Senior Utility Engineer Water/Wastewater

Vikus Water is seeking a Senior Utility Engineer to lead the planning, design, permitting, construction, and startup of water, wastewater, and reuse facilities within The Villages community. This role offers direct project ownership and opportunities to act as the Utility Representative, Program Manager, and Design Engineer across the full lifecycle of large-scale utility systems, delivering reliable infrastructure that meets regulatory requirements.

Location

The Villages, FL (onsite)

Salary

USD 130,000 - 230,000 per year

Responsibilities

• Provide management and technical direction for planning, design, permitting, construction, and startup of water, wastewater, and reuse facilities, owning outcomes related to capacity, treatment performance, reliability, and regulatory compliance.
• Direct internal engineering staff and external consultants responsible for utility planning, design, and construction support; assign work, set priorities, review technical products, and enforce quality and schedule expectations.
• Establish and approve design criteria for water, wastewater, and reuse facilities, transmission and collection systems, pump stations, and related infrastructure; make final technical decisions on treatment processes, redundancy, hydraulic profiles, and major equipment.
• Own long-range capital improvement planning for utility systems, including project identification, prioritization, scope definition, cost estimates, scheduling, and alignment with funding, rate models, and impact fee programs.
• Direct preparation of engineering reports, plans, specifications, and procurement documents for capital projects; approve technical scope before advertisement and lead the evaluation of bids and qualifications.
• Serve as the owner’s technical authority during construction; control scope, evaluate change orders, resolve technical disputes, review pay applications, and ensure conformance with contract documents for treatment, mechanical, electrical, and instrumentation systems.
• Lead facility startup, commissioning, and performance testing; coordinate with operations staff, contractors, and regulators to achieve permitted capacity, effluent limits, and operational stability.
• Lead permitting strategy for regulatory agencies (FDEP and Water Management District) for water, wastewater, reuse, residuals, and wells; represent the utility in pre-application meetings and enforce permit conditions through construction and startup.
• Prepare, review, and certify engineering reports, permit applications, and technical correspondence submitted to regulatory agencies.
• Direct engineering investigations and master planning studies, including population and demand projections, treatment process evaluations, residuals management, reuse integration, and selection of preferred alternatives based on technical risk and lifecycle cost.
• Review development and site plans for utility impacts, system capacity, and compliance with adopted utility standards and regulatory constraints; coordinate conditions of service with planning and development staff.
• Integrate operations and maintenance requirements into all planning, design, and construction decisions, addressing access, redundancy, chemical handling, safety, and long-term maintainability.
• Manage the utility engineering budget, consultant contracts, and technical components of capital project expenditures.
• Conduct targeted field inspections and site visits required to resolve design, constructability, compliance, or startup issues.

Requirements

• B.S. Degree in Civil or Environmental Engineering
• 10-20 years of experience in engineering for water/wastewater utilities
• Professional licensure (preferred)
• Strong oral presentation and written communication skills
• Ability to work effectively in multidisciplinary teams and meet deadlines
• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel and Word

Technologies

• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft Word

Benefits

• Competitive salary
• Bi-annual bonus eligibility after 6 months
• Relocation assistance
• Comprehensive medical coverage and term life insurance provided at no cost for the employee
• Dental, vision, supplemental life, disability, legal, hospitalization and other voluntary options available
• 401(k) with employer match
• Generous vacation, sick leave, and paid holidays
• Charter School eligibility (K - 12) for employees and businesses located in The Villages community
• Long-term client base with no need for business development
• Unlimited growth potential

Application question(s)

• This is an in-person position located in The Villages, FL 32163.