Water System Mechanical Engineer

• 1 Year contract
• $85.83/hr
• On-site in Berkeley

Somewhere behind the walls of a cutting-edge accelerator facility an invisible network of pumps exchangers and ultra-pure water loops is quietly doing the hard work: pulling heat away from equipment that pushes the boundaries of physics. That network needs an owner. Thats you.

Were looking for a Water Systems Engineer to take technical ownership of the cooling and process water infrastructure powering a major scientific research campus including a large-scale capital upgrade project currently underway. If you love solving real engineering problems with real consequences and you want your fingerprints on systems that keep world-class science running 24/7 this is the seat.

• Youll own something real. Not a slice of a system the whole thing. Design operation reliability and continuous improvement of cooling water infrastructure are yours to drive.
• High-stakes high-trust work. These systems support sensitive scientific equipment where downtime isnt an option. Your decisions matter and youll be trusted to make them.
• Design and build and run it. This isnt a design-only or maintenance-only role. Youll architect systems specify equipment manage installation and then operate what you built.
• Constant variety. One day youre deep in hydraulic calculations and P&IDs; the next youre troubleshooting a resin bed coordinating a shutdown or reviewing a contractors installation work.

Design & engineer the systems

• Architect cooling water systems from the ground up P&IDs flow diagrams hydraulic calculations equipment specs
• Analyze heat transfer fluid flow pump sizing pressure drops thermal stability and water quality
• Specify and oversee procurement of pumps heat exchangers filtration expansion tanks piping valves instrumentation and treatment systems
• Ensure everything meets ASME ANSI California code and lab engineering standards

Run the operation

• Own daily operation of closed-loop low-conductivity water (LCW) and deionized (DI) water systems resistivity dissolved oxygen pH the works
• Manage chemical dosing UV sterilizers mixed-bed deionizers and RO systems to fend off biological growth scaling and corrosion
• Build and run preventive maintenance programs; troubleshoot pump failures resin degradation leaks and everything in between
• Plan and commission system expansions and retrofits choosing the right materials (think PVDF electropolished stainless) to protect ultra-pure water quality

Lead the projects

• Take water-system projects from concept through installation and commissioning
• Coordinate contractors vendors and installation crews
• Build schedules cost estimates and technical scopes
• Review installation quality against your own specs

Keep it safe and documented

• Participate in hazard analyses and readiness reviews
• Maintain clean accurate engineering documentation and support change control
• Support lockout/tagout planning and safety procedures

• Bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering (or closely related field)
• 8 years of relevant engineering experience with substantial time spent designing operating or maintaining industrial process or facility water systems
• Real hands-on knowledge of low-conductivity and deionized water systems you know how to protect purity prevent corrosion and troubleshoot fast
• Experience with closed-loop cooling systems process utilities and industrial piping
• Comfort reading and producing engineering drawings and P&IDs
• Working knowledge of pumps heat exchangers cooling towers water treatment and controls
• A troubleshooters mindset and strong root-cause analysis instincts
• The ability to juggle multiple projects in a complex live operational environment
• Communication skills sharp enough to brief both a technician and a director

• A Professional Engineer (PE) license
• Experience with large scientific facilities accelerators semiconductor fabs or other high-availability technical infrastructure
• Exposure to EPICS or industrial controls integration
• Experience with vibration-sensitive or thermally stable cooling systems
• Reliability-centered maintenance know-how
• Background in a national-laboratory or similarly regulated research environment

Expect a mix of office lab mechanical room and construction-site time. Occasional after-hours or weekend support may be needed during shutdowns or commissioning events and some work happens in confined mechanical spaces around industrial equipment. If youd rather be moving between problems than staring at the same spreadsheet all day youll feel right at home.

The systems youll own are the thermal backbone of a facility pushing the edge of scientific discovery. Every degree of temperature stability every part-per-billion of water purity every minute of uptime you protect translates directly into research that couldnt happen without you. This is engineering with a mission behind it.

Ready to keep the mission running Apply today.