Forensic Water/Wastewater Engineer
HKA is a global leader in risk mitigation, dispute resolution, and expert witness services. We tackle complex challenges with our multi-disciplinary expertise.
As trusted consultants and advisors, we deliver solutions in uncertain and disputed situations, ensuring the best outcomes for clients worldwide. Our experts have testified globally on major cases spanning across a wide range of industries and sectors.
As part of the HKA team you can expect:
A strong collaborative culture with a mutual pursuit of your success alongside the success of our teams.
The opportunity to solve problems creatively, contribute to our innovative direction, and be valued as an individual
The ability to leverage HKA’s strong network and presence in various industries and reputation for exceptional expert witnesses to accelerate career development and connections.
The Opportunity:
HKA is seeking a Forensic Water / Wastewater Engineer to investigate failures and disputes involving treatment plants, conveyance systems, pump stations, and utility infrastructure throughout the United States. This role combines technical depth in water systems with forensic investigation and expert testimony responsibilities.
You will work directly with legal counsel and utility owners to assess causation, standard of care, and responsibility in contested matters. This position is ideal for an experienced water or wastewater engineer interested in applying operational and design expertise in a consulting and expert witness capacity.
Responsibilities
Forensic & Litigation Consulting
Lead forensic investigations involving water and wastewater infrastructure, including treatment facilities, pump stations, pipelines, storage, valves, and collection/distribution systems.
Conduct site inspections and evidence collection following failures, service disruptions, flooding events, equipment malfunctions, and construction or operational disputes.
Determine cause, origin, extent, and contributing factors, including assessment of design intent, construction practices, commissioning, operations, maintenance, and lifecycle performance.
Prepare independent, litigation-ready expert reports (and supporting exhibits) for arbitration, mediation, and court proceedings, addressing causation, standard of care, and responsibility.
Provide expert witness testimony in depositions, arbitration, and/or court, including testimony under cross-examination.
Collaborate with attorneys, insurers, owners, contractors, and other technical experts to develop coordinated expert opinions and respond to opposing expert positions.
Advise clients on remediation options, risk mitigation, operational changes, and dispute resolution strategy.
Technical Water/Wastewater Expertise
Review and analyze drawings, specifications, calculations, O&M manuals, SCADA/controls records, commissioning documentation, maintenance logs, and incident/failure history.
Evaluate hydraulic performance and capacity constraints (e.g., HGL issues, surge/water hammer considerations, pump curves, system head, I/I impacts) and identify design or operational deficiencies.
Assess treatment process performance and compliance considerations, including unit process selection, process control, reliability, and failure modes.
Perform or direct field diagnostics and data analysis, such as flow testing, pressure testing, CCTV/condition assessment, pump station performance evaluation, and equipment failure analysis.
Develop technically sound repair and mitigation recommendations, including prioritization of corrective actions and constructability considerations.
Skills and Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in Civil or Environmental Engineering; advanced degree preferred.
Professional Engineer (PE) license required.
10-15+ years of water and/or wastewater engineering experience, including treatment, conveyance, or utility operations.
Experience with plant design, hydraulic analysis, and system performance evaluation.
Demonstrated forensic engineering and dispute consulting experience.
Minimum 1+ year of experience serving as an Expert Witness, with formal testimony provided in depositions, arbitration, and/or court proceedings.
Strong client delivery and relationship management experience.
Experience contributing to business development, proposal support, and client relationship expansion.
What we offer:
At HKA we recognize that our people are critical to our ongoing success. Our priority is to provide an inclusive and collaborative culture aimed at providing the best opportunities for our people to thrive and develop in their chosen career path.
Our Global Recruitment team is committed to providing an authentic candidate experience for all those who take the time to apply to HKA. We are committed to providing an efficient and insightful recruitment process giving candidates a true reflection of life at HKA.
Fairness and Equality at HKA:
HKA works hard to provide a welcoming environment for all of our employees. We are committed as a business on the continued improvement of our fairness and equality strategy. Please visit our careers page for further information or feel free to ask our recruitment team for further information.
All HKA employment decisions shall be made in accordance with controlling laws and based on merit.
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