Principal Environmental Engineer

The Principal Environmental Engineer – Operational Reliability and Resilience manages considerable environmental engineering analytical work with primary focus on issues regarding water and wastewater management. This role provides environmental assessment of treated effluent discharge, bio-solids disposal, odor control and air emissions, and various environmental projects and issues. Secondary focus on source water protection and management of hazardous waste contaminated sites.

Essential Functions

- Participates in the formulation and the implementation of long-range plans for various environmental programs such as enhancement of water supply, transmission, distribution, and wastewater collection and treatment facilities including biosolids management

- Prepares, negotiates and manages engineering consulting contracts of a complex nature and prepares task orders, scope of work, cost estimates, change orders and task amendments.

- Creates and reviews environmental studies and investigations related to water supply, wastewater treatment, and biosolids management

- Consults with various groups of the Commission and provides an effective level of internal and external coordination

- Collaborates with operations departments to evaluate and optimize performance

- Performs technical analysis of proposed federal and state regulations and prepares comments and recommended responses to protect Commission interests

- Provides technical expertise for interactions with government and regulatory agencies

- Identifies emerging environmental issues with potential for significant impact on the Commission

- Proposes technical responses for these issues

- Keeps the division manager advised of environmental regulations and policies that impact the Commission

- Participates effectively in the regional and national efforts related to the environmental issues

- Analyzes relevant technical and operational reports, including process and systems efficiency data

- Identifies causes of non-routine events; recommends process and systems control strategies and adjustments to variables affecting the quantity and quality of process effluent

- Identifies how adjustments in one unit process impact other unit processes and overall plant performance

- Recommends practices to ensure that processes and systems meet or exceed Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits, and other federal, state, or local regulatory/environmental requirements

- Designs and implements innovative solutions to enhance water treatment processes, water distribution systems, wastewater conveyance systems, and water resource recovery processes

- Develops conceptual level designs for water and wastewater treatment systems

- Reviews and interprets design drawings, plans, and specifications for proposed changes in existing facilities and for construction of new processes and systems; evaluates designs for functionality, safety, operability, maintainability, cost-effectiveness, efficiency, and compliance with industry practices

- Performs detailed analysis to identify inadequacies, ambiguities, errors, and potential problems

- Supports water and wastewater process and systems technology evaluation and selection

- Supports and works with scientists, engineers and other employees in the study and development of a variety of environmental projects

- Drives a vehicle to conduct WSSC Water business

Other Functions

- Serves as a project team member as required

- Performs other related duties as assigned

Work Environment And Physical Demands

Business casual office environment.

Required Knowledge, Skills, And Abilities

- Comprehensive knowledge of the principles and practices of environmental engineering, particularly practices applicable to the treatment and distribution of water, collection and treatment of sanitary wastewater, biosolids/treatment residuals, air and odor emission, and assessing their environmental impacts

- In depth knowledge of the provisions of the federal and state acts and regulations regarding program areas such as Safe Drinking Water Act, Clean Water Act, and Clean Air Act

- Ability to plan and oversee the work of professional engineers and scientists

- Ability to apply engineering and scientific knowledge to specific processes, planning and leading related research, and conducting monitoring and data analysis for process engineering and operational troubleshooting

- Ability to prepare and effectively present highly technical and complex engineering and scientific reports both verbally and in writing

- Ability to use sound professional engineering judgment; and

- Ability to work effectively with peers in-house and with outside agencies

Minimum Education, Experience Requirements

- Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Engineering or related Engineering field

- 5+ years of experience/research in the practice of professional environmental engineering related to water supply and treatment, wastewater collection and treatment, and/or biosolids treatment and disposal - 2+ years of experience in planning and managing difficult senior engineering projects or planning/leading related research