Operations Engineer

The Role

Iv3 Aqua is a growing water management company building on the teams three decades of industry-leading experience. Following the well-known industry success stories at Ionics, Inc. and Seven Seas Water/AquaVenture Holdings – both US $1.0+ billion NYSE (New York Stock Exchange) listed w...

The Role
Iv3 Aqua is a growing water management company building on the teams three decades of industry-leading experience. Following the well-known industry success stories at Ionics, Inc. and Seven Seas Water/AquaVenture Holdings – both US $1.0+ billion NYSE (New York Stock Exchange) listed water companies, our team has embarked upon another journey to build a global water and wastewater business for the long-term. Based on our teams experience designing, owning and operating thousands of water and wastewater plants, we are building up Iv3 Aqua to reliably provide water of guaranteed quantity and quality in alignment with our customers goals. Iv3 Aqua is owned by our employees and A.P. Moller Holding A/S. Iv3 Aqua owns a stake in a full service water and wastewater utility in the Philippines, Subic Bay Water & Sewerage Co. (SUBICWATER) and owns and operates a 200,000 m3/d seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination plant in Qurayyat, Sultanate of Oman. See www.iv3aqua.com for additional information. Job location: Bahrain Contract Type: Contract- 1 year with renewal on annual basis Job summary Manage and support the day-to-day technical operations of the reverse osmosis (RO) desalination plant to ensure safe, secure, and reliable operations that meet customer and contractual requirements. Serve as the primary technical point of contact bridging communication between the Customer, the Operations & Maintenance (O&M) Contractor, and the Owner, ensuring plant performance, contractual obligations, and regulatory requirements are clearly understood and consistently met by all parties. Key responsibilities Duties • Provide day-to-day technical support to the O&M Contractor on RO desalination process operations, including pretreatment, RO membrane systems, chemical dosing, energy recovery, and post-treatment/remineralization. • Monitor plant performance data (production rates, recovery, permeate/product water quality, energy consumption, chemical usage) and identify trends or deviations from design and contractual parameters. • Review O&M Contractor reports, maintenance schedules, and performance data for accuracy, completeness, and compliance with contractual and regulatory requirements. • Troubleshoot operational issues and support root cause analysis for equipment failures, process upsets, or water quality excursions. • Support permitting, regulatory compliance, and reporting requirements related to facility operations. • Assist with contract compliance monitoring, KPI tracking, and verification of O&M performance guarantees. • Review and provide technical input on capital improvement projects, equipment upgrades, and process optimization initiatives. • Support incident investigation, corrective action planning, and continuous improvement efforts. • Maintain accurate technical documentation, including O&M manuals, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and as-built records. Coordination, stakeholder & communication management • Serve as the primary technical liaison bridging communication between the Customer, the O&M Contractor, and the Owner regarding plant operations, performance, and maintenance activities. • Facilitate and participate in regular technical meetings and site visits with Owner, Customer, and O&M Contractor representatives. • Liaise with the O&M Contractor to plan maintenance activities, process changes, and performance reviews. • Coordinate with engineering, environmental, and regulatory personnel as needed on facility-related matters. • Report plant performance, technical issues, equipment failures, and improvement recommendations to the Owner and Customer. • Report critical operational issues, non-conformances, and contractual risks to minimize disruption and maintain operational continuity. Policies, processes & procedures • Follow all relevant policies, processes, and standard operating procedures so that work is carried out in a controlled and consistent manner. This includes, but is not limited to, maintaining confidentiality and privacy of company data, as well as adhering to security and safety standards, and following professional ethics and behavioral standards. • Ensure compliance with company engineering standards, contractual requirements, and applicable legal and regulatory requirements. • Report significant operational, contractual, or compliance issues to [Reports To / Management]. • Perform other duties as assigned.

Requirements
Job qualifications and experience requirements • Bachelors Degree in Engineering required; Chemical Engineering strongly preferred. Other related engineering disciplines (Civil, Environmental, or Mechanical) will be considered with directly relevant desalination experience. • Minimum 5 years of hands-on operating experience at a reverse osmosis (RO) desalination facility required. • Demonstrated understanding of RO desalination process fundamentals, including pretreatment, RO membrane systems, chemical dosing, energy recovery, brine management, and post-treatment/remineralization. • Hands-on experience with membrane cleaning-in-place (CIP) procedures, including cleaning chemistry selection, troubleshooting fouling/scaling, and evaluating post-CIP membrane performance. • Experience working with or alongside O&M contractors, owners, and/or customers in a liaison, technical oversight, or owners engineer capacity preferred. • Familiarity with SCADA/DCS systems and plant performance monitoring and reporting tools. • Strong technical and process troubleshooting skills specific to RO desalination operations. • Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate technical information clearly for diverse stakeholder audiences. • Strong interpersonal and relationship-management skills, with the ability to work effectively across multiple stakeholder groups (Customer, O&M Contractor, and Owner). • Ability to work independently, exercise sound engineering judgment, and manage competing priorities. • Proficiency with MS Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint); familiarity with plant historian or SCADA software is a plus. • Working knowledge of relevant regulatory and permitting frameworks applicable to water/desalination facilities. Iv3 Aqua is committed to providing a professional work environment free from discrimination, harassment, and retaliation while providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants.

About the company
Iv3 Aqua is an owner and operator of critical water infrastructure, combining long-term decisive capital, operational expertise, and a commitment to the teams and communities where we operate. Built on three decades of infrastructure heritage, we bring operational credibility, technical expertise and long-term investment to critical water infrastructure across desalination, wastewater and industrial water treatment. Our experience tells us what works, giving us the confidence to invest in doing things the right way. We deliver lasting performance through a culture of respect, trust and empowerment, enabling teams to make better long-term decisions. Free from ties to specific technologies, contractors or equipment providers, every decision we make serves the asset and its long-term health. Backed by strong financial capability and deep industry expertise, we move quickly, commit fully and invest for the long term. Our leadership team has built two NYSE-listed water businesses valued at over $1 billion each, combining investor and operator experience to unlock complex opportunities and create lasting value. We operate locally, trust our teams and invest in people, building sustainable careers and stronger infrastructure for the communities we serve.