About the role

As Principal Wastewater Process Engineer, you will serve as the primary technical authority on the integration of CREW’s process optimization & decarbonization solution within biological treatment at utilities across the country and world. You will go beyond the typical engineering design process to drive CREW’s technical strategy. This is a leadership-critical role designed for a senior expert who can interpret complex data to drive internal R&D and operations, while influencing external utility leadership.

You will play a pivotal role in accelerating the application of CREW’s technology by translating data from laboratory studies and full-scale deployments into rigorous, defensible technical insight. You will quantify and articulate the value CREW delivers through process intensification within biological treatment systems, and you will drive the internal data collection, analysis, and modeling required to support those conclusions and enable scale across municipal wastewater resource recovery facilities (WRRFs).

Through deep analysis of deployment data, you will generate the clear, credible interpretations needed to demonstrate our technology’s operational and economic value to utilities and other stakeholders via improved biological treatment, process intensification, and greenhouse gas removal. You will oversee experimental and analytical design for lab and field teams, ensuring that every experiment and data stream directly supports technical validation, operational readiness, and scale-up of CREW’s process optimization and decarbonization solutions.

This position is a full-time role. Location will be onsite at our office in Brooklyn, NY or New Haven, CT.

Responsibilities

• Lead Technical Strategy: Lead the technical strategy and implementation of CREW’s solution at the intersection of biological nutrient removal (BNR), chemical dosing, and downstream processes.
• Expert Data Interpretation: Analyze operational data from CREW’s deployments, identify metrics to track performance, and drive actionable decisions toward operational improvements or new solutions.
• Experimental Oversight: Direct the Tech and Operations teams on experimental protocols and data collection requirements to rigorously validate process performance.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Serve as the subject matter expert in client engagements to support Commercial Team by providing the scientific rigor and operational confidence required to influence decision makers, engineering staff, plant supervisors, and operators.
• Process Modeling & Design: Support the development of mechanistic process models and mass/energy balances, and while offering technical guidance for CREW’s Tech & Ops teams on process and process-mechanical problems.
• Troubleshooting & Optimization: Lead the diagnosis of complex process issues in the field and propose robust solutions that maintain treatment efficiency and CO₂ removal targets.
• Technical Documentation: Author high-level technical reports, white papers, and design standards that solidify CREW’s position as an industry leader in process intensification and optimization.
• Continuous Improvement: Mentor teammates and champion design standards to ensure lessons learned are captured across all global deployments.

Experience Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree (required) in Environmental Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, or a related field; a Master’s or PhD degree is a bonus.
• 15-20+ years of experience in wastewater process engineering, biological treatment design, or related fields.
• Strong understanding of wastewater treatment processes, including nutrient removal, solids handling, and pH and alkalinity control.
• Experience developing and reviewing PFDs, P&IDs, site layouts, mass balance calculations, and process unit design.
• Familiarity with process modeling tools (BioWin, SUMO, GPS-X, ASM libraries, or equivalent).
• Comfortable working in a rapidly evolving startup setting and able to quickly synthesize new information to proactively adjust focus and maintain high-impact results.
• Ability to travel periodically to project sites.
• You practice extreme ownership (no task is too small).
• You love being in the trenches with your team and working with high empathy.
• You have a growth mindset.

Bonus Qualifications

• Experience with capital improvements, facility expansions, or process upgrades at municipal WRRFs.
• Experience in carbon capture, carbonate chemistry, or water-chemistry-based carbon removal technologies.
• Field experience with pilot systems, process commissioning, or operational troubleshooting is highly desirable.
• Experience integrating instrumentation, controls, and monitoring systems for process optimization.
• Experience with CAD software, including AutoCAD, Civil 3D, or Revit.

Compensation

The annual salary range for this position is competitive and will depend on many factors including experience, education, and expertise. We offer a competitive benefits package with insurance, vacation, retirement, and equity options.

About the company

CREW’s technology and services make wastewater treatment cheaper and more efficient, while permanently sequestering CO₂.

Leveraging advanced chemistry, natural minerals, and AI, we’ve developed and are deploying a category-defining process intensification technology, with decarbonization at its core. Today, we help wastewater treatment facilities and operators:

• Stabilize pH & alkalinity 24/7
• Eliminate hazardous chemicals & cut costs
• Avoid $100M+ infrastructure upgrades
• Capture & Store CO₂

We are currently deploying this technology across the US and Europe. In addition, we’ve signed $30M+ in carbon removal offtake agreements with leading corporations looking to meet their climate goals, supercharging geographical CREW’s expansion.

CREW has offices and labs in New Haven, CT and Brooklyn, NY.

CREW highlights

• Signed a carbon credit offtake agreement with the Frontier Buyers, such as JP Morgan, Google, Autodesk, and others in 2024
• Selected as 1 of 24 companies by the US Department of Energy in 2024 to be a potential supplier of high-quality carbon credits to the federal government
• Highlighted as an “Innovator of the Month” by US Senator Chris Murphy in 2024
• Selected by ImagineH2O, the leading water sector innovation accelerator in 2024
• Highlighted by Business Insider as “One of the Most Promising Climate-Tech Startups of 2023