Energy Engineer

Wastewater Engineer

Wastewater treatment is critical to water quality and the health and wellbeing of our communities. Wastewater treatment is also energy-intensive and can result in significant greenhouse gas emissions. This position will play a key role in advancing King County's ambitious climate action plan, including leading efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, energy, and water use, optimize the production and use of renewable resources, and support equity and social justice efforts.

The Wastewater Treatment Division's Energy Program is looking for two new team members who enjoy solving real-world engineering problems, learning complex systems, and making a measurable impact on one of the region's largest public infrastructure systems.

In this role, you'll help identify, evaluate, and develop energy efficiency and energy recovery opportunities across King County's wastewater facilities. You'll work alongside operations staff, maintenance personnel, engineers, consultants, and project teams to better understand how treatment plants and wastewater facilities use energy—and help find practical ways to reduce consumption while improving reliability and performance.

This is a hands-on engineering position for someone who enjoys digging into unfamiliar systems, asking questions, reviewing engineering drawings, analyzing operational data, and developing technical recommendations. Rather than simply coordinating work performed by others, you'll often perform the initial engineering analysis yourself – evaluating opportunities, estimating feasibility and potential savings, identifying additional data needs, and helping determine whether projects should move forward.

The successful candidate will become an energy representative on capital improvement projects, helping ensure energy efficiency, electrification, and energy recovery opportunities are thoughtfully incorporated into facility designs from the earliest planning stages. You'll also help develop dashboards and performance metrics, support utility incentive applications, and communicate technical information to audiences ranging from operators in the field to project managers and executive leadership.

One position will primarily support treatment plant facilities and serve as the lead for a collaborative plant energy team, bringing together operations, maintenance, and engineering staff to identify and advance energy improvement opportunities. A second position will focus on the division's offsite facilities – including pump stations, regulator stations, and other wastewater infrastructure – supporting energy planning and project development across the regional system. Both positions are expected to work onsite at least three days per week and have the option to work remotely two days.

This position is well suited for engineers who are self-directed, action-oriented, and excited to continuously learn. Experience with HVAC systems, pumping systems, industrial process equipment, heat recovery systems, controls, fans, chillers, compressors, or similar mechanical systems is highly desirable, but just as important is the curiosity and initiative to quickly learn new systems and confidently tackle unfamiliar engineering challenges.

This position follows a hybrid work model, blending remote and in-person work. This position will be supervised by the Climate, Energy and Sustainability Supervisor. The Climate, Energy and Sustainability work group is part of the Resource Recovery Unit in WTD's Operations and Maintenance Section. The Resource Recovery Unit strives to bring valuable resources, technology, and sound business practices together to deliver products and programs that inspire our customers to be part of an environmentally sustainable future—today.

The Climate, Energy and Sustainability work group includes the Energy Program. This team is focused on efforts to optimize processes and operational efficiencies and recommending advanced technologies that expand WTD's ability to recover energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption, and costs.

WTD's mission is to protect public health and enhance the environment by collecting and treating wastewater while recycling valuable resources for the Puget Sound region. To our agency, success means clean water. It means honoring our legacy while keeping a promise to future generations that our beautiful environment will be there for them to enjoy. We are committed to the principles of equity and social justice. We value diverse perspectives and life experiences in our workforce and are committed to building a culturally diverse and inclusive environment. WTD strives to provide equitable services to residents and businesses across King County.

King County, named after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., is a diverse and vibrant community that represents cultures from around the world. We prioritize equity, racial and social justice, making it a foundational and daily expectation for all employees. As a Wastewater Engineer, you will actively apply these principles in all aspects of your work. Learn more about our commitment at