U.S. Water, Wastewater & Desalination Jobs – Engineering & Technical Careers
Industry OverviewWater and wastewater treatment, along with desalination, are critical infrastructure sectors in the U.S., ensuring safe drinking water, industrial process water, and environmental compliance. These systems support municipal utilities, industrial facilities, and commercial operations by treating, purifying, and managing water resources efficiently and sustainably.
At Industrial Recruitment Group (IRG), we connect skilled professionals with organizations that design, operate, and maintain water and wastewater systems, including desalination plants, treatment facilities, and industrial water systems. We provide recruitment services across the full lifecycle — engineering, operations, maintenance, and commercial roles — ensuring companies have the right talent to optimize system performance, efficiency, and regulatory compliance.
Key Industries Served
We recruit for sectors that rely on water, wastewater, and desalination systems:
- Municipal Utilities: Drinking water treatment, wastewater management and sludge processing.
- Industrial & Manufacturing: Process water treatment, cooling water systems and wastewater management.
- Food & Beverage: Water purification, wastewater recycling and sanitation compliance.
- Pharmaceutical & Biotech: Ultrapure water systems, sterile water generation and effluent treatment.
- Power & Energy: Cooling water systems, desalination for power plants and process water treatment.
- Desalination Facilities: Brackish water and seawater desalination plants (RO & thermal processes.)
- Commercial Facilities: Water reuse, stormwater management and building water systems.
Equipment & Systems We Cover
Our recruitment expertise spans all critical equipment and systems used in water, wastewater, and desalination applications:
- Pumps & Turbomachinery: Centrifugal pumps, submersible pumps, booster systems and turbines.
- Filtration & Separation: Sand filters, membrane filters, ultrafiltration, microfiltration and clarifiers.
- Chemical Treatment Systems: Dosing pumps, chemical storage, neutralization and disinfection systems.
- Piping & Distribution Systems: Process piping, manifolds and skid-mounted systems.
- Instrumentation & Controls: PLCs, SCADA, sensors and monitoring systems.
- Desalination Equipment: Reverse osmosis, thermal distillation and electrodialysis systems.
- Aeration & Biological Treatment: Diffusers, blowers and activated sludge systems.
- Sludge Handling & Waste Management: Centrifuges, belt presses, digesters and dewatering systems.
- Support & Ancillary Equipment: Storage tanks, valves, heat exchangers and energy recovery systems.
Roles We Recruit
We recruit across technical, operational, and commercial functions in water, wastewater, and desalination:
- Engineering & Design: Civil, Mechanical, Process and Environmental Engineers.
- Projects & Commissioning: Project Managers, Site Engineers and Commissioning Technicians.
- Operations & Maintenance: Plant Operators, Process Technicians and Maintenance Supervisors.
- Commercial & Sales: Technical Sales Engineers, Account Managers and Product Specialists.
- Health, Safety & Quality: HSE Advisors, Quality Engineers and Compliance Officers.
- Leadership & Executive: Plant Managers, Operations Directors and Engineering Managers.
Future Trends & Outlook
The U.S. water and wastewater sector is evolving with a focus on sustainability, energy efficiency, and advanced treatment technologies:
- Energy Efficiency: Pump optimization, variable-speed drives and heat recovery in treatment systems
- Smart Water Systems: IoT-enabled monitoring, predictive maintenance and real-time process control
- Sustainability & Water Reuse: Greywater recycling, stormwater capture and industrial water reuse
- Advanced Treatment Technologies: Membrane filtration, desalination and chemical-free disinfection
- Regulatory Compliance: Stricter EPA and state-level water quality and discharge standards- Health, Safety & Compliance (U.S.)
IRG recruits professionals familiar with U.S. water and wastewater regulations:
- EPA: Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), Clean Water Act (CWA) and NPDES discharge permits.
- OSHA: Worker safety in water and wastewater operations.
- AWWA & WEF Standards: Design, operation and maintenance best practices.
- NFPA / ASME / ANSI: Pressure vessels, piping and mechanical compliance.
- State & Local Codes: Drinking water, wastewater discharge and desalination compliance.
Key Employers & Industry Leaders
We connect professionals with leading U.S. and multinational organizations in water, wastewater, and desalination. Here are some industry leaders:
- Utilities & Municipal Operators: Veolia Water, Suez Water Technologies, American Water and Aqua America.
- Equipment & OEMs: Xylem, Grundfos, Pentair, Danfoss, Flowserve and Evoqua Water Technologies.
- Service & EPC Firms: Turnkey treatment contractors, maintenance providers and water system integrators.
Skills & Competencies
Professionals we recruit typically have expertise in:
- Water and wastewater system design operation and optimization.
- Desalination plant operations and membrane technologies
- Pumping systems, aeration, sludge management- PLC, SCADA and instrumentation integration.
- Energy efficiency and sustainability in water systems.
- Regulatory compliance (EPA, OSHA, AWWA, state/local codes.)
- Technical sales, project management and commissioning.
Why Industrial Recruitment Group?
At IRG, we understand the U.S. water, wastewater, and desalination sectors, and the technical, operational, and regulatory challenges companies face. We connect employers with professionals who can improve system efficiency, ensure regulatory compliance, and optimize operation.