Senior Hydrotechnical Engineer

Proven; Vancouver; On-site; CAD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

PRI is seeking a Senior Hydrotechnical Engineer to lead our hydrotechnical practice in Vancouver. You will oversee dam safety reviews, dam inspections, and mine water management, ensuring compliance with Canadian Dam Association guidelines and BC Dam Safety Regulation.

You will guide inflow design flood analyses, dam breach assessments, and spillway design, while mentoring engineers and EITs toward professional registration.

Qualifications

• P.Eng. registered with EGBC, or immediately eligible for registration in BC.
• Degree in Civil, Water Resources, or Environmental Engineering with a hydrotechnical focus; a graduate degree is an asset.
• Minimum 8 years of progressive hydrotechnical consulting experience, leading and sealing projects.
• Demonstrated dam safety experience, including reviews or inspections, inflow design flood analysis, dam breach assessment, and spillway hydraulics.
• Working knowledge of Canadian Dam Association Dam Safety Guidelines and BC Dam Safety Regulation.
• Strong hydrologic/hydraulic modelling capability including 2D river modelling (HEC-RAS/MIKE/SRH-2D).
• Experience across water resources engineering; mining, tailings, or Engineer of Record is a strong asset.

Responsibilities

• Lead Dam Safety Reviews and dam safety inspections, and take professional responsibility for reports and recommendations.
• Direct inflow design flood analysis, dam breach and inundation mapping, consequence classification, and spillway and outlet works assessment and design.
• Review instrumentation and surveillance data, prepare OMS manuals and Emergency Preparedness Plans, and support Engineer of Record programs.
• Lead mine water management, including site-wide water balance, diversions, tailings facility hydrology, and closure drainage and spillways.
• Lead flood hazard and flood risk assessments, floodplain mapping and legislated flood assessments, dike assessments, river engineering, and debris flow hazard work.
• Lead assignments across hydropower, water supply, municipal drainage, and coastal work; mentor engineers toward registration.

Skills

Dam safety reviews

Hydrotechnical engineering

Inflow design flood

Dam breach analysis

Hydraulic modelling

River engineering

Team leadership

Education

P.Eng. registration in BC or eligible

Civil/Water Resources/Environmental Engineering degree

Tools

HEC-RAS

HEC-HMS

SRH-2D

MIKE

PCSWMM

Job description

SENIOR HYDROTECHNICAL ENGINEER

Dam safety, mine water management, and flood hazard leadership

Location

Vancouver, BC

Permanent, Full-time

About The Role

PRI is looking for a Senior Hydrotechnical Engineer to help lead our Hydrotechnical practice. Dam safety and mining are central to this role, alongside flood hazard assessment and river engineering.

You will lead and seal Dam Safety Reviews and dam safety inspections for water retention dams and tailings storage facilities, direct inflow design flood and dam breach assessments, and lead mine water management work. This is high-consequence work governed by clear standards, including the Canadian Dam Association Dam Safety Guidelines, the BC Dam Safety Regulation, and the EGBC guidelines for flood mapping and legislated flood assessments.

What You’ll Own

• Lead Dam Safety Reviews and dam safety inspections, and take professional responsibility for the resulting reports and recommendations.
• Direct inflow design flood analysis, dam breach and inundation mapping, consequence classification, and spillway and outlet works assessment and design.
• Review instrumentation and surveillance data, prepare or update OMS manuals and Emergency Preparedness Plans, and support Engineer of Record programs.
• Lead mine water management, including site-wide water balance, diversions, tailings facility hydrology, and closure drainage and spillways.
• Lead flood hazard and flood risk assessments, floodplain mapping and legislated flood assessments, dike assessments, river engineering, and steep creek and debris flow hazard work.
• Lead assignments across the breadth of our practice, including hydropower and run-of-river, water supply and reservoirs, municipal drainage and stormwater master planning, water and wastewater infrastructure, resource road hydrology, and coastal and sea level rise work.
• Lead projects end to end, seal your work, advise clients directly, and mentor engineers and EITs toward registration.

What You Bring

• P.Eng. registered with EGBC, or immediately eligible for registration in BC.
• Degree in Civil, Water Resources, or Environmental Engineering with a hydrotechnical focus; a graduate degree is an asset.
• Minimum 8 years of progressive hydrotechnical consulting experience, leading and sealing your own projects.
• Demonstrated dam safety experience, including Dam Safety Reviews or inspections, inflow design flood analysis, dam breach assessment, and spillway hydraulics.
• Working knowledge of the Canadian Dam Association Dam Safety Guidelines and the BC Dam Safety Regulation.
• Strong hydrologic and hydraulic modelling capability, including two-dimensional river modelling, using tools such as HEC-RAS, HEC-HMS, SRH-2D, MIKE, or PCSWMM.
• Breadth across water resources engineering, and the appetite to lead assignments beyond a single niche. