Lead Project Engineer - Water Treatment

Job Description

Job Description

Title: Lead Project Engineer – Water Treatment
Location: Bellevue, WA (also available in Minnetonka, MN and Richmond, VA)
Position Type: Contract 6-12+ months (potential for extension)
Salary: $160K-$235K

Job Summary
The Lead Engineer is responsible for delivering multidisciplinary engineering work to customers for custom municipal and industrial treatment systems. This person determines the resources required and guides a cross-functional engineering team to ensure designs are accurate, submissions are completed on time, and work remains within budget.
The Lead Engineer, Project Manager, and Sourcing Project Leader make up the project leadership team. Together, they support the project, deliver the solution sold to the customer, manage the project from start to finish, and prepare and maintain important project reports.

Key Characteristics

• Ability to lead a multidisciplinary engineering team supporting a portfolio of projects with approximately 1,000 engineering hours per month, equivalent to about eight full-time engineers.
• Familiarity with project execution from the sales phase through project closeout, including supporting proposal activities through technical reviews and labor estimates.
• Ability to direct and monitor an engineering project team consisting of Process, Mechanical, Electrical, Instrumentation, and Controls engineers, along with project-support functions such as Document Control, Sourcing, and Finance.
• Responsibility for coordinating the delivery of all engineering work on assigned projects. Although the Lead Engineer must have a strong engineering background, success in the role also requires the ability to build teams, communicate a clear vision, and delegate responsibilities.
• Ability to facilitate project-team meetings, coordinate deliverables, and resolve team conflicts when necessary.
• Thoughtful, collaborative, and creative approach to problem-solving.
• Ability to manage multiple changing priorities with professionalism and sound judgment.
• Serves as the primary representative of the engineering organization.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Own and ensure completion of all engineering deliverables. This includes confirming that project deliverables receive the appropriate level of review through formal review processes, such as E-Table, as well as functional reviews conducted by peer engineers and Technical Domain Leaders with relevant expertise. Deliverables may include, but are not limited to, Process and Instrumentation Diagrams, equipment drawings, datasheets, plant and piping layouts, instrumentation and controls architecture, and design specifications.
• Coordinate all internal and external engineering activities across project functions using standard project-management tools, including project schedules, master document lists, rolling action-item lists, risk and opportunity registers, change orders, engineering project reports, and similar tracking tools.
• Ensure that vendors and suppliers receive technical reviews related to selection and fabrication, involving the appropriate project-team members.
• Coordinate technical requirements with suppliers and ensure the project team provides vendors with the required information according to schedule.
• Support Sourcing with vendor management by monitoring supplier progress and confirming that vendors are meeting project expectations.
• Serve as a technical customer liaison by responding to and resolving technical questions, managing expectations, and maintaining strong customer relationships.
• Bring in appropriate project-team members or technical specialists when needed to support relationships with key customer contacts.
• Manage the project team’s resource budget and identify competency or development needs that may affect successful project execution.
• Promote collaboration across the project team so activities are properly coordinated and engineering performance is optimized.
• Establish project-team meeting rhythms and communication practices that produce clear action plans and measurable outcomes.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Excellent planning, organization, and time-management skills.
• Clear, concise communication and presentation abilities.
• Strong meeting-facilitation skills, including setting clear objectives and developing action plans.
• Collaborative team approach and the ability to exercise sound judgment in changing circumstances.

Education & Experience
Required

• Bachelor’s degree in an accredited engineering discipline.
• At least five years of project experience in engineering or a related field.

Preferred

• Experience with industrial processes and systems engineering, preferably in water treatment, oil and gas, chemical processing, or power.
• Experience working under EPC—Engineering, Procurement, and Construction—contracts.
• Professional Engineer license or the ability to obtain one within one year.
• French, Spanish, or Mandarin language skills may be beneficial.

Working Conditions

• Ability to travel domestically and internationally approximately 10–20% of the time.

As part of our promise to talent, Kelly supports those who work with us through a variety of benefits, perks, and work-related resources. Please note: The following benefits reflect Kelly's general offerings. Eligibility may vary by assignment, location, and job type. Kelly offers eligible employees voluntary benefit plans including medical, dental, vision, telemedicine, term life, whole life, accident insurance, critical illness, a legal plan, and short-term disability. As a Kelly employee, you will have access to a retirement savings plan, service bonus and holiday pay plans (earn up to eight paid holidays per benefit year), and a transit spending account. In addition, employees are entitled to earn paid sick leave under the applicable state or local plan. Click here for more information on benefits and perks that may be available to you as a member of the Kelly Talent Community.

Why Kelly® Engineering?

Your engineering skills are in demand, but how do you find the right fit? Easy. At Kelly Engineering, our team creates expert talent solutions to solve the world’s most critical challenges. We connect you with leading organizations where you can collaborate on innovative projects, work with cutting-edge technologies and accelerate your growth. Whether you prefer the variety and flexibility of short-term projects or are looking for a long-term opportunity, we’re here to guide you to the next step in your engineering career.

About Kelly

Work changes everything. And at Kelly, we’re obsessed with where it can take you. To us, it’s about more than simply accepting your next job opportunity. It’s the fuel that powers every next step of your life. It’s the ripple effect that changes and improves everything for your family, your community, and the world. Which is why, here at Kelly, we are dedicated to providing you with limitless opportunities to enrich your life-just ask the 300,000 people we employ each year.

Kelly is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all qualified employees and applicants regardless of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, disability, veteran status, age, marital status, pregnancy, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and we take affirmative action to recruit, employ, and advance qualified individuals with disabilities and protected veterans in the workforce. Requests for accommodation related to our application process can be directed to the Kelly Human Resource Knowledge Center. Kelly complies with the requirements of California’s state and local Fair Chance laws. A conviction does not automatically bar individuals from employment. Kelly participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S.

Kelly may use AI-powered tools during the recruitment and hiring process. For full details, including how Kelly uses AI, your rights, and how to request a reasonable accommodation, visit the Recruitment Artificial Intelligence Notice.