For more information on our Water & Wastewater Solutions services, get in touch with

Samuel Frisby

Business Manager

Hundreds of 'Excellent' reviews

Water & Wastewater Solutions Executive Search

Helping Water & Wastewater Solutions companies unlock their next stage of growth

Specialisms We Cover

Capital Equipment Chemical Water Treatment Instrumentation Mobile Water Services Paper Chemistry PFAS Remediation/ Destruction Smart Water

The global water and wastewater market is valued at over USD 300 billion and continues to expand, driven by infrastructure renewal, regulatory pressure, climate resilience, and increasing investment in water reuse and digital water technologies.

Water and wastewater infrastructure underpins public health, industrial productivity, and environmental sustainability worldwide. As populations grow, urbanisation accelerates, and climate volatility places increasing strain on water resources, the sector faces mounting pressure to modernise ageing networks, improve efficiency, and deliver resilient, sustainable systems. Innovation across treatment technologies, smart water solutions, and resource recovery is reshaping how water is managed across the value chain.

Our commitment to the water and wastewater market sets us apart from traditional executive search firms. We continuously refine our approach, combining sector expertise, market insight, and technology-led processes to deliver fast, thorough, and effective search solutions. By aligning high-calibre technical and commercial talent with strategic objectives, we help our clients build the capability required to modernise infrastructure, scale sustainably, and secure long-term water resilience.

Water systems support communities, industry, and growth.

Organizations in this sector design, operate, and maintain infrastructure that must perform continuously under regulatory, environmental, and operational pressure. Long asset lifecycles, compliance requirements, and sustainability targets place strong emphasis on engineering judgement and operational discipline.

Our consultants specialise by geographic region and therefore have tailored, in-depth networks within their area of focus. This niche approach results in our clients being delivered the strongest results for each specific search we work on and is the reason for our impeccable track record within the industry.

Download the Water & Wastewater Solutions Brochure

Download our brochure

Learn more about our services, approach and the sectors we operate in.

Did you know?

Hiring the wrong candidate costs more than just time—it can waste salary, training resources, and opportunities. The Department of Labour estimates a bad hire can cost up to 30% of the role’s first-year earnings.

We hire right

Organisations are often reluctant to use external recruiters due the percieved cost. Think about it like this - what financial benefit could a top candidate bring to your business unit? You could make a 100x return on your investment.

97% Placement Rate 1
1.78:1 CVs Sent to Interviews 2
Avg. 32 Day Engagement to Placement 3

1. Based on all roles engaged on by a client on an exclusive basis from Jan 4 2025 - Dec 31 2025.

2. All CVs Sent from Jan 4 2025 - Dec 31 2025.

3. From Jan 4 2025 - Dec 31 2025.

Stats

387 active opportunities

1,908 placements made across 25 sectors

262,736 companies in our CRM

"At Irving Knight, we don't just fill positions; we build lasting partnerships. Our commitment to understanding your unique needs ensures that we deliver leaders who drive success and embody your company's values. When it comes to identifying the high-performers of tomorrow, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Our bespoke approach ensures every search is personal, diverse, and tailored from the ground up — delivering an individual, unrivalled experience for both clients and candidates. "

- Joe Davey, Group CEO of Irving Knight Group

Kay Witte

Global Director Performance Excellence

Joseph was instrumental in making my last professional opportunity happen. He was easy to work with, responsive, and ...

Joseph Davey

Group CEO

Eduardo Valle

Development Mgr, US

This opportunity fell on my lap at the perfect time and the overall process with Christopher was great. It was a very...

Christopher Clay

Real Estate & Homebuilding

Kaitlin Lammers

Account Manager

Oliver made the hiring process smooth from start to finish. He was consistently responsive, understanding, and suppor...

Oliver Kiddy

Flavors & Fragrances

Michel Cas

Sales Manager, France

Incredibly human oriented executive search, candidates handled with great care and respect, precise and concise infor...

Joseph Davey

Group CEO

Sandeep Kulshrestha

Formulation Director, US

Oliver is very good in matching skills of the candidates with the company’s requirements. I personally got benefits o...

Oliver Kiddy

Flavors & Fragrances

Brian Carpenter

VP Continous Improvement, US

Stewart was instrumental in helping me through this process and alleviating my concerns as I’ve been out of the workf...

Stewart Boyd

Construction Materials & Mining

Rishi Sarkar

Environmental Process Engineer, US

Irving Knight helped place me with a company that I could have a positive impact on that aligned with my career goals...

Cian ODonnell

CDMO & CRO

Jeff Borchardt

Director of Planning, US

Mr. Clay was a wonderful recruiter. He was communicative and helped keep me informed through the process. He also fou...

Christopher Clay

Real Estate & Homebuilding

Michael Wilson

Senior Account Manager

Working with Joseph was a seamless and positive experience from our first contact along with the various steps of the...

Joseph Davey

Group CEO

Kerry Maye

Regional Sales Manager

Working with Joseph was a wonderfully positive experience from our first contact, through acceptance of my job offer....

Joseph Davey

Group CEO

Valeria Pozzi

Procurement Category Manager, Italy

Working with Oliver has been a real pleasure!His highly professionalism and transparency made me comfortable to consi...

Oliver Kiddy

Flavors & Fragrances

Keith Parvin

Automation Division Director

I found Joseph to be extremely professional in every way when going through a recent recruitment process, always doin...

Joseph Davey

Group CEO

Lucas Quadflieg

Sales Manager, Netherlands

Good vibes on finding a new opportunity... I was contacted by Aidan Kerr for a position of Sales Manager Benelux. Af...

Aidan Kerr

Chemicals

Matt Engelbrecht

VP Industrial Ops, US

Working with Lily was a phenomenal experience. She was fully transparent, professional, and provided timely communica...

Lily Newton

Animal Health

Joerg Schlagmann

Senior Global Manager

Great expert: supportive, challenging and always empowered for his customers and his work! Not more to say: just exce...

Joseph Davey

Group CEO

Tim Mitchell

Plant Manager, US

Stewart did an amazing job representing me for a new opportunity.

Stewart Boyd

Construction Materials & Mining

Vincent Dehousse

Head of Sales & Marketing, Netherlands

Great experience working with Cian from Irving Knight—professional, responsive, and genuinely supportive. Highly reco...

Cian ODonnell

CDMO & CRO

Andrew Coutts

Director Global Strategy, US

First Class Service Emma shared details of a relevant opportunity and did a great job helping to manage lengthy nego...

Emma Conlin

Animal Health

Tim Staniels

Territory Sales Manager, US

Joseph was very easy to work with. He was motivated and attentive during his recruitment process, very responsive to ...

Joseph Davey

Group CEO

Veronica Hagborg

Senior Director Global HR, Sweden

I have had the opportunity to co-operate with Joseph in a process and I found him very proactive in keeping me inform...

Joseph Davey

Group CEO