Senior Wastewater Engineer
Lemna Environmental Technologies, Inc. (LET) has been a technology leader in small, municipal wastewater solutions with a secondary focus in select industrial applications since the early 1980’s. With a strong sales history, hundreds of installations across North America, and innovative technologies that meet or exceed customer requirements, LET is uniquely positioned for growth and broadening of our core product offering.
Lemna Environmental Technologies, Inc. of Vadnais Heights, MN, is seeking a Senior Wastewater Engineer to serve as a senior technical leader within the organization. This position will be responsible for wastewater process design, design standards, quality control, facility performance analysis, value engineering, technical sales support, field troubleshooting, and technology development and enhancement.
The successful candidate will work closely with LET’s current senior process resource during a planned knowledge-transfer period and will progressively assume ownership of LET’s process design methodology, tools, standards, historical operating knowledge, and treatment technologies.
Job Summary & Responsibilities
Process Engineering & Design
- Lead wastewater process engineering and process design activities for proposals, active projects, upgrades, and existing facilities.
- Develop and review process calculations, design criteria, equipment sizing, hydraulic and treatment assumptions, loading evaluations, and treatment performance expectations.
- Own and maintain LET’s Process Engineering Guide (PEG) spreadsheet and associated design tools, assumptions, equations, reference data, and design standards.
- Continuously improve LET’s design methodology using operating data, field experience, research, and lessons learned from completed projects.
- Evaluate project-specific risks, design limitations, process constraints, and opportunities for value engineering while maintaining treatment performance and project objectives.
- Develop process flow diagrams, process layouts, equipment concepts, and AutoCAD drawings in support of proposals and project execution.
- Prepare plans and specifications when required and provide hands-on engineering support beyond quality-control review.
Quality Control & Technical Documentation
- Perform technical quality-control reviews of process designs, calculations, plans and specifications, equipment selections, submittals, and project documentation.
- Establish and maintain standardized process engineering QC procedures, checklists, calculation templates, design criteria, and technical documentation.
- Review project submittals for consistency with LET design intent, contractual requirements, process performance requirements, and company standards.
- Support continuous improvement and standardization of engineering deliverables across proposals and executed projects.
Facility Performance, Warranty & Data Analysis
- Lead technical analysis of operating facilities, with particular focus on projects under process warranty and key installations.
- Compare actual facility performance against design assumptions and identify operational, mechanical, or process-related causes of performance deviations.
- Develop technical recommendations, corrective-action plans, optimization strategies, and follow-up monitoring plans.
- Maintain organized facility performance data and use operating results to improve future designs, process assumptions, and technology application.
Field Support & Troubleshooting
- Provide onsite technical support for startup, commissioning, process optimization, performance testing, and troubleshooting of LET systems.
- Conduct site evaluations and work directly with operators, engineers, contractors, customers, and LET staff to diagnose process and equipment performance issues.
- Prepare field findings, technical recommendations, action plans, and follow-up documentation.
- Support resolution of complex process issues involving aeration, lagoon treatment, nitrification, nutrient removal, solids management, fixed-film processes, and associated treatment equipment.
Sales & Proposal Support
- Serve as a senior technical resource to the sales and applications teams during proposal development.
- Perform preliminary process designs, design calculations, equipment sizing, technical evaluations, and value-engineering reviews for opportunities.
- Prepare or support proposal drawings and AutoCAD layouts, process narratives, technical clarifications, design exceptions, and other proposal documentation.
- Participate in technical discussions with customers, consulting engineers, representatives, and vendors as needed to support project development and technical positioning.
Technology Ownership, R&D & Continuous Improvement
- Develop and maintain a deep understanding of LET’s historical designs, installed facilities, operating experience, process limitations, and application criteria.
- Support research and development initiatives, pilot testing, new product evaluation, treatment-process improvements, and development of new applications.
- Translate R&D findings, field experience, and operating data into practical design guidance, standardized tools, and improvements to LET products and processes.
Leadership, Mentoring & Knowledge Transfer
- Mentor engineers and technical staff in wastewater process design, calculations, troubleshooting, technical writing, and engineering judgment.
- Review and provide technical direction on work completed by junior and mid-level engineering staff.
- Develop internal training materials and provide technical training on LET processes, technologies, design standards, and lessons learned.
- Lead structured knowledge transfer with the current senior process resource over the transition period to ensure continuity of institutional and technical knowledge.
- Develop toward leadership of the Process Engineering division, including technical priorities, resource planning, design consistency, staff development, and continuous improvement.
Cross-Functional Engineering Support
- Collaborate with Engineering, Operations, Project Management, Sales, Field Service, and customers throughout the project lifecycle.
- Provide technical support from proposal development through design, submittal, installation, startup, warranty, and aftermarket support.
- Support mechanical and equipment-related evaluations involving blowers, aeration systems, controls, piping, diffusers, mixers, and other wastewater treatment equipment.
- Identify opportunities to improve constructability, cost, reliability, standardization, and overall project execution.
Job Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Civil, Environmental, Chemical, or related Engineering discipline; Master’s degree in Environmental Engineering or a related field is a plus.
- 8+ years of progressively responsible wastewater engineering experience, with strong experience in biological wastewater treatment process design.
- Demonstrated ability to independently develop and review wastewater process calculations, design criteria, treatment concepts, equipment sizing, and process performance evaluations.
- Experience with lagoon-based wastewater treatment strongly preferred.
- Experience with nutrient removal, nitrification/denitrification, fixed-film processes, MBBR, tertiary treatment, filtration, aeration systems, and related wastewater technologies preferred.
- Strong experience reviewing and/or developing plans and specifications, engineering submittals, process calculations, and technical project documentation.
- Strong analytical skills with demonstrated experience evaluating facility operating data and troubleshooting wastewater treatment performance.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including development and maintenance of engineering calculation tools and design spreadsheets.
- Working proficiency in AutoCAD or similar drafting software and ability to prepare or modify proposal and project drawings.
- Experience with wastewater process modeling software such as BioWin preferred.
- Professional Engineer (PE) license preferred; ability to obtain PE licensure is strongly desired.
- Strong technical writing, communication, organization, and interpersonal skills.
- Demonstrated ability to mentor engineers, transfer technical knowledge, and provide technical leadership across departments.
- Ability and willingness to travel to project sites for startup, troubleshooting, performance evaluation, and customer support.
- Strong mechanical aptitude and familiarity with wastewater process equipment including PD blowers, pumps, mixers, aeration equipment, controls, piping, and related appurtenances.
- Ability to work independently, manage multiple technical priorities, exercise sound engineering judgment, and drive continuous improvement.
Benefits & Compensation
- Competitive salary
- Medical benefits including dental
- Insurance benefits including life insurance
- Retirement benefits including company matching
- Paid holidays, sick, and personal leave
- Flexible work
Phone: (612) 253-2000
E-mail: careers@lemna.com