Director, Anaerobic Wastewater Treatment

Job description

Position Summary: Mobius Renewables operates a growing fleet of plants across the USA, currently 13, that convert biogas derived from the anaerobic digestion of wastewater in covered lagoons into renewable natural gas (RNG). The Director of Anaerobic Wastewater Treatment anaerobic digestion will serve as the company’s primary technical authority and point person for wastewater feedstock management, covered- lagoon anaerobic digestion, and biogas generation across the anaerobic digestion portfolio. The role will combine deep technical expertise with engagement with wastewater-generating counterparties. This role serves as the organization’s subject matter expert for industrial wastewater treatment, with particular emphasis on high-strength organic waste streams, biological treatment, anaerobic processes, and the integration of wastewater treatment with anaerobic digestion and renewable energy production. The Director will work across Development, Engineering, Operations, Commercial, and Project Execution to evaluate new opportunities, troubleshoot operating facilities, and drive continuous improvement across the portfolio. Key Responsibilities: Technical Leadership on Wastewater Treatment · Serve as Mobius Renewables’ primary technical authority for industrial wastewater treatment within the anaerobic digestion business. · Evaluate wastewater characteristics including COD/BOD, TSS, FOG, nutrients, pH, alkalinity, toxicity/inhibition, temperature, and other factors affecting biological treatment and anaerobic digestion performance. · Provide technical guidance related to aerobic and anaerobic biological treatment, clarification, solids handling, DAF, nutrient management, pretreatment, polishing, and related wastewater technologies. · Maintain knowledge of emerging wastewater and resource-recovery technologies and assess their applicability to Mobius projects. · Candidate should have strong technical background covering both the biology and physical operation of these systems, including: (i) Covered anaerobic lagoons and high-strength industrial wastewater; (ii) hydraulic short-circuiting, dead zones, retention time, and inlet/outlet configuration; (iii) sludge accumulation, lagoon capacity loss, dredging, and solids management; (iv) FOG accumulation, floating crusts, and fat-cap prevention or removal; (v) mixing, recirculation, heating, pH, alkalinity, nutrients, and organic loading; (vi) process upsets, inhibition, foaming, odor, and declining gas yield; (vii) cover condition, gas collection, condensate, pressure, and methane recovery; (viii) field diagnostics and practical corrective-action planning. Project Development & Engineering · Partner with Development and Commercial teams during evaluation of new wastewater and anaerobic digestion opportunities. · Conduct or oversee technical due diligence of wastewater streams, existing treatment infrastructure, and proposed projects. · Assess the treatability and variability of prospective feedstocks and wastewater streams and identify potential process risks. · Identify opportunities to improve project economics through process optimization, resource recovery, reduced chemical or energy consumption, and improved biogas production. Operations & Performance Optimization · Partner closely with Operations to optimize wastewater treatment and anaerobic process performance across operating facilities. · Diagnose process upsets and recurring performance issues and lead development of corrective actions. · Analyze operating data and identify trends affecting treatment efficiency, system stability, biogas production, chemical consumption, solids generation, and operating cost. · Develop operating parameters, KPIs, monitoring requirements, and performance standards for wastewater systems. · Support root-cause investigations following significant process or treatment events. · Lead technical discussions with customers, regulators, engineering firms, and other external stakeholders as appropriate. · Develop capital and operating-cost budgets for improvements to the wastewater treatment systems, including any solutions identified for mitigations of problems, and work with operations to integrate into financial planning. Qualifications: · Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Biological Engineering, or a related technical discipline; advanced degree preferred. · 10+ years of progressively responsible experience in industrial wastewater treatment, process engineering, biological treatment, anaerobic digestion, or related fields. · Deep technical knowledge of high-strength industrial wastewater treatment and biological processes. · Demonstrated experience designing, commissioning, operating, optimizing, or troubleshooting wastewater treatment systems. · Experience with anaerobic treatment technologies and/or anaerobic digestion strongly preferred. · Experience with food and beverage, agricultural, manufacturing, or other high-organic-load wastewater streams strongly preferred. · Strong understanding of wastewater characterization, mass balances, biological kinetics, process controls, nutrient requirements, solids management, and treatment-system performance. · Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate complex technical matters to nontechnical audiences. · Ability and willingness to travel (up to 50%) to Mobius facilities, customer sites, and project locations as required. Preferred Qualifications: Experience in several of the following areas would be particularly valuable: · High-strength industrial wastewater · Food and beverage wastewater · Anaerobic biological treatment · Anaerobic digestion · Renewable natural gas and biogas · DAF systems · Aerobic biological treatment · Nutrient removal and management · Solids separation and handling · Wastewater reuse and resource recovery · Treatment-system commissioning and startup · Process troubleshooting and optimization · Industrial pretreatment programs · Wastewater permitting and regulatory compliance · Evaluation of greenfield and brownfield treatment facilities At Mobius Renewables , we’re helping lead the global energy transition by transforming waste into renewable energy and measurable decarbonization. We’re a fast-growing team of expert innovators, engineers, and problem-solvers committed to advancing global sustainability, fueling a circular economy, and creating a cleaner future for all. Join us and help shape the future of renewable energy.