Lead Design Engineer (Water Treatment)

Location: San Diego, California, USA; office-based with 10–25% travel to fabrication shops, vendor facilities, and project sites

Salary: $100,000–$130,000 per year, plus an annual bonus

Company

hirify.global provides environmental solutions that address complex regulatory, operational, and environmental challenges through engineering, science, data, and field expertise.

What you will do

• Serve as Engineer in Responsible Charge and lead conceptual and detailed design of water treatment systems for PFAS and other emerging contaminants.
• Develop equipment sizing and selection, piping and pump systems, hydraulic calculations, layouts, specifications, and integrated multidisciplinary design packages.
• Coordinate process, mechanical, electrical, controls, structural, subcontractor, and vendor activities while managing design priorities, resources, risks, and schedules.
• Lead Safety-in-Design, PSM, HAZOP, internal, and client design reviews; verify equipment, materials, codes, and specifications.
• Support fabrication, construction, startup, and commissioning through RFIs, submittals, engineering directives, acceptance testing, and installation sign-off.
• Represent hirify.global with clients and vendors, support proposals and RFPs/RFQs, and mentor Design Engineers I–III.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, industrial, civil and environmental, chemical, or process engineering from an accredited university.
• Active Professional Engineer (PE) license in any U.S. state and willingness to obtain additional state registrations as required.
• Typically 10+ years of engineering experience, including mechanical design of water or wastewater treatment systems and leadership of projects through construction and startup.
• Hands-on experience with fabrication, construction, or commissioning of treatment equipment and working knowledge of process, electrical, instrumentation and controls, and structural disciplines.
• Proficiency in AutoCAD, Bluebeam, and Microsoft Office; experience with PipeFLO or similar hydraulic software.
• Ability to travel domestically and internationally up to 25%, with strong communication, organization, leadership, client, vendor, and mentoring skills.

Nice to have

• Experience with PFAS or emerging-contaminant treatment, including foam fractionation, ion exchange, or adsorption.
• Experience designing packaged, skid-mounted, or modular treatment systems.
• Experience leading HAZOP, PSM, or other formal hazard reviews.
• 3D plant design experience, such as AutoCAD Plant 3D.
• Experience supervising engineering staff.

Culture & Benefits

• Mission focused on environmental responsibility, human progress, and real-world impact.
• Collaboration across scientific, engineering, consulting, and field disciplines.
• Opportunity to see designs fabricated, installed, and operating rather than working only in a consulting capacity.
• Annual bonus in addition to the stated compensation range.
• Equal opportunity employment with reasonable accommodation available for applicants.