Water/Wastewater Engineer - Design/Build Lead
Primary Function
This person will bring strong Design-Build leadership experience to guide multidisciplinary teams through planning, design, and delivery of complex municipal water and wastewater infrastructure projects across North Carolina and the mid-Atlantic. This role is ideal for an engineer who thrives in a collaborative, fast-paced environment where technical excellence meets innovative project delivery. You will serve as a key technical lead and client-facing partner, supporting pursuits, leading design execution, coordinating with construction teams, and ensuring high-quality, on-time outcomes aligned with project goals.
Primary Duties
- Oversee the full design lifecycle for water and wastewater treatment facilities, pump stations, pipelines, and related infrastructure within a Design-Build or progressive Design-Build framework.
- Manage scope, schedule, budget, QA/QC efforts, and risk assessments while maintaining strong relationships with contractors, subconsultants, and municipal partners.
- Provide advanced engineering analysis, modeling, design documentation, and technical decision-making for process, hydraulic, structural, and site components.
- Mentor junior engineers, coordinate multidisciplinary design teams, and ensure alignment between engineering and construction activities.
- Engage with municipal utilities, regulatory agencies, and project stakeholders throughout planning, permitting, design, and delivery.
- Contribute to technical sections of proposals, assist in developing design concepts, participate in interviews, and help shape Design-Build strategies.
Education and Experience Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Civil, Environmental, or Mechanical Engineering (or related field).
- Master's degree preferred
- 6+ years of experience in water/wastewater engineering including treatment process design, advanced treatment technologies, and utility master planning
- Working knowledge of North Carolina DEQ regulations and permitting requirements
- Experience collaborating directly with contractors in a design-build environment
- Demonstrated experience with Design-Build or progressive Design-Build delivery methods
- Professional Engineer (PE) license in North Carolina or ability to obtain within 6 months preferred
- Proven ability to lead technical teams and manage client relationships
- PMP Certification or training in project management methodologies preferred
Why Ardurra?
While Ardurra offers competitive compensation and rich benefits programs, it is our culture that truly sets us apart from our peers. We nurture a family-like culture, striving to create a work environment that is enjoyable, challenging and rewarding but also fun. We are acutely focused on developing our staff, whether through our internal Ardurra Academy or through our industry-leading Leadership program. We have made a deliberate and focused commitment to nurture a people-centric culture where people are: valued as individuals; supported in their professional and career development with multiple, varied career paths; provided the tools and resources to be successful, engaged, and satisfied in their work; and positive benefits, time-off programs, and flexibility to help maintain a healthy balance between work and home.
About the Role
Ardurra is seeking an experienced Water/Wastewater Engineer - Design/Build Lead to join our team in Charlotte, North Carolina or any of our North Carolina Offices. Our innovative water and wastewater engineers collaborate closely with clients to plan, design, permit, and construct systems that address their needs comprehensively. This approach allows our clients to make smarter investments, resulting in lower life cycle costs and additional benefits. As a recognized leader in the mid-Atlantic water industry, our projects encompass treatment and infrastructure initiatives for municipal and institutional clients, ranging from drinking water supply to water reuse and wastewater management. We support projects of all sizes within a flexible and innovative team environment.
Qualifications
Comprehensive qualifications for this position include:
- Bachelor’s degree in Civil, Environmental, or Mechanical Engineering (or related field).
- Master's degree preferred
- 6+ years of experience in water/wastewater engineering including treatment process design, advanced treatment technologies, and utility master planning
- Working knowledge of North Carolina DEQ regulations and permitting requirements
- Experience collaborating directly with contractors in a design-build environment
- Demonstrated experience with Design-Build or progressive Design-Build delivery methods
- Professional Engineer (PE) license in North Carolina or ability to obtain within 6 months preferred
- Proven ability to lead technical teams and manage client relationships
- PMP Certification or training in project management methodologies preferred
Skills
The ideal candidate should possess the following skills:
- Strong Design-Build leadership experience
- Collaborative and fast-paced environment
- Technical excellence
- Innovative project delivery
- Technical analysis, modeling, design documentation, and decision-making
- Mentoring junior engineers
- Coordination of multidisciplinary design teams
- Alignment between engineering and construction activities
- Engagement with municipal utilities, regulatory agencies, and project stakeholders
- Technical proposal writing
- Proposal development
- Interview participation
- Design-Build strategy shaping
Benefits
We offer a comprehensive benefits package including:
- Competitive compensation
- Rich benefits programs
- Family-like culture
- Multiple, varied career paths
- Tools and resources for success
- Positive benefits, time-off programs, and flexibility
Pay
Compensation is commensurate with experience.
Schedule
Flexible scheduling to accommodate the needs of the role and the team.
Notice to Third Party Agencies
We are not currently accepting unsolicited resumes from recruiters or agencies. Unsolicited resumes will not result in a referral fee and will be considered property of Ardurra. Ardurra does not accept unsolicited resumes from recruiters or agencies. In the absence of a signed Agency Agreement, Ardurra will not consider or agree to payment of any referral compensation or recruiter fee. If a resume or candidate is submitted to any hiring manager without a previously signed agreement, Ardurra reserves the right to pursue and hire those candidate(s) without any financial obligation to the recruiter or agency. These candidates will be considered property of Ardurra. We’re not currently looking to add any more agencies to our list of approved vendors, so please do not contact any of our managers or recruitment team with sales calls or details of your candidates.