Mechanical Engineer (Water Systems) - Berkeley, CA

 

- Lead the design and engineering of cooling water systems supporting ALS-U and ALS operational infrastructure. 

- Develop system architectures, P&IDs, flow diagrams, hydraulic calculations, equipment specifications, and design documentation. 

- Perform engineering analysis related to heat transfer, fluid flow, pump sizing, pressure drops, thermal stability, and water quality management. 

- Specify and oversee procurement of pumps, heat exchangers, filtration systems, expansion tanks, piping systems, valves, instrumentation, and water treatment systems. 

- Coordinate integration of water systems with accelerator, beamline, cryogenic, HVAC, and facility utility systems. 

- Ensure designs comply with ASME, ANSI, California building and mechanical codes, laboratory engineering standards, and safety requirements.

- Oversee the daily operation of closed-loop LCW and DI water systems, monitoring critical parameters like resistivity, dissolved oxygen (DO), and pH.

- Manage chemical dosing, UV sterilizers, mixed-bed deionizers, and reverse osmosis (RO) systems to prevent biological growth, scaling, and galvanic corrosion.

- Develop and execute preventative maintenance (PM) schedules. Troubleshoot mechanical, electrical, and chemical issues—including pump failures, resin degradation, and leaks.

- Plan, design, and commission system expansions or retrofits. Evaluate pipe materials (e.g., PVDF, electropolished stainless steel), valves, and instrumentation to maintain ultra-pure water standards.

- Ensure water systems adhere to strict environmental and industrial safety standards.

Operations & Maintenance

- Serve as system owner for operational water systems supporting ALS and ALS-U. 

- Develop preventive and predictive maintenance programs for cooling water infrastructure. 

- Monitor system performance, reliability, and lifecycle condition. 

- Troubleshoot operational issues including flow instability, thermal excursions, equipment failures, water chemistry concerns, and leakage events. 

- Coordinate outages, repairs, commissioning activities, and maintenance schedules to minimize operational impact. - Support 24/7 operational reliability and rapid response during facility incidents or system failures.

Project Management & Installation Support

- Manage water-system-related projects from conceptual design through installation and commissioning. - Coordinate with contractors, vendors, installation teams, and facilities personnel. - Develop project schedules, cost estimates, and technical scopes of work. - Review installation quality and ensure conformance with engineering specifications. - Support startup, testing, balancing, and commissioning activities.

Documentation & Configuration Control

- Maintain accurate engineering documentation including drawings, specifications, operating procedures, maintenance procedures, system inventories, and engineering calculations. - Support configuration management and change control processes. - Develop operational standards and best practices for facility water systems.

Safety & Compliance

- Ensure all activities are conducted in accordance with Integrated Safety Management (ISM), EH&S requirements, laboratory policies, and applicable regulatory standards. 

- Participate in hazard analyses, readiness reviews, and safety assessments. 

- Support lockout/tagout planning and operational safety procedures.

- Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or closely related discipline. 

- Minimum 8 years of relevant professional engineering experience, including substantial experience in the design, operation, and/or maintenance of industrial process or facility water systems; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

- Specific knowledge of the design, operation, and maintenance of the facility’s Low Conductivity Water (LCW) and deionized water systems.

- Ensure optimal water purity, prevent equipment corrosion, manage chemical treatments, and lead troubleshooting efforts to minimize system downtime. 

- Experience with closed-loop cooling water systems, process utilities, mechanical infrastructure, and industrial piping systems. 

- Knowledge of hydraulic and thermal system design principles. 

- Experience interpreting and producing engineering drawings and P&IDs. 

- Familiarity with pumps, heat exchangers, cooling towers, water treatment systems, instrumentation, and controls. 

- Strong troubleshooting and root-cause analysis skills. 

- Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities in a complex operational environment. 

- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

- Professional Engineer (PE) license. 

- Experience supporting large scientific facilities, accelerators, semiconductor facilities, or other high-availability technical infrastructure. 

- Experience with EPICS or industrial controls systems integration. 

- Familiarity with vibration-sensitive or thermally stable cooling systems. 

- Experience with commissioning and startup of large utility systems. 

- Knowledge of reliability-centered maintenance practices. 

- Experience working in DOE national laboratory environments.