Plant Engineer & Project Lead

Hiring company: ECOHESION Inc. Source: LinkedIn Barbados Description This position offers strong growth and career development potential for a hands-on, action-oriented Plant Engineer & Project Lead who is motivated to begin building a career in project management while remaining closely connected to field execution, plant operations, and technical problem solving. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to grow with the organization into broader project delivery, client management, operational leadership, and regional business roles. The primary focus for the first year will be the day-to-day technical oversight, operational support, troubleshooting, and performance optimization of the Geriatric Hospital Water Recycling Plant in Barbados. The Geriatric Hospital facility is a complex wastewater reclamation system designed for a 408-bed hospital, with an average design flow of approximately 186 m3/day and a treatment process that includes primary clarification, equalization, biological nutrient removal using a membrane bioreactor process, ultrafiltration membranes, advanced oxidation with ozone and hydrogen peroxide, GAC filtration, reverse osmosis, UV disinfection, chlorination, and reed bed polishing. This is a hybrid plant engineering and project leadership role that requires someone comfortable working in a wastewater environment, leading practical field execution, coordinating stakeholders, managing priorities, and translating plant needs into organized project actions. Duties and Responsibilities Plant Operations, Troubleshooting & Technical Oversight • Oversee daily technical operation of the Geriatric Hospital Water Recycling Plant during the first year, with emphasis on safe, reliable, compliant, and consistent plant performance. • Monitor and troubleshoot major treatment processes, including primary clarification, equalization, biological nutrient removal, MBR/UF membranes, ozone and peroxide AOP, GAC filtration, RO, UV disinfection, chlorination, chemical dosing, sludge handling, and reed bed polishing. • Troubleshoot control panels, automation systems, PLC/HMI interfaces, instrumentation, level controls, flow meters, pressure transmitters, pH/DO/EC analyzers, pumps, blowers, valves, chemical dosing systems, and motorized equipment. • Lead hands-on field diagnosis and first-response troubleshooting for mechanical, electrical, plumbing, instrumentation, process, and controls-related plant issues. • Train, coach, and support operators, technicians, and maintenance personnel in troubleshooting, preventative maintenance, safe work practices, and repair procedures for plant and equipment. • Review operating data, trends, alarms, laboratory results, chemical consumption, energy usage, membrane performance, RO recovery, and process stability to identify risks and improvement opportunities. • Prepare operating reports, technical summaries, troubleshooting logs, maintenance notes, incident reports, performance dashboards, and recommendations for corrective action. • Support commissioning, process optimization, SOP development, operating manuals, maintenance planning, spare parts planning, and plant handover activities. • Take ownership of practical field execution while escalating critical technical, safety, compliance, or reliability issues appropriately. Project Management, Delivery & Organizational Growth • Support the transition of the water recycling plant from commissioning into stable long-term operations while managing the related action items, priorities, documentation, and closeout activities. • Coordinate client, contractor, operator, vendor, and internal project meetings, including agendas, minutes, action logs, decisions, risks, follow-ups, and accountability for completion. • Manage small to medium technical scopes related to plant improvements, commissioning deficiencies, troubleshooting initiatives, maintenance planning, process optimization, procurement, and vendor follow-up. • Support procurement, vendor coordination, spare parts identification, shop drawing review, equipment documentation review, technical closeout, cost tracking, schedule tracking, and progress reporting. • Contribute to other water, wastewater, environmental, infrastructure, and industrial process projects as plant responsibilities stabilize. • Develop toward future roles in project management, operations leadership, engineering delivery, client support, and regional business growth. Education, Experience & Requirements • Bachelor's Degree in Engineering: Electrical, Mechanical, Industrial, Chemical, Environmental, or related engineering discipline. • 5-10 years of engineering, operations, commissioning, maintenance, or plant troubleshooting experience, preferably in water, wastewater, industrial, utilities, manufacturing, construction, or complex process environments. • Experience with operating plants, automation, controls, instrumentation, motorized equipment, control