Regional Wastewater Engineering & Operations Manager

Description

Wind River Environmental is seeking an experienced Regional Wastewater Engineering & Operations Manager to join our Wastewater Treatment leadership team. This is a highly visible role combining corporate and regional engineering responsibilities with hands-on operational leadership of our Northeast wastewater treatment facilities.

Approximately 50% of this position will focus on corporate and regional engineering responsibilities, including process improvement, technical troubleshooting, capital planning and execution, equipment and controls, regulatory support, and engineering initiatives across our wastewater treatment business. The remaining 50% will focus on plant management and onsite engineering support for our Northeast treatment facilities located in Beacon, NY; Waymart, PA; Old Lyme, CT; and Taunton, MA, and new facilities as they are added. 

The Regional Wastewater Engineering & Operations Manager will have Financial management, including facility P&Ls, operating budgets, and cost control responsibility for assigned facilities and will partner closely with Plant Operations Executive leadership, facility supervisors and operators, vendors, regulatory agencies, and senior company leadership to improve safety, compliance, reliability, capacity, operational efficiency, and financial performance.

This is an ideal opportunity for an experienced wastewater professional or engineering professional who enjoys solving complex technical and operational problems while remaining connected to the people and facilities where those solutions are put into practice.

Salary Range: $115,000–$150,000 annually

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

- Engineering & Technical Leadership

• Provide engineering and technical support to wastewater treatment facilities, including process optimization, mechanical systems, electrical systems, instrumentation, controls, and facility infrastructure.
• Evaluate plant performance and identify opportunities for process improvements, equipment upgrades, increased reliability, improved productivity, and operational efficiency.
• Perform and/or oversee engineering calculations, technical analyses, equipment evaluations, and troubleshooting of complex operational issues.
• Develop technical solutions for wastewater treatment processes, including headworks, primary and tertiary treatment, solids handling, pumping, mixing, aeration, dewatering, and related systems.
• Diagnose mechanical, electrical, instrumentation, and controls issues and develop practical corrective actions.
• Support the specification and selection of wastewater treatment equipment based on process and operational requirements.
• Read, interpret, and review process, mechanical, structural, and related engineering drawings and specifications.
• Support the development and continuous improvement of preventative maintenance programs, SOPs, O&M manuals, facility documentation, and related systems.
• Provide technical guidance and mentorship to plant supervisors, operators, and other technical team members.

- Capital Projects & Continuous Improvement

• Identify, evaluate, prioritize, and lead capital improvement projects across wastewater treatment facilities.
• Develop project scopes, cost estimates, business justifications, budgets, schedules, and implementation plans.
• Manage approved projects from concept through execution, including equipment procurement, contractor and vendor coordination, installation, commissioning, and project closeout.
• Monitor project costs and schedules against approved budgets and timelines.
• Work with facility teams to minimize operational disruption and downtime during repairs, upgrades, expansions, and equipment installations.
• Support annual capital planning and prioritization across the Wastewater Treatment business.
• Partner with vendors and contractors to negotiate scope, pricing, performance expectations, and project requirements.
• Support evaluation and engineering activities associated with new or acquired wastewater treatment facilities as needed.

- Northeast Plant Operations

• Provide management and technical oversight for Wind River Environmental's Northeast wastewater treatment facilities in Beacon, NY; Waymart, PA; Old Lyme, CT; and Taunton, MA.
• Partner with Plant Operations Supervisors and Lead Operators to support safe, compliant, reliable, and efficient day-to-day facility operations.
• Monitor facility performance, staffing and coverage needs, uptime, customer wait times, maintenance priorities, project schedules, and operational challenges.
• Drive facility performance improvement through data-driven process improvements, equipment upgrades, productivity management, and continuous improvement strategies.
• Coach and develop plant leadership and operators to strengthen technical capability, accountability, and operational performance.
• Establish and maintain effective preventative maintenance and facility management practices.
• Support wastewater laboratory operations and required testing, including TSS, oil and grease, COD, pH, conductivity, and other required analyses.
• Monitor and manage facility P&Ls, annual budgets, labor costs, operating expenses, vendor costs, and other financial performance indicators.
• Develop strong working relationships with key disposal customers and support customer retention and growth initiatives.
• Ensure implementation of company policies, procedures, systems, and operational standards across assigned facilities.

