Proposal Engineer
First seen by Alion on Sep 22, 2026.
About the Role
Hydroleap is looking for a detail-oriented Proposal Engineer to prepare high-quality technical and commercial proposals for our water and wastewater treatment solutions. Sitting at the interface between Sales, Process/Application Engineering, Operations, and other internal teams, you will translate customer requirements and technical designs into compelling, accurate, and competitive proposals. This is a hands-on engineering role for someone who enjoys both the technical depth of water treatment processes and the discipline of winning tenders.
Key Responsibilities
Enquiry qualification and scoping
Review incoming enquiries, RFQs, and tender documents; assess technical feasibility and fit against Hydroleap's technology.
Interrogate client-supplied water quality data (COD, BOD, TSS, TDS, conductivity, pH, hardness, flow profiles) and identify gaps that need clarification before pricing.
Make and document bid / no-bid recommendations.
Technical solution design
Select and size the treatment train, including electrochemical reactor sizing, pre-treatment and post-treatment stages, and sludge handling.
Translate pilot and jar test results into full-scale design assumptions.
Prepare process flow diagrams, mass balances, and general arrangement inputs with the design team.
Define scope of supply, battery limits, exclusions, and deviations against client specifications.
Costing and commercial modelling
Build bills of materials and obtain vendor quotations for equipment, instrumentation, and installation.
Develop CAPEX build-ups and OPEX models covering power, consumables (electrodes, chemicals), sludge disposal, and maintenance.
Apply margin and contingency in line with internal guidelines and flag commercial risk to the Engineering Manager and CFO.
Proposal production
Write the full technical and commercial proposal document to a standard that requires minimal rework before submission.
Manage submission deadlines, tender portal requirements, and document compliance.
Respond to client technical clarifications and revise offers through the negotiation cycle.
Attend techno-commercial meetings with clients alongside sales.
Handover and continuous improvement
Hand over won orders to Project Management with the full cost basis, assumptions, and risk register intact.
Maintain a proposal library — reusable technical content, cost benchmarks, and vendor pricing.
Track win/loss outcomes and feed lessons back into pricing and design assumptions.
Operate within Hydroleap's Proposal-to-Commercialisation gate process.
Requirements
Bachelor's degree or higher in Environmental Engineering, Civil Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or a related field.
3–7 years of experience in a proposal, tendering, or applications engineering role within the water/wastewater treatment, EPC, or related industry.
Solid working knowledge of water and wastewater treatment technologies and processes; exposure to electrochemical treatment is a plus.
Ability to read and interpret P&IDs, process flow diagrams, and technical specifications, and to build CAPEX/OPEX cost models.
Strong project coordination, technical writing, and editing skills.
Proficient in MS Office Suite; experience with proposal, estimating, or document management tools is a plus.
Comfortable working under tight deadlines and managing multiple proposals simultaneously.
Strong cross-functional communication skills, with the ability to bridge technical and commercial conversations.
Skills
Document Management System, Design Verification, Interactive Design, Managing Deadlines, Environmental Engineering, Treatment Planning, Bid Management, Water Quality Monitoring in Reservoirs and Waterways, Cost Engineering, Bridge engineering, Hydroprocessing, Civil Engineering, Wastewater Treatment, Technical Solution Design, Writing Skills, Chemical Engineering