Wastewater Process Project Manager

Title: Wastewater Process Project Manager Location: Richmond, VA (this role will start remote, then require being onsite as the site progresses)

Type: 2+ year Contract Hourly Pay: $45-$65 per hour, based on level and experience Benefits: Enhanced Benefits (Medical, Dental, Vision), Paid Holidays, PTOEngagement Model and Schedule Anticipated start: mid-August 2026

Hours: Full-time, 40 hours per week

Position Summary: The Owner's Representative – WWTP Process Owner/ Wastewater Process Project Manager leads and oversees the design, permitting, and delivery of a new Wastewater Pretreatment Facility for a biopharmaceutical manufacturing campus. This position acts on behalf of the owner, not performing the design directly but making critical decisions, ensuring all contractors and engineering partners deliver according to the owner's design philosophy, regulatory obligations, and project schedule. The ideal candidate has a strong understanding of wastewater treatment plant operations and process chemistry—including Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Total Nitrogen (TN), and other relevant loading parameters—and is fluent in local code and permitting requirements for industrial sanitary sewer discharge.

Owner's Engineering and Design Oversight: Represent the owner's interests in design and technical meetings with the WWTP contractor, engineering partners, and equipment vendors. Review and comment on design documents, including Design Basis Memorandum, 30/60/90% submittals, process flow diagrams, mass balances, and P&IDs. Ensure adherence to design objectives of reliability, simplicity, automation, compactness, and efficiency; promptly escalate deviations.

Process Group Coordination: Act as primary liaison between the WWTP contractor and the internal process engineering team. Reconcile and communicate all influent waste stream data (including flow, BOD, COD, TN, TSS, phosphorus, chloride) to ensure accurate WWTP sizing.

Technical Fluency: Clearly explain concepts of BOD, COD, nitrogen loading, and compliance requirements to internal and external (non-technical and technical) audiences. Review and challenge contractor process calculations and technology trade-offs (e.g., biological nitrogen removal, equalization sizing, process configuration alternatives).Regulatory and County Interface Act as the owner's representative in communications and meetings with local and regional regulatory authorities on permitting and discharge compliance. Support permit application development, respond to regulator information requests, and advocate for the owner regarding effluent limits and waste load allocations.

Schedule and Milestone Management: Monitor and report progress against the program schedule, including major project milestones (RFP award, design reviews, construction, commissioning, and performance guarantees).Flag potential schedule risks to project leadership.

Cross-Functional Coordination: Coordinate with environmental health and safety, quality assurance, site operations, and the broader engineering team to maintain alignment with the overall project schedule and requirements.

Documentation and Reporting: Maintain thorough records of design decisions, regulatory correspondence, and technical documents. Prepare regular status updates and issue summaries for leadership.

Project Engineering Ownership: Own the schedule, scope, and contractor performance for the WWTP part of the project. Hold contractors and vendors accountable to deliverables and approved timelines. Review and approve/reject scope changes, ensuring updates are reflected in the project baseline. Lead or support management of contractor performance, including deliverables, regular meetings, claims, and change orders. Support change control, ensuring all changes impacting cost or schedule are fully documented and traceable. Serve as the single point of accountability for all day-to-day WWTP scope issues.