Senior Manager of Product Development and Membrane Production
About The Position
Aquatech is seeking a full-time Senior Manager of Product Development and Membrane Production for its Albany, Oregon office. This role is responsible for leading product development, membrane production, application testing, and engineering support for advanced flat-sheet membrane technologies, including Forward Osmosis (FO), nanofiltration (NF), seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO), and osmotically assisted reverse osmosis (OARO) membranes with low salt rejection characteristics. The company focuses on tackling water scarcity and complexity through technology, expertise, and financing to deliver solutions that reduce carbon and recycled water footprint, aiding global companies in achieving sustainability and operational goals.
Requirements
- Strong understanding of thermodynamics and heat/mass transfer principles.
- Ability to apply engineering fundamentals to product design, development, and manufacturing processes.
- Knowledge of membrane separation technologies, water treatment systems, or related process technologies.
- Strong analytical, problem-solving, and technical communication skills.
- Bachelor's degree required in Mechanical Engineering or Chemical Engineering.
- Experience with reverse osmosis (RO), forward osmosis (FO), membrane technologies, or ion-exchange systems.
- Product manufacturing experience required.
- Must be able to work 100% on-site in Albany, Oregon.
Nice To Haves
- Master's degree (M.S.) or PhD preferred
- Can substitute with a Professional Engineer (P.E.) license.
Responsibilities
- Oversee production of Forward Osmosis (FO) membranes, ensuring manufacturing consistency, quality, and alignment with product performance requirements.
- Lead the design, development, and production scale-up of FO membrane modules.
- Coordinate and oversee element rolling activities at partner manufacturing facilities.
- Oversee testing of FO processes and applications to validate performance, reliability, and suitability for target use cases.
- Support the sizing, design, and engineering of FO systems for commercial and pilot-scale applications.
- Provide technical and engineering support to the sales team for customer opportunities, proposals, and application evaluations.
- Evaluate the technical feasibility of new applications, including process requirements, membrane suitability, and expected operating performance.
- Assess pretreatment needs and upstream process steps required prior to membrane treatment.
- Provide technical direction, consultation, and support to engineering staff on membrane system design, testing, and implementation.
- Monitor project progress, identify technical risks, and support timely execution of engineering deliverables.
- Oversee spiral-wound element production activities for OARO membrane products and related applications.
- Manage testing and quality control procedures to ensure product consistency and application readiness.
- Oversee laboratory testing of new FO and OARO applications, including performance validation and process optimization.
- Lead initial pilot testing of new FO applications, including membrane crystallizer concepts and other emerging treatment processes.
- Support field pilot testing of RecovOAR and FO systems, including troubleshooting, data review, and recommendations for improvement.
- Support internal intellectual property development for in-house technology platforms and product applications.
- Serve as lead technical author for patent disclosures and related intellectual property documentation.
- Prepare technical responses to patent office actions and support outside counsel as needed.
- Additional duties as assigned.
Benefits
- paid time off
- company-paid holidays
- 401K plan (all benefits are based on eligibility)
Stand Out From the Crowd
Upload your resume and get instant feedback on how well it matches this job.
What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Manager
