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.

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.

• Support HDR project leaders at local, state, and regional levels on water treatment projects requiring operations specialist input.
• Review drawings for operability and Haz Ops 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.

• 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.

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

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.

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),…