Desalination Engineer Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Work with Us. Change the World.

At AECOM, we're delivering a better world. Whether improving your commute, keeping the lights on, providing access to clean water, or transforming skylines, our work helps people and communities thrive. We are the world's trusted infrastructure consulting firm, partnering with clients to solve the world’s most complex challenges and build legacies for future generations.

There has never been a better time to be at AECOM. With accelerating infrastructure investment worldwide, our services are in great demand. We invite you to bring your bold ideas and big dreams and become part of a global team of over 50,000 planners, designers, engineers, scientists, digital innovators, program and construction managers and other professionals delivering projects that create a positive and tangible impact around the world.

We're one global team driven by our common purpose to deliver a better world. Join us.

We are seeking an accomplished and visionary Global Desalination Practice Leader to drive the growth, technical excellence, and market leadership of our global desalination and water treatment business.

This executive-level role will be responsible for setting and executing the strategic direction of the firm's desalination practice across municipal, industrial, mining, energy, and water security markets. The successful candidate will lead multidisciplinary teams across engineering, consulting, program management, and operations while serving as a trusted advisor to clients, regulators, investors, and industry stakeholders worldwide.

The Global Desalination Practice Leader will oversee business development, major project pursuits, technical innovation, strategic partnerships, and practice performance, ensuring delivery excellence and sustainable growth across key regions including North America, Europe, Middle East, Asia Pacific, and Latin America.

The purpose of this role is to lead the AECOM global desalination practice. The role will encompass strategy development and project delivery to ensure AECOM becomes the leading engineering firm in desalination.

Whilst the role will have a specific focus on desalination, the role will naturally be responsible for the delivery of sustainable solutions that relate to water security and resilience hence, strong collaboration across all market sectors including conveyance, water reuse and water and wastewater treatment.

This role requires a recognised senior leader with a strong technical understanding of the role of desalination from strategy through to delivery.

Responsibilities include but not limited to:

• Serve as part of the AECOM global water leadership team, advocating and delivering growth in desalination
• Develop and coordinate global desalination market strategy based on knowledge of the global desalination market, with an emphasis on seawater desalination, desalination technologies, and emerging market trends.
• Collaboration and coordination with the Regional Water Business Line Leadership, Global Water Market Sector Lead, and sub-region Region Business Line Leaders and area market sector leads.
• Work with regional business development and project delivery teams to develop regional desalination market sub-strategies and drive growth
• Serve as project director/design manager/technical lead directing and executing work related to seawater desalination and/or similar treatment processes
• Assist in development and implementation of major pursuit capture strategy and provide oversight of capture plans as they relate to major desalination opportunities
• Coordinate with regional and market sector leadership and Technical Practice Network to align skills with market trends and to drive strategic technical leadership hires
• Reinforce collaboration and team building, ensure client focus, demonstrate commitment to excellence and innovation, and motivate others to ensure positive morale and engagement.
• Leverage technical expertise from across the organization to support pursuits and delivery.
• Continuously interact with clients assuring satisfaction with AECOM services and interact with project delivery personnel to ensure any service issues are identified and addressed in a proactive manner
• Build a strong capability to deliver desalination solutions including internal and external (recruitment)
• Build strong relationships and interact regularly with clients, teaming partners, industry groups and stakeholders linked to the market sector
• Continuously build a strong professional network through personal contacts, conference planning and strategy development
• Ensure that AECOM programs such as Sustainability, Corporate Social Responsibility, and Ethics & Compliance are an overriding part of the organizational culture.

