Sr. Water Quality Engineer
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Senior Water Quality Engineer
Position Summary
The Senior Water Quality Engineer is responsible for providing technical leadership for water quality programs that support the design, construction, commissioning, and operation of mission-critical data center infrastructure. This role focuses on optimizing water quality and treatment for cooling systems, chilled water plants, cooling towers, reclaimed water systems, and other mechanical infrastructure to maximize reliability, efficiency, and sustainability.
Working closely with engineering, EHS, operations, and sustainability teams, the Senior Water Quality Engineer develops water management strategies, establishes technical standards, evaluates emerging technologies, and supports portfolio projects from concept through operations.
This role requires work hours to support a 7X24X365 data center environment.
RESPONSIBILITIES, other duties may be assigned.
- Lead the development and implementation of water quality strategies for hyperscale and enterprise data center campuses.
- Establish engineering standards for cooling water chemistry, treatment programs, and system performance.
- Support the design, commissioning, operation, and maintenance of cooling towers, chilled water systems, heat rejection equipment, and associated water infrastructure.
- Evaluate municipal, reclaimed, groundwater, and alternative water sources for data center cooling applications.
- Develop water balance models and optimize facility Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE).
- Collaborate with engineering and sustainability teams to integrate water-efficient cooling solutions into data center designs.
- Analyze water chemistry, corrosion, scaling, microbiological activity, and treatment performance to ensure long-term equipment reliability.
- Develop water management plans that comply with applicable regulations and industry standards, including Legionella risk management.
- Review water treatment vendor performance and recommend improvements to chemical treatment programs.
- Support commissioning activities, startup procedures, and operational readiness for new facilities.
- Investigate water quality incidents, equipment failures, and operational issues, performing root cause analyses and implementing corrective actions.
- Evaluate innovative cooling technologies, including liquid cooling, closed-loop systems, reclaimed water reuse, and alternative cooling strategies.
- Mentor junior engineers and provide technical leadership across multidisciplinary project teams.
- Support global infrastructure expansion by providing subject matter expertise on water quality and water stewardship initiatives.
Qualifications
Basic Qualifications
- Bachelor's of Science degree in Chemical, Mechanical, or Environmental Engineering, OR equivalent professional experience in lieu of degree
- Minimum of seven years of experience in industrial water treatment, water quality engineering, cooling water systems, or mission-critical infrastructure.
- Strong knowledge of cooling water chemistry, corrosion control, scaling prevention, microbiological control, and chemical treatment programs.
- Experience with cooling towers, chilled water plants, condenser water systems, and industrial water treatment.
- Experience managing complex engineering projects across multiple stakeholders.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to interpret water quality data and operational trends.
- Excellent communication, technical writing, and presentation skills.
- Ability to travel (up to 50%) to other Data Center locations as required.
Preferred Qualifications
- Ten or more years of experience in industrial water treatment, water quality engineering, cooling water systems, or mission-critical infrastructure, four or more years of which were conducted in hyperscale or enterprise data centers.
- Knowledge of liquid cooling technologies for high-density computing environments.
- Experience with ASHRAE guidance related to data center cooling and water systems.
- Familiarity with water sustainability strategies, water reuse, and alternative water sourcing.
- Experience supporting commissioning and startup of mission-critical facilities.
- Knowledge of environmental permitting, industrial wastewater management, and stormwater compliance.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
- Advanced knowledge of industrial water treatment and cooling water systems.
- Strong understanding of corrosion science, scaling mechanisms, microbiological control, and water chemistry.
- Knowledge of water efficiency metrics, including Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE).
- Familiarity with CFD-informed cooling strategies and heat rejection systems is desirable.
- Ability to develop engineering standards and best practices for global infrastructure.
- Strong project management and organizational skills.
- Ability to work effectively across multidisciplinary engineering teams.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office, AutoCAD, Bluebeam, BIM collaboration platforms, and water chemistry modeling and data analysis tools.
Working Conditions
- Combination of office, laboratory, and field work.
- Periodic travel (up to 40%) to domestic and international data center sites.
- Site visits may include active construction environments, operating mission-critical facilities, and industrial mechanical plants.
- Occasional after-hours support during commissioning activities or critical operational events.
Core Competencies
- Mission-Critical Infrastructure
- Water Quality Engineering
- Industrial Water Treatment
- Cooling Systems Optimization
- Sustainability & Water Stewardship
- Engineering Standards Development
- Root Cause Analysis
- Project Leadership
- Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Continuous Improvement
We conform to all the laws, statutes, and regulations concerning equal employment opportunities and affirmative action. We strongly encourage women, minorities, individuals with disabilities and veterans to apply to all of our job openings. We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin, age, disability status, Genetic Information & Testing, Family & Medical Leave, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We prohibit retaliation against individuals who bring forth any complaint, orally or in writing, to the employer or the government, or against any individuals who assist or participate in the investigation of any complaint or discrimination claim.
The "Know Your Rights" Poster is included here:
The pay transparency policy is available here:
Pay Transparency Nondiscrimination Poster-Formatted
QTS is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation because of a disability for any part of the employment process, please send an e-mail to [talentacquisition@qtsdatacenters.com](mailto:talentacquisition@qtsdatacenters.com) and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information.
About QTS Realty Trust
QTS Realty Trust is a technology infrastructure company providing data center facilities and managed services.
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