panels, pumps, blowers, chemical dosing systems, and mechanical/electrical troubleshooting is strongly preferred. • Experience coordinating projects, managing action logs, supporting schedules, tracking budgets or costs, preparing meeting minutes, managing vendors, and closing technical deliverables is strongly preferred. • Experience in water treatment, wastewater treatment, industrial processes, or environmental compliance is considered a strong asset. • Experience with technical report writing, engineering calculations, data analysis, spreadsheets, dashboards, maintenance tracking, project controls, and engineering software is considered an asset. • Valid driver's license is required. What We’re Looking For • Demonstrated experience working in operating plants, utilities, industrial facilities, water/wastewater facilities, manufacturing environments, or similarly complex process operations. • Strong hands-on troubleshooting ability with pumps, blowers, valves, motors, control panels, instrumentation, electrical systems, mechanical equipment, plumbing systems, and automated process equipment. • Electrical-skills orientation, with the ability to understand, troubleshoot, and communicate issues related to panels, circuits, motor controls, instrumentation signals, VFDs, interlocks, and field devices. • Project management mindset, with the ability to organize work, track action items, coordinate stakeholders, manage priorities, document decisions, follow up on deliverables, and move issues to closure. • Strong analytical, logical, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to diagnose issues under pressure and convert data into practical corrective actions and project plans. • Proactive, detail-oriented, and able to manage competing priorities, plant issues, operational deadlines, project deliverables, budgets, schedules, and stakeholder expectations in a fast-paced environment. • Strong written and verbal communication skills, including operating reports, technical report writing, incident summaries, meeting notes, project updates, client correspondence, and clear direction to field teams. • Team player and collaborator who can work independently while contributing effectively within multidisciplinary teams. • Comfortable working in a wastewater environment, including field conditions, confined plant areas, odours, chemical systems, wet environments, and operational emergencies. • Adept with Microsoft 365, including Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel, SharePoint, OneDrive, and data/reporting workflows. • Interest in process, mechanical, electrical, environmental, water engineering, and project management work. Ability to: • Communicate clearly and concisely with clients, operators, technicians, contractors, vendors, and internal leadership. • Lead by example in the field, remain calm during operational upsets, and drive issues to resolution. • Manage project actions, priorities, schedules, meeting outcomes, stakeholder communications, and technical deliverables with discipline and follow-through. • Thrive in a high-stress and fast-paced environment while continuously delivering high-calibre output. • Train and guide staff in troubleshooting and repairing mechanical, electrical, plumbing, instrumentation, and controls-related issues. • Read and interpret operating data, trend logs, equipment manuals, drawings, PFDs, P&IDs, wiring/control concepts, vendor documentation, contracts, scopes, and project records. • Participate in site visits, field investigations, commissioning, operational support activities, project coordination, and emergency response as required. • Support proposal preparation, estimating, client communication, project planning, and business development initiatives as the role expands. This Job Description is not an exclusive or exhaustive list of all job functions that an employee in this position may be asked to perform from time to time. To apply, please email your resume to: hr@integratedsustainability.com About Ecohesion We are a team of Caribbean professionals who are passionate about water sustainability in our home countries of Antigua, Bermuda, Barbados, and Trinidad. Providing solutions on an industrial, commercial, and residential scale for wastewater reuse, desalination, and drinking water, we focus on meaningful projects that are not only positively impacting the environment but are also encouraging social impacts. As an employee of Ecohesion, you will be provided with the training and equipment to do your job well and will have access to ongoing coaching and mentorship to grow your career. A valued member of the team, you will also be entitled to join the company’s medical scheme. Ecohesion is a subsidiary of Integrated Sustainability, an award-winning, provider of world-class sustainable Water, Waste and Energy solutions. We thank all candidates for their interest in Ecohesion; however, only those candidates who are selected will be contacted.