Design Task Leader / Senior Project Manager - Desalination

Ardurra is looking to hire an experienced Design Task Leader / Senior Project Manager to support desalination projects in Texas. This role involves leading the full lifecycle delivery of complex desalination and advanced treatment projects, ensuring exceptional client outcomes while managing multidisciplinary teams and project financial performance.

Responsibilities:

• Lead planning, design, and execution of large desalination and advanced treatment projects, including seawater and brackish reverse osmosis facilities
• Direct multidisciplinary teams through all project phases, from conceptual development and basis-of-design through detailed design, procurement support, construction-phase services, startup, and commissioning
• Define project scope, work plans, staffing plans, schedules, budgets, deliverable milestones, and quality review checkpoints
• Manage project financial performance, including forecasting, change management, invoicing, accounts receivable follow-up, and overall project profitability
• Apply strong project controls and risk-management practices to maintain performance against scope, schedule, and budget objectives
• Serve as a senior technical leader for desalination systems and advanced treatment processes, including pretreatment, membrane systems, reverse osmosis, energy recovery, chemical systems, post-treatment, and concentrate/brine management
• Oversee development and review of key technical deliverables such as basis-of-design memoranda, process flow diagrams, P&IDs, technical specifications, design criteria, equipment selection documentation, and lifecycle or alternative analyses
• Guide pilot testing, process evaluations, and technology selection efforts where required
• Ensure designs are practical, constructible, code-compliant, and aligned with client, regulatory, operational, and maintainability requirements
• Coordinate with internal and external subject matter experts across civil, mechanical, structural, electrical, instrumentation and controls, coastal/marine, geotechnical, and permitting disciplines
• Build, lead, and mentor high-performing project teams
• Provide technical guidance, coaching, and quality oversight to project managers, discipline leads, and design staff
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, quality, and client service excellence

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Civil, Environmental, Chemical, Mechanical, or related Engineering field
• 15–30+ years of experience in water infrastructure project delivery, with significant experience in desalination and/or advanced treatment
• Professional Engineer (PE) license required or ability to obtain reciprocity as needed
• Demonstrated success leading large, complex, multidisciplinary design projects for municipal, utility, or industrial clients
• Strong experience with one or more of the following: seawater reverse osmosis, brackish reverse osmosis, pretreatment systems, post-treatment/stabilization, concentrate/brine management, intake/outfall systems, pilot testing, and startup/commissioning
• Experience with alternative delivery, design-build, progressive design-build, or EPC-adjacent coordination is strongly preferred