Planning Analyst

About the role

Planning Analyst – LCA WaterWorks Help shape the future of water in the Lehigh Valley! Are you someone who thinks beyond the project in front of you, and wants a hand in shaping how a growing region delivers safe, reliable water and wastewater service for decades to come?

As a Planning Analyst at LCA WaterWorks (LCA) in Allentown, PA, you'll lead planning studies that protect public health and the environment - work that reaches from addressing sanitary sewer overflows and changing source water quality conditions to meeting increasingly stringent treatment goals. You'll help protect drinking water from emerging contaminants, develop new treatment solutions, pilot innovative technologies, and develop new approaches to water reuse. Along the way, you'll work closely with experienced leaders at LCA and our teaming partners, and collaborate directly with operators and field services teams. This is a strategic, high-impact role where planning meets execution. You'll influence major infrastructure investment decisions while collaborating with municipalities, regulators, and internal teams to ensure the region's systems can meet evolving demand. If you're energized by complex systems, meaningful public impact, and the opportunity to think beyond the immediate project, this is a role where your work truly matters - we'd love to hear from you!

Responsibilities

• Lead planning studies that protect public health and the environment, addressing challenges such as sanitary sewer overflows, changing source water quality conditions, and more stringent treatment goals
• Help protect drinking water from emerging contaminants and develop new treatment solutions
• Pilot innovative technologies and develop new approaches to water reuse
• Evaluate at-risk pipeline crossings and help plan for armoring along river beds
• Direct and execute infiltration and inflow (I&I) reduction initiatives to improve system performance and reduce excess treatment costs
• Produce and manage technical planning studies, including hydraulic modeling, watershed planning, and water supply optimization
• Serve as a technical resource on system planning, evaluating treatment, distribution, and collection asset capacity and identifying capital investment needs
• Analyze system data such as sewer metering and billing trends to uncover anomalies and inform operational and financial decisions
• Work closely with experienced leaders at LCA and teaming partners, and collaborate with operators and field services teams to keep planning grounded in how the system actually runs
• Collaborate with municipal leaders, regulators, and large customers to address compliance requirements and advance regional service strategies
• Coordinate closely with internal teams to ensure a smooth transition of projects from planning through design and construction

Requirements

• Around 5+ years of experience in water or wastewater engineering within a utility, municipality, or consulting environment
• Hands-on experience with system planning, hydraulic modeling, or infrastructure design - and the ability to interpret complex operational data
• A strong foundation in water and wastewater systems, including collection, treatment, transmission, or supply management
• Working knowledge of environmental and utility regulations such as the Clean