About Careertakes

👉 Important disclosure: Careertakes is a third-party recruiting platform supporting this hiring process. If selected, you will be employed directly by our client, Engineering (Water & Wastewater Utilities).

Applicants for this role may also receive access to additional matched opportunities through the Careertakes platform.

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Primary Role

The Associate Planning Engineer is an entry-level engineering role supporting long-term planning, assessment, and project development for water and wastewater utility systems. In this position you will assist planning teams with hydraulic modeling, demand projections, asset condition and performance assessments, development of treatment strategies, and preparation of planning recommendations that ensure reliable service delivery to customers.

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What You’ll Do

• Assist preparation of strategic water and wastewater system engineering planning studies.
• Conduct system capacity evaluations and analyses of sources, treatment, pumping, collection/distribution, and storage to identify deficiencies and opportunities.
• Support hydraulic model development, calibration and analysis for water distribution and wastewater collection systems.
• Contribute to multiple small-to-medium projects across planning, design, and construction phases.
• Translate technical data and concepts into practical engineering approaches and planning recommendations.
• Coordinate with consultants, technicians, and CAD operators as needed and support team leads on special projects.

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Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (civil, environmental, water resources, or related field).
• 0–2 years’ experience in engineering design, planning, construction, project delivery, or project management.
• Familiarity with hydraulic modeling for water distribution or wastewater collection systems is a plus.
• Demonstrated knowledge of engineering design theory and utility operations.
• Working knowledge of water quality, treatment practices, and relevant environmental/regulatory requirements.
• Effective quantitative and analytical skills with strong attention to detail.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills (reports, presentations) and interpersonal skills for team-based environments.
• Sound business judgment and the ability to develop practical engineering solutions.

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Compensation & Benefits

• Salary range: $70,000 - $78,000 (base). This represents the employer’s good-faith range for this role. Final base pay will be set based on factors such as market, geography, skills, education and/or experience.
• Eligible for annual incentive pay and standard benefits including retirement plans, medical/dental/vision coverage, paid time off, and professional development opportunities.

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Logistics & Requirements

• Work location: Urbana, IL (on-site with occasional field visits to water/wastewater facilities).
• Travel: Up to 20% as required.
• Certifications/Licenses: Valid Driver’s License required.
• Work environment: Primarily office-based with periodic on-site field work for investigations and project meetings.

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Why This Role

This is an excellent early-career opportunity to develop practical planning and modeling skills in the water/wastewater sector and to contribute to projects that support public health and community infrastructure. You’ll work with experienced planners and engineers and gain hands-on exposure to system evaluations and capital planning.

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Equal Opportunity & Hiring Transparency

Careertakes and our client are Equal Opportunity Employers committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce. We prohibit discrimination or harassment of any kind. To support a fair and efficient hiring process, AI tools may be used to assist with application review or resume screening. These tools do not replace human decision-making. Final hiring decisions are made by people.

If you have questions about how your data is used, please contact us directly.