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Each February, we celebrate National Engineers Week as a way to inspire future engineers, highlighting the career paths of employees across Veolia North America, including their successes, lessons learned and advice for the next generation. This year, we spoke with three engineers in our Municipal Water division, who work on everything from designing water networks, to upgrading existing infrastructure to managing teams across the country. 

Ceren Aralp, Vice President, Municipal Water Contract Operations

In her role, Ceren provides crucial support to our project teams nationwide, who are responsible for the operation and maintenance of water and wastewater facilities throughout the United States.

Ceren’s background includes years as an engineering consultant, where she worked closely with multiple public utilities as their engineer before coming to Veolia. Today, her focus is on providing leadership to technical teams at Veolia, concentrating on strategic planning as well as fostering a culture for professional growth and the achievement of organizational goals.

“Among the recent proposals and projects I’ve overseen or reviewed were initiatives focused on a pilot program for AI based predictive aeration control at one of our wastewater facilities, building a community supporting electrical teams (considering we have 200+ facilities, information sharing is critical part of our success), and a program to perform centrifuge optimization for biosolids dewatering,” she explains.

Reflecting on her work at Veolia, Ceren reinforces the importance of collaboration with her team and empowering them to ask questions, be curious and grow in their careers.

Helen King (Wiley), Associate Engineer, Municipal Water Pennsylvania

In her role as an associate engineer in our Municipal Water Pennsylvania region, Helen King (Wiley) works on a diverse range of projects. One project she’s particularly excited about right now is establishing a new surface water source and treatment facility. This project encompasses many things of engineering she’s passionate about: creative problem-solving, innovative technical design, and most importantly, having a positive impact on her community.

For others looking to pursue a career in the water sector, Helen advises that you stay open-minded to all opportunities:

“As a mechanical engineer, I initially hesitated to apply for my current role in water treatment, thinking it was better suited for civil or environmental engineers. However, by taking the leap, I discovered a fulfilling career path I hadn’t previously considered. I’ve learned that engineering offers infinite possibilities for application across various industries.”

She adds, “Don’t limit yourself based on preconceptions—be willing to try new things and step out of your comfort zone. Take advantage of every opportunity to learn about different fields, even if they don’t seem directly related to your major. You never know where these experiences might lead you.”

Beatriz Dundas, EIT, Project Engineer, Pennsylvania Municipal Water

Beatriz Dundas, EIT is part of our Pennsylvania Municipal Water team, working as a Project Engineer where she designs water network projects throughout the region. Her focus is on two major project categories:

Water Main replacement and relocation, where she helps update existing distribution systemsWater Main expansion, where she plans and designs new water main systems to provides access to reliable water infrastructure that meets all the regulatory requirements

Her advice to engineers looking to enter the water industry is this:

“Do not give up! The water utility business is a promising sector and with the drinking water regulations becoming more strict and often being revised it provides a stable career path with opportunities to learn and grow.”

Interested in learning more about other roles or starting a career at Veolia? Visit here.