Latin America Humanitarian Field Engineer

Are you an engineering graduate driven to use your skills for something bigger than yourself? Join us in the fight against one of the world’s greatest injustices—the lack of safe water. As part of our team, you’ll live and work in a developing community abroad, applying your technical knowledge, project leadership and management skills, to build sustainable, community-wide safe water solutions for those who need them most. This isn’t just a job—it’s a calling. You’ll immerse yourself in a new culture, become proficient in Spanish, and build lifelong friendships while helping families break free from the cycle of poverty. If you’re ready to grow as an individual while putting your engineering talents to work for humanity, this is your chance to make a lasting impact.

Job Summary:

The Latin America Field Engineer (LAFE) leads the HWI Guatemala & Mexico field staff on the technical and infrastructural aspects of establishing community safe water projects. The LAFE works closely with HWI Headquarters engineering team who design water systems including catchment, pumping, conveyance, storage, filtration/treatment, distribution and solar power systems. LAFE’s primary responsibilities are the fine-tuning and site-contextualizing of these project designs, as well as supervising and participating on the ground in the execution of the projects. This execution includes supervising contractors, leading HWI field teams in installing hardware, testing/monitoring systems, and training both HWI field staff and local community members in relevant competencies.

Job Arrangement:

• Based in Guatemala City, Guatemala area (Hire would live abroad, in Guatemala)
• Proposed start date: Jan 15, 2026 (Can be flexible on start date to accommodate international relocation)
• In-person role reporting to Healing Waters country office near Guatemala City
• Full time
• Travel Within Guatemala, typically 2 to 6-day trips, est twice per month. And travel to Chiapas, Mexico, or other Central American countries; typically 1-2 week trips, est twice quarterly. Possibility of travel to US annually
• Desired minimum 2-year commitment (verbal/intention; not contractual obligation)
• Reports to Denver-based Global Operations Director

Qualifications / Competencies:

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Civil/Environmental Engineering or a similar engineering discipline
• Job experience in a civil (preferably water / wastewater) engineering or similar discipline.
• Alternatively, job experience in construction, solar, commercial plumbing or pumps/hydraulics is valued.
• Familiarity with CAD applications; drafting, and modeling
• Desired: Familiarity with WaterCAD/OpenFlows/WaterGEMS or similar
• Existing fluency or ability to become fluent in Spanish with 6 months immersion (language training can be provided but some Spanish language background is strongly preferred).
• Passion & drive to work in a (faith-based) community development/humanitarian context in the developing world; interfacing and working alongside communities in severe poverty
• Ability/desire to work in remote/rustic field conditions in Latin America, including strenuous walking, carrying gear, occasional rugged lodging conditions
• Leadership skills & self-confidence: The LAFE needs to make realtime decisions and judgement calls autonomously
• Question and confront when contractors/technicians misunderstand or ignore a spec or best practice, etc. The LAFE’s personality must be conducive to confidently leading, pace-setting, and sometimes confronting; charismatically communicating visions, goals and standards to teams.
• Highly desired: Prior field / on-site work experience: Interfacing with contractors/construction, hardware installation or testing, etc.
• Highly desired: Prior exposure, or aptitude/affinity for electrical, plumbing and structural hands-on skills (i.e. has worked with a range of power tools, or performed some plumbing/electric installation work)
• Desired: Experience or ability to quickly learn manual transmission, comfortability driving 4x4 manual pickup trucks and straight trucks in off-road conditions.
• Detailed Job Description / Key Responsibilities available upon inquiry*
• KPIs: The LAFE is primarily evaluated based on the timely, cost effective and technically sound completion of the community water projects which have been proposed, developed and designed collaboratively by the HWI team. Metrics would include adherence to budget, completion within defined timelines; and durability over time of infrastructure/hardware installed – due to having been implemented according to best practices, professional installation and proper calibrations.

• Vacation accrual, sick leave, local (Guatemala) holidays, comp day policy for work over weekends.
• Excellent local health insurance (coverage in Guatemala and when traveling abroad; not US health insurance).
• Initial support with international relocation, intensive language training if needed.

The Latin America Field Engineer will live in Guatemala, so the job will be conducted primarily in Spanish. Existing fluency or ability to become fluent in Spanish with 6 months immersion. (Language training can be provided, but some Spanish language background is strongly preferred).