Technical Support Manager - Desalination

Technical Support Manager – Desalination

A global water technology organization is seeking a Technical Support Manager to lead technical support and field engineering activities for industrial desalination systems, with a primary focus on produced water treatment, high-TDS brine management, and modular desalination solutions deployed across energy and industrial markets.

This role supports mobile and modular desalination assets operating in challenging field environments and requires direct experience with industrial or produced-water desalination systems.

This role is not focused on municipal drinking water systems.

Position Overview

The Technical Support Manager is responsible for overseeing troubleshooting, diagnostics, and resolution of complex issues across field-deployed industrial desalination systems, serving as the primary technical escalation point between field service teams, engineering, commercial teams, and customers. The role drives system reliability, performance optimization, and lifecycle support from commissioning through steady-state operations.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Lead and oversee technical support for industrial desalination systems, including high-recovery RO, pretreatment, post-treatment, and chemical management systems.
• Act as the primary technical escalation point for field service engineers and operators supporting produced water and industrial brine treatment systems.
• Troubleshoot performance issues related to membranes, high-pressure pumps, energy recovery devices, valves, instrumentation, analyzers, and control systems.
• Diagnose and resolve challenges associated with high-salinity, high-variability feedwater, including scaling, fouling, recovery decline, and pressure loss.
• Develop and maintain technical support procedures, SOPs, troubleshooting guides, and service documentation specific to modular industrial desalination assets.
• Prioritize and coordinate support requests to minimize downtime and protect system uptime and client operations.
• Partner with engineering and product teams to analyze field performance data, failure trends, and system optimization opportunities.
• Conduct root cause analyses (RCA) and implement corrective actions for recurring system issues.
• Support commissioning, installation, startup, and performance testing of new modular desalination deployments.
• Deliver technical training for internal teams and customers on system operation, maintenance, and optimization.
• Support commercial teams with technical input for bids, proposals, and customer engagements, including technology selection and system configuration.
• Ensure all technical support activities comply with safety, environmental, and regulatory requirements applicable to industrial water operations.

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor of Science in Engineering (Chemical, Mechanical, Environmental, or related) required
• Equivalent industry experience in industrial desalination or produced water treatment considered

Experience

• 5–7 years supporting industrial desalination or produced-water treatment systems
• Hands-on experience with RO membranes, high-pressure systems, pretreatment processes, and water chemistry
• Background in field engineering, technical support, commissioning, or operations within industrial water environments
• Experience supporting modular or mobile water treatment systems strongly preferred

Preferred Knowledge / Certifications

• OEM training related to RO membranes, pumps, instrumentation, automation, or control systems
• Understanding of high-TDS brines, scaling and fouling mechanisms, and recovery optimization
• PMP, Six Sigma, or equivalent process improvement credentials

Other Requirements

• Proficiency with diagnostic tools, CMMS, and technical documentation systems
• Valid driver’s license
• Ability to pass pre-employment background, medical, and drug screening
• Travel: ~10%

Physical Requirements

• Regularly required to stand, walk, and handle equipment
• Ability to lift 25–50 lbs regularly and up to 100 lbs with assistance
• Occasional climbing, balancing, and work in industrial or remote environments

Work Environment

• Field-based work at industrial sites, including oil & gas, mining, and remote installations
• Exposure to variable weather conditions and industrial noise levels

Equal Opportunity Statement

This employer provides equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to legally protected characteristics.