- Environmental Compliance & Safety

• Support and oversee compliance with wastewater and environmental permits, reporting requirements, applicable laws and regulations, and company standards.
• Maintain effective relationships and communication with applicable regulatory agencies.
• Support wastewater and environmental permitting activities, including applications, renewals, modifications, and regulatory review.
• Ensure required environmental reporting is completed accurately and timely, including DMRs, SMRs, laboratory testing, and other permit-required reporting.
• Maintain and champion Wind River Environmental Environmental, Health & Safety standards across assigned facilities and projects.
• Partner with facility leadership to identify and address safety, environmental, operational, and compliance risks.

Qualifications

We recognize that deep wastewater engineering expertise can be developed through both formal education and extensive hands-on industry experience. Candidates may qualify through either of the following paths:

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, or another related engineering discipline; OR
• 15+ years of progressively responsible experience in wastewater treatment, mechanical/process engineering, industrial plant engineering, or a closely related technical field.

An engineering degree is preferred but not required for candidates who bring substantial directly related industry experience.

Successful candidates should also demonstrate experience in several of the following areas:

• Wastewater treatment plant operations, engineering, design, maintenance, or process improvement.
• Managing complex capital projects from initial scope and budgeting through implementation and completion.
• Mechanical equipment commonly used in wastewater treatment, including pumps, valves, presses, mixers, blowers, compressors, grinders, and solids-handling equipment.
• Mechanical, electrical, instrumentation, and controls troubleshooting.
• Wastewater treatment processes and equipment selection.
• Environmental and wastewater permitting and regulatory reporting.
• Reading and interpreting engineering drawings, specifications, and technical documentation.
• Developing and managing project budgets, schedules, cost estimates, and vendor relationships.
• Financial management, including facility P&Ls, operating budgets, and cost controls.
• Preventative maintenance programs and facility management systems.
• Leading, mentoring, or providing technical direction to plant operations or technical personnel.

Experience with PLC/HMI systems, instrumentation and controls, wastewater laboratory operations, cloud-based facility/maintenance management systems, and wastewater or solid waste operator licensing is highly valued.

Candidates must possess a valid driver's license in good standing and be willing and able to obtain wastewater or solid waste operator licenses where required for assigned facilities.

Location & Travel

This position supports Wind River Environmental's Northeast wastewater treatment facilities located in:

• Beacon, New York
• Waymart, Pennsylvania
• Old Lyme, Connecticut
• Taunton, Massachusetts

Candidates must reside within reasonable commuting distance of at least one of these facilities.

This is a regional position requiring approximately 30–50% travel, primarily among Wind River Environmental's Northeast wastewater treatment facilities, with additional travel based on project and business needs.

Compensation

The anticipated annual base salary range for this position is $115,000–$150,000. 

Actual compensation will be determined based on a variety of job-related factors, including relevant experience, technical expertise, education, certifications, geographic location and licensure.

Why Join Wind River Environmental?

Our wastewater treatment facilities are a critical part of Wind River Environmental's environmental services infrastructure. In this role, you will have the opportunity to influence how those facilities operate today while helping shape how our treatment platform grows in the future.

This position works across engineering, operations, compliance, capital planning, and business P&L performance - solving immediate plant challenges while developing longer-term improvements that increase reliability, capacity, safety, and profitability.

If you are an experienced wastewater or industrial engineering professional who is equally comfortable working through an engineering problem, walking a treatment plant, leading a capital project, and developing the people responsible for operating the facility, we want to hear from you.