• Commitment to active participation in HDR’s employee‑owned culture.
• Valid driver’s license.

Required Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent.
• Microsoft Office product experience.
• General background‑related experience.
• Commitment to active participation in HDR’s employee‑owned culture.

Benefits

HDR offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, short‑ and long‑term disability, life insurance, employee assistance program, paid time off, parental leave, paid holidays, a retirement savings plan with employer match, employee referral bonus, and tuition reimbursement. The statutory compensation range for this position is $71,960–$128,500, depending on skills, experience, education, and geographic location.

Location

Primary: Vienna, VA

Other locations include: West Virginia, Ohio (Cincinnati), North Carolina (Charlotte), Georgia, New York (East Syracuse), Florida (Doral), Alabama (Mobile), Florida (Fort Lauderdale), Pennsylvania (Bethlehem), North Carolina (Wilmington), Tennessee (Nashville), Florida (Panama City), New Jersey (Newark), Maine, Ohio, Florida, District of Columbia (Washington DC), Maryland (Lusby), New York (White Plains), Florida (Tallahassee), Mississippi (Jackson area), South Carolina (Charleston), Virginia (Roanoke), New York (Albany), Alabama, South Carolina (Columbia), Delaware, Florida (Orlando), Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh), Virginia, New York (Syracuse), Massachusetts, Pennsylvania (Philadelphia), Virginia (Glen Allen), Arkansas, Virginia (Virginia Beach), Florida (Miami), Massachusetts (Boston), Kentucky, New Jersey (Pennington), New Jersey, Connecticut (Rocky Hill), New York (New York City), Georgia (Savannah), Arkansas (Little Rock), Pennsylvania (Mechanicsburg), North Carolina (Winston‑Salem), Alabama, Virginia (Alexandria), Tennessee, Kentucky (Louisville), North Carolina (Greensboro), Georgia (Atlanta), South Carolina (Greenville), Maine (Portland), Pennsylvania (Plymouth Meeting), South Carolina, Tennessee (Memphis), Virginia (Richmond), New Jersey (Woodcliff Lake), North Carolina, Florida (Jacksonville), Connecticut, Pennsylvania, North Carolina (Raleigh), Ohio (Cleveland), Florida (Tampa), Florida (West Palm Beach), West Virginia (Charleston), Mississippi, Ohio (Columbus), Rhode Island, Kentucky (Lexington).

Seniority Level

Mid‑Senior level

Employment Type

Full‑time

Job Function

Management, Consulting and Engineering

Industry

Water

Schedule

Full‑time

Employee Status

Regular

Business Class

WW Treatment and Effluent Mgmt

Job Posting Date

Dec 31, 2025

Equality and Diversity Statement

At HDR, we are committed to the principles of employment equity. HDR is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer ( We consider all qualified applicants, regardless of criminal histories, arrest and conviction records.

What We Believe

HDR is our company. Together, we build on each other’s life experiences and perspectives to make great things possible every day. This shapes our collaborative culture, encourages organizational trust and connects us closer to the clients and communities we serve.

Our Commitment

As employee owners, we all have a role in creating an inclusive environment where each of us is welcomed, valued, respected and empowered to bring our authentic selves to work every day. Our eight Employee Network Groups provide a sense of belonging and foster a supportive environment for all employees.