Position Overview
We are seeking a highly experienced Senior Resource for our Water Systems Engineering Team. The ideal candidate must have at least 10,000 hours of focused, hands-on experience in the development, design, and commissioning of water filtration systems. The role requires a professional who has independently worked on pump selection, membrane sizing, filtration architecture , and complete system engineering for industrial water treatment, wastewater treatment, and drinking-water purification plants .
The selected candidate will play a central role in designing and building our 3 MLD advanced water filtration system for the XPRIZE Water Solutions Challenge . This is a senior-level engineering position requiring strong analytical abilities, deep domain knowledge in membrane science and filtration processes, and proven experience in working with multidisciplinary teams.
Key Responsibilities
1. System Design and Engineering
- Lead the complete design of a 3 MLD (Million Liters per Day)water filtration system, including pre-treatment, membrane modules, pump architecture, hydraulics, and polishing stages.
- Develop detailed system block diagrams, P&IDs, mass-balance calculations, hydraulic flow distribution models, and energy-use calculations.
- Perform quick, accurate engineering calculations using fundamental equations such as:
- Evaluate filtration limitations, membrane fouling points, flux decline, recovery ratios, and cleaning requirements.
2. Membrane Technology and Formulations
- Work with membrane scientists to evaluate and develop new membrane formulations , including hollow-fiber, spiral-wound, nano filtration, RO, and UF membranes.
- Select suitable membrane materials based on feed characteristics, fouling potential, water chemistry, and target output.
- Define operating windows, cleaning protocols, and long-term performance characteristics.
3. Pump Selection and Hydraulics
- Select high-efficiency pumps for raw-water intake, high-pressure reverse-osmosis, permeate pumping, recirculation systems, and chemical dosing.
- Size pumps based on TDH, suction head, NPSH, viscosity, salt concentration, and fouling factors.
- Optimize pump stages to reduce energy consumption for a 3 MLD system.
4. System Integration and Prototyping
- Work hands-on with mechanical, electrical, controls, and materials teams to build prototypes and iterate rapidly.
- Develop testing protocols for flow, pressure, fouling rate, recovery, and membrane integrity.
- Troubleshoot issues such as pressure imbalances, scaling, bio-fouling, pump cavitation, or fouling-induced flux decline.
5. Cross-Functional Team Collaboration
- Coordinate with process engineers, electrical engineers, membrane developers, chemists, and fabrication teams.
- Translate design concepts into manufacturability systems.
- Mentor junior team members and guide them in calculations, design logic, and engineering fundamentals.
6. XPRIZE Water Challenge Deliverables
- Oversee all engineering efforts for our XPRIZE submission.
- Prepare system documentation, performance data, energy-efficiency reports, and life-cycle analyses.
- Ensure the 3 MLD system meets XPRIZE scoring criteria on efficiency, cost, reliability, and impact.
Required Experience and Competencies
Technical Expertise
- Minimum 10,000 hours of focused experience in water filtration system engineering.
- Proven experience designing industrial, wastewater, and drinking-water plants of varying capacities.
- Strong knowledge of:
- Reverse osmosis (RO)
- Nanofiltration (NF)
- Ultra-filtration (UF)
- Micro-filtration (MF)
- Activated carbon filters
- Coagulation–flocculation units
- MBR and MBBR systems
- Ability to perform rapid calculations for sizing flows, membrane areas, cross-flow velocities, pump heads, and energy consumption.
- Understanding of membrane limitations, flux decline mechanisms, concentration polarization, and scaling chemistry.
Systems Engineering Background
- Experience breaking down large complex problems into structured sub-systems.
- Familiarity with systems-engineering methods such as requirement mapping, risk analysis, failure-mode analysis, and control-system integration.
- Ability to create detailed engineering documentation, BOMs, process maps, and test procedures.
Hands-On Ability
- Experience building prototypes in field conditions.
- Strong practical understanding of piping layout, flange types, fittings, valves, instrumentation, and controls.
- Ability to independently perform real-world experiments, measure data, and adjust system parameters.
Requirements
Preferred Qualifications
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, or Systems Engineering.
- Experience with membrane R&D or formulation work.
- Experience working on large-scale (>1 MLD) water plants.
- Strong mathematical foundation for fluid mechanics, membrane transport theory, thermodynamics, and mass transfer.
Soft Skills
- Excellent communication and documentation skills.
- Ability to work in high-pressure, goal-driven environments.
- Strong teamwork and leadership capability.
- High accountability and ownership mindset.
References
Primary references used for standard engineering equations and design basis:
- Perry’s Chemical Engineers’ Handbook, 9th Edition – Sections on Fluid Mechanics and Membrane Processes.
- Water Treatment Plant Design, 5th Edition (AWWA/ASCE).
- Membrane Technology and Applications by Richard W. Baker – Fundamentals of RO, NF, UF design.
- WHO Drinking Water Guidelines, 4th Edition – Water quality standards and limits.
- AWWA Manual of Water Supply Practices – M46: Reverse Osmosis and Nanofiltration.