Operations Engineer
Job Description
A company based in Bahrain is looking for n experienced Operations Engineer to join their team.
Job qualifications and experience requirements
• Bachelor's Degree in Engineering required; Chemical Engineering strongly preferred. Other related engineering disciplines (Civil, Environmental, or Mechanical) will be considered with directly relevant desalination experience.
• Minimum 5 years of hands-on operating experience at a reverse osmosis (RO) desalination facility required.
• Demonstrated understanding of RO desalination process fundamentals, including pretreatment, RO membrane systems, chemical dosing, energy recovery, brine management, and post-treatment/remineralization.
• Hands-on experience with membrane cleaning-in-place (CIP) procedures, including cleaning chemistry selection, troubleshooting fouling/scaling, and evaluating post-CIP membrane performance.
• Experience working with or alongside O&M contractors, owners, and/or customers in a liaison, technical oversight, or owner's engineer capacity preferred.
• Familiarity with SCADA/DCS systems and plant performance monitoring and reporting tools.
• Strong technical and process troubleshooting skills specific to RO desalination operations.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate technical information clearly for diverse stakeholder audiences.
• Strong interpersonal and relationship-management skills, with the ability to work effectively across multiple stakeholder groups (Customer, O&M Contractor, and Owner).
• Ability to work independently, exercise sound engineering judgment, and manage competing priorities.
• Proficiency with MS Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint); familiarity with plant historian or SCADA software is a plus.
• Working knowledge of relevant regulatory and permitting frameworks applicable to water/desalination facilities.
Responsibilities Duties:
• Provide day-to-day technical support to the O&M Contractor on RO desalination process operations, including pretreatment, RO membrane systems, chemical dosing, energy recovery, and post-treatment/remineralization.
• Monitor plant performance data (production rates, recovery, permeate/product water quality, energy consumption, chemical usage) and identify trends or deviations from design and contractual parameters.
• Review O&M Contractor reports, maintenance schedules, and performance data for accuracy, completeness, and compliance with contractual and regulatory requirements.
• Troubleshoot operational issues and support root cause analysis for equipment failures, process upsets, or water quality excursions.
• Support permitting, regulatory compliance, and reporting requirements related to facility operations.
• Assist with contract compliance monitoring, KPI tracking, and verification of O&M performance guarantees.
• Review and provide technical input on capital improvement projects, equipment upgrades, and process optimization initiatives.
• Support incident investigation, corrective action planning, and continuous improvement efforts.
• Maintain accurate technical documentation, including O&M manuals, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and as-built records.
Coordination, stakeholder & communication management
• Serve as the primary technical liaison bridging communication between the Customer, the O&M Contractor, and the Owner regarding plant operations, performance, and maintenance activities.
• Facilitate and participate in regular technical meetings and site visits with Owner, Customer, and O&M Contractor representatives.
• Liaise with the O&M Contractor to plan maintenance activities, process changes, and performance reviews.
• Coordinate with engineering, environmental, and regulatory personnel as needed on facility-related matters.
• Report plant performance, technical issues, equipment failures, and improvement recommendations to the Owner and Customer.
• Report critical operational issues, non-conformances, and contractual risks to minimize disruption and maintain operational continuity.
Policies, processes & procedures