Staff Chemical Engineer - Water Systems and Chemistry

Jacuzzi Group is a leading global manufacturer of hot tubs, swim spas, baths, showers, saunas, and pool equipment. More than four thousand global employees work across our portfolio of brands, including Jacuzzi, Sundance Spas, Hydropool Swim Spas and Hot Tubs, DreamMaker, and more.

With manufacturing and warehouse operations in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Italy, the United Kingdom, France, Brazil, Chile, and Australia, we have more than 65 years of experience delivering innovative wellness products to our consumers across our many brands.

Jacuzzi Group is seeking a Staff Chemical Engineer to serve as the technical leader for water chemistry, water treatment, and water-system development across Jacuzzi Group's hot tub product portfolio, sitting within our cross-functional Engineering department and partnering daily with mechanical, electrical, controls, and manufacturing engineers, as well as Product Management, Quality, Regulatory, and external technology partners. This role owns the science behind how our hot tubs keep water clean, clear, and safe - from first-principles chemistry through field validation and post-launch monitoring.

This is a hybrid role based at our Chino, CA facility, with time split between office, engineering lab, and manufacturing/test floor on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, and offers the ability to work remotely on Wednesdays and Fridays. Occasional domestic and international travel (up to ~15%) is expected to support supplier visits, contract labs, partner facilities, and trade events.

Who You Are

You are a rigorous, hands-on water chemistry engineer who reaches for first principles before received wisdom, and who takes genuine pride in the science behind a product that millions of people interact with daily. You can defend a test protocol to a skeptical engineering review and explain the same result to a marketing partner without losing either audience - and you're just as comfortable spinning up a test rig yourself as you are presenting findings to an executive team. You thrive in cross-functional environments, respect the constraints other disciplines bring to the table, and find solutions that work for the whole system, not just the chemistry.

What You'll Do

Water Chemistry & System Development

• Own the technical roadmap for water sanitization, balancing, and treatment technologies - including chlorine, bromine, mineral systems, UV, ozone, AOP, salt/electrolytic chlorination, and emerging alternatives - across current and future spa platforms
• Design and develop water-treatment subsystems in collaboration with mechanical and controls engineering, including filtration, dosing, circulation, and sensor integration
• Translate water-chemistry science into engineering requirements, design inputs, and acceptance criteria that mechanical, electrical, and firmware teams can build to
• Evaluate and recommend chemistries, media, and treatment technologies, balancing performance, cost, user experience, regulatory compliance, and long-term reliability

Test Protocol Development & Validation

• Build rigorous, repeatable test protocols for water quality, sanitizer efficacy, oxidation performance, scale and corrosion behavior, filter loading, and long-term system durability under realistic bather-load conditions
• Stand up and run lab and field studies, including accelerated aging, microbial challenge testing, sensor accuracy, and chemical compatibility with materials used in spa construction
• Document test results in clear, audit-ready technical reports - protocols, raw data, statistical analysis, conclusions, and recommendations - supporting engineering decisions, regulatory submissions, and marketing claims
• Define and maintain water-quality KPIs and the methods, instrumentation, and tolerances used to measure them

Cross-Functional Engineering & Product Partnership

• Partner with Product Management to shape the water-experience roadmap, defining features, claims, and consumer benefits grounded in defensible chemistry and validated data
• Collaborate with Mechanical, Electrical, Controls, and Firmware engineering on plumbing layouts, sensor placement, dosing hardware, automated control strategies, and user-facing water-management features
• Work with Manufacturing and Supply Chain to ensure chemistries and components transition smoothly from prototype to production, including supplier qualification and incoming-quality criteria
• Support Customer Care, Warranty, and Field Service on water-related issues, providing root-cause analysis, diagnostic guidance, and corrective action

Innovation & Technical Leadership

• Lead innovation projects with outside technology partners, universities, and chemistry suppliers to evaluate next-generation water-treatment platforms, including advanced oxidation, novel sanitizers, smart-sensing, and sustainability initiatives
• Monitor and interpret the external landscape, including competitor approaches, emerging research, regulatory shifts, and consumer trends
• Serve as the in-house subject-matter expert on water chemistry; coach engineers, technicians, and product managers; and represent the company in technical forums and with key customers
• Support intellectual-property strategy by identifying novel approaches, contributing to invention disclosures, and providing technical depth for patent filings

Requirements

What You Bring

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Environmental Engineering, or a closely related discipline from an ABET-accredited program
• 5+ years of progressively responsible experience in water testing, water-system development, and water-chemistry management, ideally within the pool and spa or drinking-water filtration industry
• Demonstrated, hands-on expertise with sanitizer chemistry (chlorine, bromine, mineral, UV, ozone, AOP, electrolytic systems), water balance, scale and corrosion control, and microbial control
• Proven ability to design, write, execute, and document formal test protocols (DOE, accelerated life, efficacy, compatibility) and draw defensible conclusions from data
• Strong working knowledge of analytical methods and instrumentation for water quality (spectrophotometry, titration, ion chromatography, ORP/pH/conductivity probes, microbial assays)
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Demonstrated ability to manage competing priorities with strong attention to detail

Preferred

• Experience in a private equity-backed, high-growth, or global manufacturing environment
• Direct experience developing or qualifying products to NSF/ANSI 50, 60/61, 53/42/55/58, or APSP/PHTA standards
• Working knowledge of EPA pesticide registration (FIFRA) and familiarity with relevant state and local health-department spa regulations
• Experience with electrolytic chlorine generation, AOP, membrane filtration, or IoT-enabled water-monitoring platforms
• Experience designing or qualifying test cells, flow loops, and lab automation
• Prior experience working with external R&D partners, chemistry suppliers, contract labs, or academic institutions on joint development programs

Benefits

What We Offer

Jacuzzi Group offers a competitive total compensation package. This position includes a base salary commensurate with experience, as well as eligibility for a performance-based bonus program, providing the opportunity to earn additional compensation tied to individual and company results.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Health Savings Account (HSA) and Flexible Spending Account (FSA) options
• 401(k) with company matching program
• Life and disability insurance
• Paid time off and company holidays

Where You'll Work

This is a hybrid role based at our [Location] facility, with time regularly split between office, on-site engineering lab, and manufacturing/test floor. Routine work with water-treatment chemicals and powered equipment is required; PPE training is provided. The role involves occasional domestic and international travel (up to ~15%) to supplier sites, contract labs, partner facilities, and industry trade events.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Jacuzzi Group is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees and applicants. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.