Senior Operations Specialist; Water

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At HDR, our employee-owners are fully engaged in creating a welcoming environment where each of us is valued and respected. We foster a culture of inclusion throughout our company and within our communities, constantly asking ourselves:
What is our impact on the world?

Watch our story:

Water is more than a resource; it is a shared responsibility. As part of our Water Business Group, you will help shape how communities manage water for generations to come, delivering safe drinking water, treating wastewater responsibly, developing sustainable supplies, and protecting lives through flood control. Your work directly supports public health, environmental sustainability, and infrastructure resilience. This isn’t just a job;

it’s a chance to lead change, drive progress, and leave a lasting legacy.

HDR is looking for an energetic, hard‑working problem solver to become a full‑time Senior Operations Specialist on municipal and industrial water treatment facilities. The role involves a variety of treatment technologies across multiple plants, ranging from small municipalities to iconic U.S. facilities. Our engineering staff rely on Operations Specialists to create solutions with better reliability and improved operability for our clients.

• Support HDR project leaders at local, state, and regional levels on water treatment projects requiring input from Operations Specialists.
• Review drawings for operability review and Haz Ops analysis to ensure successful operation of various treatment processes.
• Manage operations and maintenance projects for municipal and industrial clients, including client interfacing, regulatory reporting, and personnel, subcontractor, and maintenance management.
• Develop startup and commissioning plans and host workshops to share plans with client contractors and operators.
• Perform startup and commissioning of new water treatment facilities, working alongside contractors and engineers to ensure equipment functions correctly before handover.
• Provide formal and informal training to help clients’ treatment plants operate as well as possible.
• Participate in testing of facilities to ensure readiness for startup and compliance with design capacity after startup.
• Perform condition assessment and asset management tasks using state‑of‑the‑art evaluation tools.
• Conduct operational or maintenance troubleshooting and evaluations on municipal and industrial water facilities.

Work will involve projects in the southern part of the central United States, with additional sites across the country. This role may require 30–40% travel; weekend travel is normally not required.

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

• High School diploma or equivalent.
• Experience with Microsoft Office.
• General background‑related experience.
• Commitment to being an active participant in our employee‑owned culture.

Mid‑Senior level

Full‑time

Management, Consulting, and Engineering

Water

Full‑time

Regular

United States—Virginia—Vienna; additional locations across the United States (list omitted due to length).

Compensation range: $71,960 – $128,500 dependent on skills, experience, education and geographic location.

At HDR, we are committed to the principles of employment equity. We are an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants, regardless of criminal histories, arrest and conviction records.