Process Engineer (Water Technology)

About Us

Gradiant is a Different Kind of Water Company. With a full suite of differentiated and proprietary end-to-end solutions for advanced water and wastewater treatment powered by the top minds in water, the company serves its clients' mission-critical operations in the world's essential industries, including semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, food & beverage, lithium and critical minerals, and renewable energy. Gradiant's innovative solutions reduce water used and wastewater discharged, reclaim valuable resources, and renew wastewater into freshwater. The Boston-headquartered company was founded at MIT and has over 1,400 employees worldwide. Discover us at www.gradiant.com.

Job Summary:

The Process Engineer within the New Products and Innovation program will play a key role in the development, validation, and scale-up of emerging industrial wastewater treatment solution.

The candidate will contribute to the scale-up of new technologies from bench to pilot to full-scale commercial deployment, bridging fundamental process understanding with practical engineering execution for end-to-end technology development and implementation. The role includes project coordination across internal teams, vendors, and customers to ensure successful delivery of pilot and demonstration projects.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop process design basis, technical specifications, operating windows, and performance assumptions/claims
• Maintain and standardize process design templates, calculation methods, and engineering tools
• Develop and improve internal tools for process design and equipment sizing
• Design and execute experiments, including building and operating bench-scale and pilot-scale systems for proof-of-concept (POC), design verification, and validation
• Lead pilot system design, setup, commissioning, and troubleshooting activities
• Conduct technical risk assessments (e.g., HAZOP), including identification of failure modes, mitigations, and control strategies
• Develop control philosophy and functional narratives in collaboration with PLC programmers to ensure robust system automation
• Coordinate engineering inputs required for GA drawings, 2D layouts, and 3D models
• Ensure technical deliverables are accurate, consistent, and aligned with validated performance data
• Work closely with Engineering and Manufacturing teams to translate R&D outputs into standardized, repeatable, and manufacturable design packages
• Establish commissioning and acceptance protocols, troubleshooting playbooks, and field readiness standards
• Support on-site commissioning and pilot studies as required
• Capture field learnings and translate them into design improvements, tool enhancements, and updated engineering standards
• Collaborate with commercial teams to incorporate feedback from operating projects into design improvements
• Execute NPI plans, including scope definition, milestones, and resource planning
• Support proposal and regional manufacturing teams in conducting costing exercise, drafting budgetary and technical proposal for solution packages offering

Requirements

• Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD degree in Chemical, Environmental, Mechanical Engineering (or equivalent)
• 3–5 years of experience in the water industry (EPC, OEM, or water technology/solution companies preferred)
• Demonstrated experience in industrial wastewater treatment solutions
• Hands-on experience with pilot systems, commissioning, and troubleshooting
• Strong foundation in process design, including mass balance and cost estimation
• Experience in preparing design documents (i.e., PFDs, P&IDs, Equipment list, Instrument list, 2D layout and GA drawings)
• Strong project management and organizational skills; able to manage multiple tasks simultaneously

Gradiant is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class.