Gradiant is a Different Kind of Water Company. With a full suite of differentiated and proprietary end-to-end solutions for advanced water and wastewater treatment powered by the top minds in water, the company serves its clients mission-critical operations in the world's essential industries, including semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, food & beverage, lithium and critical minerals, and renewable energy. Gradiant's innovative solutions reduce water used and wastewater discharged, reclaim valuable resources, and renew wastewater into freshwater. The Boston-headquartered company was founded at MIT and has over 1,400 employees worldwide. Discover us at www.gradiant.com.
The Senior NPI Engineer will play a key role in the development, validation, and scale-up of PFAS-related technologies. This role is highly hands-on, combining laboratory experimentation, pilot testing, and data-driven optimization with project execution responsibilities.
The candidate will contribute to the scale-up of new technologies from bench to pilot to full-scale commercial deployment, bridging fundamental process understanding with practical engineering execution for end-to-end technology development and implementation. The role includes project coordination across internal teams, vendors, and customers to ensure successful delivery of pilot and demonstration projects.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Develop process design basis, technical specifications, operating windows, and performance assumptions/claims
- Maintain and standardize process design templates, calculation methods, and engineering tools
- Develop and improve internal tools for process design and equipment sizing
- Design and execute experiments, including building and operating bench-scale and pilot-scale systems for proof-of-concept (POC), design verification, and validation
- Lead pilot system design, setup, commissioning, and troubleshooting activities
- Conduct technical risk assessments (e.g., HAZOP), including identification of failure modes, mitigations, and control strategies
- Develop control philosophy and functional narratives in collaboration with PLC programmers to ensure robust system automation
- Coordinate engineering inputs required for GA drawings, 2D layouts, and 3D models
- Ensure technical deliverables are accurate, consistent, and aligned with validated performance data
- Work closely with Engineering and Manufacturing teams to translate R&D outputs into standardized, repeatable, and manufacturable design packages
- Establish commissioning and acceptance protocols, troubleshooting playbooks, and field readiness standards
- Support on-site commissioning and pilot studies as required
- Capture field learnings and translate them into design improvements, tool enhancements, and updated engineering standards
- Collaborate with commercial teams to incorporate feedback from operating projects into design improvements
- Execute NPI plans, including scope definition, milestones, and resource planning
- Support proposal and regional manufacturing teams in conducting costing exercise, drafting budgetary and technical proposal for solution packages offering
QUALIFICATIONS/REQUIREMENTS:
- Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD degree in Chemical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related discipline.
- 3–7 years of relevant experience in the water industry (EPC, OEM, or water technology/solution companies preferred).
- Experience or exposure to industrial wastewater treatment solutions.
- Hands-on experience Lead/ participating or supporting bench-scale or pilot-scale systems, commissioning, and troubleshooting activities.
- Experience contributing to process design activities, including mass balance calculations, equipment sizing, and cost estimation.
- Experience preparing engineering documents such as Process Flow Diagrams (PFDs), Piping & Instrumentation Diagrams (P&IDs), equipment lists, instrument lists, and General Arrangement (GA) drawings.
- Experience with process modelling or design software (e.g. Aspen, WAVE, IMS Design, OLI, or equivalent) is an advantage.
- Exposure to the scale-up or commercialization of new technologies from laboratory or pilot scale to industrial applications is preferred.
- Strong analytical, problem-solving, and project coordination skills, with the ability to manage multiple tasks and work effectively in cross-functional teams.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to present technical information clearly to both internal and external stakeholders.
