Senior Operations Specialist; Water

At HDR, our employee-owners are fully engaged in creating a welcoming environment where each of us is valued and respected, a place where everyone is empowered to bring their authentic selves and novel ideas to work every day. As we foster a culture of inclusion throughout our company and within our communities, we constantly ask ourselves:
What is our impact on the world?

We believe water is more than a resource, it’s a shared responsibility. As part of our Water Business Group, you’ll help shape how communities manage water for generations to come. From delivering safe drinking water and treating wastewater responsibly to developing sustainable water supplies and protecting lives and property through flood control, your work will directly support public health, environmental sustainability, and infrastructure resilience.

We bring together experts across disciplines to solve complex challenges with bold thinking and technical excellence.

HDR is looking for an energetic, hard‑working problem solver to become a full‑time Senior Operations Specialist to work on both municipal and industrial water treatment facilities. If you are someone who enjoys working on a variety of treatment technologies for multiple treatment plants, this position will be for you.

• Support HDR project leaders at the local, state, and regional level on water treatment projects requiring input from Operations Specialists.
• Review drawings for operability review and Haz Ops analysis with an eye for what it takes to successfully operate a variety of 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 and host workshops to share those ideas with client contractors and operators to ensure the plan will work for each specific plant.
• Perform startup and commissioning of new water treatment facilities, working alongside contractors and engineers to ensure new equipment functions correctly before handover.
• Perform formal and informal training to help clients’ treatment plants operate as well as possible.
• Participate in testing of facilities to ensure they are ready for startup and meet capacity requirements of the design.
• Perform condition assessment and asset‑management tasks on water and wastewater facilities, using state‑of‑the‑art evaluation tools.
• Perform operational or maintenance troubleshooting and evaluations on municipal and industrial water facilities.

Work will involve a base of projects in the southern portion of the central United States, but will also include projects at sites across the country. This provides the opportunity to work on a variety of new and innovative projects and offers a career path with more growth than typical utility organizations. This job may require 30‑40% travel; weekend travel is normally not required.

• Minimum 10 years field experience in troubleshooting mechanical, electrical, and instrumentation equipment at water treatment facilities and/or resolving water treatment process problems. Additional construction experience is a plus.
• High‑level water treatment operator license or professional engineering license.
• Ability to interpret engineering plans and specifications.
• Microsoft Office product and computerized maintenance and management systems experience required.
• An attitude and commitment to being an active participant of our employee‑owned culture.
• Valid driver’s license.

• High School diploma or equivalent.
• Microsoft Office product experience.
• General background‑related experience.
• Attitude and commitment to being an active participant of our employee‑owned culture.

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.

As employee owners, we all have a role in creating an inclusive environment where…