Key areas of responsibility:

1. Strategic Leadership & Growth

• Actively lead and participate in the global water leadership team with a proactive role in growing a successful and sustainable desalination practice
• Foster a culture of sharing knowledge of best practice in winning and delivery of desalination projects from planning through to delivery
• Collaborate with peers across the globe and cross business line to develop our go to market for desalination
• Active leadership and building global relationships with equipment suppliers and contractors active in desalination
• Support the Regional Business Line leadership teams to implement the regional desalination growth and delivery strategies

2. Technical and Design Leadership

• Oversee competitive pricing strategies that balance winning bids whilst managing business risk.
• Work closely with the Regional Leadership teams on Enterprise Critical Pursuits.
• Oversee and lead technical and engineering reviews during pursuit stages, particularly in emerging markets, ensuring alignment with business strategy.
• Identify and recruit talent to build desalination capability including EC
• Proactively build a AI focused growth platform for delivery of desalination.

4. Resource & Capability Development

• Develop and implement resourcing strategies for a global desalination practice. Identify gaps and actively support global and regional teams to recruit and resource
• Build EC capability for delivery of desalination infrastructure
• Focused succession planning for key roles

5. Project Delivery & Performance

• Ensure MPD delivery suite, MP Systems and tools are implemented on major projects.
• Help support wellness, health, and wellbeing initiatives for major projects in delivery, working closely with the Business Line Major Projects Leader.
• Ensure consistent project performance monitoring and reporting across individual projects which you are supporting.
• Deliver projects as Design Manager / Design Director – specifically for our largest Water Infrastructure projects.

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor’s Degree (or higher)  in Engineering. Environmental, Civil or Chemical preferred
• 20+ years water industry experience
• Extensive and proven knowledge of global desalination market, including desalination technology, project delivery models, and emerging market trends
• Demonstrated experience in delivery of desalination (or similar water/wastewater scheme) project/program development, planning, design and implementation internationally
• Strong relationships and experience working with clients and potential clients in the global desalination market
• Well-known in the industry through American Water Works Association, Australian Water Association, International Desalination and Reuse Association, and related industry organizations, demonstrated through publications and presentations related to seawater desalination.
• Agile response to fast paced, complex work environment and organizational change
• Ability to travel internationally, as required

At AECOM, we are committed to maintaining a secure and trustworthy recruitment process and take any fraudulent hiring activity seriously. To support this commitment, all newly hired employees are required to attend an in-person Day 1 onboarding at an AECOM office location as a condition of employment.

AECOM acknowledges the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the lands on which we, our clients and our communities live and work around Australia. We pay our respects to their cultures and to their Elders — past, present, and emerging. We are committed to connecting to Country in our work through meaningful engagement with First Nations peoples and businesses.  Find out more about our Australian Reconciliation Action Plan here: https://aecom.com/au/our-vision-for-reconciliation/.

About AECOM

AECOM is the world’s trusted infrastructure consulting firm, delivering professional services throughout the project lifecycle – from advisory, planning, design and engineering to program and construction management. On projects spanning transportation, buildings, water, new energy and the environment, our public- and private-sector clients trust us to solve their most complex challenges. Our teams are driven by a common purpose to deliver a better world through our unrivaled technical and digital expertise, a culture of equity, diversity and inclusion, and a commitment to environmental, social and governance priorities. AECOM is a Fortune 500 firm and its Professional Services business had revenue of $16.1 billion in fiscal year 2025. See how we are delivering sustainable legacies for generations to come at aecom.com and @AECOM.

Freedom to Grow in a World of Opportunity 

You will have the flexibility you need to do your best work with hybrid work options. Whether you’re working from an AECOM office, remote location or at a client site, you will be working in a dynamic environment where your integrity, entrepreneurial spirit and pioneering mindset are championed.

You will help us foster a culture of equity, diversity and inclusion – a safe and respectful workplace, where we invite everyone to bring their whole selves to work using their unique talents, backgrounds and expertise to create transformational outcomes for our clients.

AECOM provides a wide array of compensation and benefits programs to meet the diverse needs of our employees and their families. We also provide a robust global well-being program. We’re the world’s trusted global infrastructure firm, and we’re in this together – your growth and success are ours too.

Join us, and you’ll get all the benefits of being a part of a global, publicly traded firm – access to industry-leading technology and thinking and transformational work with big impact and work flexibility. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we believe in each person’s potential, and we’ll help you reach yours.