Sr Technical Director - Technology and Strategy

A subsidiary of Veolia group, Veolia North America (VNA) is the top-ranked environmental company in the United States for three consecutive years, and the country’s largest private water operator and technology provider as well as hazardous waste and pollution treatment leader. It offers a full spectrum of water, waste, and energy management services, including water and wastewater treatment, commercial and hazardous waste collection and disposal, energy consulting and resource recovery. VNA helps commercial, industrial, healthcare, higher education, and municipality customers throughout North America. Headquartered in Boston, Mass., Veolia North America has more than 10,000 employees working at more than 350 locations across the continent.

Please visit our website for more information:  www.veolianorthamerica.com

Pay Rate: $ to a maximum of $

Position Purpose: 

The Senior Technical Director of Strategy and Implementation is a visionary leadership role responsible for developing and executing forward-thinking technical strategies while driving innovative solutions across the organization. This position combines strategic planning with practical implementation, focusing on advancing technical standards and operational excellence while addressing crucial environmental and performance challenges across water, waste and energy.

The role serves as a key technical advisor, guiding stakeholders through complex decisions and business development opportunities, particularly in transversal areas across the VNA business units such as compliance, contaminants of emerging concern, decarbonization, and operational excellence.  Critical is to foster a culture of innovation and actively participate in knowledge sharing both internally and externally as an industry thought leader.

This position facilitates collaboration within VNA as well as between VNA, the Group, Water Tech, and other zones for technical assistance, technology evaluations, and implementation of optimization initiatives with focus on copy and adaptation opportunities.

Primary Duties/Responsibilities:

• Develop and implement comprehensive technical strategies that align with business objectives, focusing on innovation, efficiency, and environmental transformation across water, waste, and energy sectors.
• Lead and coordinate major technical initiatives, particularly in areas of contaminants of emerging concern such as PFAS and microplastics, decarbonization, and operational excellence, ensuring successful execution and measurable outcomes.
• Provide technical advisory services for business development, mergers & acquisitions, and critical incident investigations, delivering strategic insights and solutions.
• Establish and promote technical standards and best practices that enhance operational efficiency, security, and sustainability across the organization.
• Build and maintain strategic partnerships with key stakeholders, translating complex technical concepts into actionable business solutions.
• Drive innovation and knowledge sharing through technical community engagement, workshop facilitation, and thought leadership activities.
• Evaluate and recommend emerging technologies and methodologies that could provide competitive advantages or operational improvements.  Oversee the development of standard operating procedures and collaborate with operations for piloting and implementation where appropriate.
• Oversee the development and implementation of technical training programs and capability building initiatives.  Could include collaboration with university programs.
• Monitor industry trends, regulatory requirements, and technological advancements to ensure organizational readiness and compliance.
• Guide cross-functional teams in executing technical projects, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives and performance targets.

Education/Experience/Background:

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or Technical field, with an MS or MBA as an advantage.
• 15+ years of progressive professional experience in roles within operations and maintenance or engineering industries.
• It is highly desirable to have hands-on field experience with a range of technical areas that should include some of the following, with a focus on optimization and troubleshooting:
  • Municipal or Industrial water, wastewater, and or reuse treatment systems and processes.
  • Municipal drinking water distribution or wastewater collection networks.
  • Power generation, heating/cooling systems, combined heat and power (CHP) processes.
  • Waste management methods, techniques and principles.

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities:

• Strategic Leadership: Demonstrated ability to develop and execute long-term technical strategies aligned with business objectives and industry trends.
• Technical Expertise: Deep knowledge of technologies, standards, and best practices across Water, Waste, and Energy sectors.
• Business Acumen: Strong understanding of industry dynamics, market trends, and ability to translate technical initiatives into business value.
• Communication Excellence: Superior ability to articulate complex technical concepts to diverse stakeholders and deliver impactful presentations.
• Innovation Management: Proven capability to identify, evaluate, and implement emerging technologies and drive technological advancement.
• Stakeholder Management: Expert relationship-building skills with ability to influence and collaborate across all organizational levels.
• Project Leadership: Experience in managing complex technical initiatives and driving successful, measurable outcomes with advanced problem solving capabilities.
• Analytical Thinking: Strong data analysis and problem-solving capabilities, with ability to derive insights from complex datasets.
• Regulatory Compliance: Comprehensive understanding of industry regulations and compliance requirements.
• Change Management: Ability to lead organizational transformation and drive adoption of new technologies.
• Technical Writing: Excellent documentation and reporting skills for technical and strategic communications.
• Learning Agility: Demonstrated commitment to continuous learning and staying current with technological advancements.
• Independence:  Strong time and project management skills with demonstrated ability to achieve against ambitious deliverables and timelines.  Self motivated to high performance and ability to work autonomously.

Required Certification/Licenses/Training:

• Valid Driver’s license and safe driving record.
• Engineering and/or Operator Certification or other equivalent confirmation of specialty skills is highly desirable.

Physical Requirements:

• Regular office work environment.
• Ability to travel up to 50% is required.
• Preferred locations: New York City / New Jersey, Boston, Milwaukee or Houston.

Veolia’s comprehensive benefits package includes paid time off policies, as well as health, dental and vision insurance. In addition, employees are also entitled to participate in an employer sponsored 401(k) plan, to save for retirement. Pay and benefits for employees represented by a union are outlined in their collective bargaining agreement.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer! All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.

Disclaimer: The salary, other compensation, and benefits information is accurate as of the date of this posting. The Company reserves the right to modify this information at any time, subject to applicable law.

Disclaimer: The salary, other compensation, and benefits information is accurate as of the date of this posting. The Company reserves the right to modify this information at any time, subject to applicable law.