Principal Scientist –Water and Wastewater

Published on by for National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)

Principal Scientist –Water and Wastewater

Principal Scientist –Water and Wastewater

Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccination Protocols
Employment at NREL is contingent upon your compliance with all NREL and DOE safety protocols and mitigation efforts directed at the COVID-19 pandemic. At present, NREL requires all employees to be immunized against COVID-19. Upon hire, new employees must be prepared to provide proof of vaccination on your first day of employment. All employees must have completed vaccinations by November 1, 2021.

Working at NREL
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), located at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Golden, Colorado is the nation's primary laboratory for research and development of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies.
From day one at NREL, you’ll connect with coworkers driven by the same mission to save the planet. By joining an organization that values a supportive, inclusive, and flexible work environment, you’ll have the opportunity to engage through our eight employee resource groups, numerous employee-driven clubs, and learning and professional development classes.

NREL supports inclusive, diverse, and unbiased hiring practices that promote creativity and innovation. By collaborating with organizations that focus on diverse talent pools, reaching out to underrepresented demographics, and providing an inclusive application and interview process, our Talent Acquisition team aims to hear all voices equally. We strive to attract a highly diverse workforce and create a culture where every employee feels welcomed and respected and they can be their authentic selves.

Job Description
From day one at NREL, you will connect with coworkers driven by the same mission to save the planet. By joining an organization that values a supportive, inclusive, and flexible work environment, you will have the opportunity to engage through our eight employee resource groups, numerous employee-driven clubs, learning and professional development classes.

Responsibilities:

NREL is looking for a Principal Scientist to provide strategic and technical leadership to our integrated water systems strategy and broadly expanding portfolio of research. 

The Principal Scientist will be a senior member of the Mechanical and Thermal Energy Sciences team and will engage with high-level clients at the Department of Energy and NAWI. 

The Principal Scientist will work across the NREL Directorates performing research in water and wastewater treatment, supply and conveyance infrastructure, energy/water/food nexus and/or integrated water resource assessment to define and create high-impact programs, projects, teams, and partnerships and to integrate NREL cross-cutting efforts in water systems research and development. 

The Principal Scientist will broadly be engaged in collaborative research with internal and external research groups, including within NREL, other National Labs, industry, and academia.  

Inclusion and diversity are core values, and the Staff Scientist will be expected to support a work environment that maximizes the unique talents and innovative ideas of every employee.

NREL has developed expertise across the water systems space, engaging in research across water and wastewater treatment, supply and conveyance infrastructure, energy/water/food nexus and/or integrated water resource assessment.  This work involves multiple directorates at the laboratory.

NREL is a co-founding laboratory for the Department of Energy-funded National Alliance for Water Innovation (NAWI), and leads the Data, Modeling and Analysis research thrust. 

Basic Qualifications
Researcher V:
PhD and 9 or more years of experience in chemical, environmental or water resources engineering or related technical disciplines. Or, relevant Master's Degree and 12 or more years of experience in chemical, environmental or water resources engineering or related technical disciplines Or, relevant Bachelor's Degree and 14 or more years of experience in chemical, environmental or water resources engineering or related technical disciplines 

Researcher VI:  
PhD and 15 or more years of experience in chemical, environmental or water resources engineering or related technical disciplines. Or, relevant Master's Degree and 18 or more years of experience in chemical, environmental or water resources engineering or related technical disciplines. Or, relevant Bachelor's Degree and 20 or more years of experience in chemical, environmental or water resources engineering or related technical disciplines.
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Additional Required Qualifications
Record of publications/presentations/leadership in multiple areas of water research including but not limited to water and wastewater treatment, supply and conveyance infrastructure, energy/water/food nexus and/or integrated water resource assessment

The Principal Scientist is expected to partner and team internally and externally by leveraging an extensive professional network and building new utility, academic, and engineering networks. 

Proven record in the areas of ideation, technical leadership, and proposal writing. Including the ability to translate application knowledge into research needs, directions and plans.  

Prior experience establishing, coordinating and providing leadership across matrixed multidisciplinary teams to exploit existing and emerging core capabilities in energy analysis, optimization, simulation/modeling, design and deployment in the water space.

Excellent interpersonal, oral and written communication skills are essential for success in this role.

Excellent client relationship management skills in a research and development environment, preferably with government agencies. 

Preferred Qualifications

Advanced knowledge in the analysis, modeling and/or simulation of complex water systems.

Industry experience in manufacturing, validating, or deploying technologies in real-world conditions.

Experience and/or knowledge of common water treatment technologies including reverse osmosis systems, flocculation, biological remediation / wastewater treatment, thermal desalination, and electrochemical methods.

A Culture of Inclusion & Diversity

Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex energy challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves; reaches their potential as individuals and teams; collaborates to work towards NREL’s overall mission of advancing the science and engineering of energy efficiency, sustainable transportation, and renewable power technologies; and provides the knowledge to integrate and optimize energy systems.

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Annual Salary Range (based on full-time 40 hours per week)
Annual Salary Range: $106,400 - $191,600
Offers will typically be made in the bottom half of the listed range. NREL takes into consideration a candidate’s education, training, and experience, as well as the position's work location, expected quality and quantity of work, required travel (if any), external market and internal value, including seniority and merit systems, and internal pay alignment when determining the salary level for potential new employees. In compliance with the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act, a potential new employee’s salary history will not be used in compensation decisions.
Benefits Summary
Benefits include medical, dental, and vision insurance; short*- and long-term disability insurance; pension benefits*; 403(b) Employee Savings Plan with employer match*; life and accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) insurance; personal time off (PTO) and sick leave; paid holidays; and tuition reimbursement*. NREL employees may be eligible for, but are not guaranteed, performance-, merit-, and achievement- based awards that include a monetary component. Some positions may be eligible for relocation expense reimbursement. Limited-term positions are not eligible for long-term disability or tuition reimbursement.
 

Information

Industry experience

Education: PhD

Seniority: Expert, Engineer, Consultant

Years of experience: 10 to 20 years

Taxonomy