Last updated September 23, 2026 · Compiled from Amundson Group placement records and public market data.
Hiring for heavy civil, site development, paving, data center, rail, or wastewater work? Amundson Group is a construction-only recruiter. First qualified resumes in 7 hours. Send us the role or call (832) 558-7982.
What a Water and Wastewater Construction Recruiter Does
A water and wastewater construction recruiter fills the field and office leadership roles that keep treatment plants, pump stations, lift stations, pipelines, and collection systems getting built and rehabilitated on schedule. Amundson Group is a Houston-headquartered, veteran-owned construction recruiting firm and Inc. 5000 honoree (2024, 2025). Wastewater is one of our core sectors, and we recruit for water and wastewater contractors nationwide.
The short answer for a hiring manager: the best water and wastewater construction recruiters already know the contractors, the plant types, and the people, and they can turn a job intake into qualified resumes in hours rather than weeks. At Amundson Group, the average time from job intake to first qualified resume is 7 hours, drawn from a network of 90,000+ construction professionals.
Why the 2026 Water and Wastewater Market Is So Tight
Three forces are driving demand in 2026: aging infrastructure replacement, PFAS and compliance-driven capital programs, and a shortage of people who have actually delivered water and wastewater work in the field. Candidates with direct plant or pipeline experience, plus PE, CM, estimating, scheduling, or superintendent credentials, are the hardest to find.
Per the AGC/NCCER 2026 workforce survey, 87% of construction firms reported open hourly craft positions and 82% reported open salaried positions, and among firms with openings, 88% said craft roles and 87% said salaried roles were as hard or harder to fill than a year earlier. The same AGC-linked 2026 outlook data put water and sewer among the stronger construction segments, which means water and wastewater contractors are competing for the same scarce leaders as every other growing market.
Roles We Recruit for Water and Wastewater Contractors
- Superintendents and general superintendents with treatment plant, pump station, or pipeline experience
- Project managers and senior project managers on municipal and utility contracts
- Project engineers and field engineers who understand submittals, RFIs, and process equipment
- Estimators and preconstruction leaders who have priced hard-bid and alternative delivery water work
- Schedulers who can sequence around plant shutdowns and bypass pumping
- Foremen and skilled trades, including pipe crews and mechanical installers
- Construction executives, from operations managers to division leaders
How Amundson Group Recruits Water and Wastewater Talent
Our process is built for speed without sacrificing fit. It starts with a detailed intake: project type, delivery method, plant capacity, schedule pressure, relocation realities, and the team the hire will join. From there our recruiters work a network of 90,000+ construction professionals, most of whom are not on job boards, and screen specifically for direct water and wastewater project experience rather than generic civil résumés.
Every candidate we present has been interviewed by a recruiter who works construction full time. We cover compensation expectations, notice period, and motivation up front so hiring managers are not surprised at offer stage. To date we have completed 1,200+ construction placements for 250+ construction companies, and we apply the same rigor to a foreman search as to a division executive search. If you have an open role, tell us about the position and we will get to work.
Where We Recruit
Amundson Group is a national construction recruiter headquartered in Houston, Texas. Our deepest roots are in Texas (Houston, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, Fort Worth), Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina, plus Nashville, Phoenix, Denver, and the Virginia corridor. We place and serve water and wastewater clients nationwide, including California and New York.
What We Do and Do Not Recruit
Our sectors are heavy civil (highways, bridges, earthwork, grading), site development and land development (utilities, paving), data center, rail, tunnels, and wastewater. That overlap matters for water clients: many of the best treatment plant superintendents came up through heavy civil or utility site work, and we know where they are. We do not place commercial construction roles such as office, retail, hospitality, or tenant build-out, and we do not work energy or oil and gas.
What Water and Wastewater Talent Costs in 2026
Compensation for experienced water and wastewater superintendents, project managers, and estimators has moved up with the shortage, and candidates with treatment plant experience command a premium over general civil peers. Our construction salary data is drawn straight from where the hiring happens, our recruiting desks, across a network of 90,000+ construction professionals, and cross-checked against authoritative sources (BLS, AGC, ENR and industry surveys). It is the market as we actually see it, not scraped job-board averages. For current ranges by role and region, see the Amundson Group construction salary guide.
Frequently asked questions
What does a water and wastewater construction recruiter do?
A water and wastewater construction recruiter finds and vets field and office leaders for contractors building treatment plants, pump stations, lift stations, pipelines, and collection systems. That includes superintendents, project managers, project engineers, estimators, schedulers, foremen, skilled trades, and construction executives. A specialist recruiter screens for direct water and wastewater project experience, not just general civil background, and reaches candidates who are not actively applying. Amundson Group works from a network of 90,000+ construction professionals and averages 7 hours from job intake to first qualified resume.
Why are water and wastewater construction roles so hard to fill in 2026?
Demand is up because of aging infrastructure replacement and PFAS and compliance-driven capital programs, while the pool of people with real treatment plant or pipeline experience has not grown at the same pace. Per the AGC/NCCER 2026 workforce survey, 87% of construction firms reported open hourly craft positions and 82% reported open salaried positions, and most firms with openings said those roles were as hard or harder to fill than a year earlier. Water and wastewater contractors are competing with heavy civil, data center, and rail builders for the same superintendents and project managers.
Does Amundson Group recruit water and wastewater roles nationwide?
Yes. Amundson Group is a national construction recruiter headquartered in Houston, Texas, and we place and serve water and wastewater clients across the country, including California and New York. Our deepest roots are in Texas, Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina, Nashville, Phoenix, Denver, and the Virginia corridor. Because water and wastewater talent often relocates for the right project, a national network matters more than a local office. To date we have completed 1,200+ construction placements for 250+ construction companies.
What experience should a water and wastewater superintendent or project manager have?
Hiring managers in 2026 prioritize direct experience on treatment plants, pump stations, or large-diameter pipeline work, with familiarity in process mechanical equipment, bypass pumping, and working inside live facilities. Credentials such as a PE, CM certification, or strong estimating and scheduling backgrounds add value. Municipal and utility owners also expect leaders who understand submittals, inspections, and shutdown coordination. When Amundson Group screens candidates, we verify project scope and role, not just titles, so the résumé matches what actually happened on site.
Start a search with Amundson Group. Average 7 hours from job intake to first qualified resume.
Need this hire made? Send us the role. Amundson Group is a construction-only recruiter based in Houston, placing across the United States: heavy civil, site development, paving, data centers, rail, tunnels, wastewater, and underground utilities. 1,200+ construction placements to date, a 90,000+ professional network, first qualified resumes in 7 hours. Inc. 5000 in 2024 and 2025.
Prefer to talk? Call (832) 558-7982 or use the full form at amundsongroup.com/hire-talent.
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Reviewed and updated September 28, 2026. Methodology note: Our salary data is drawn from our recruiting desks, across a network of 90,000+ construction professionals, and cross-checked against authoritative sources (BLS, AGC, ENR and industry surveys).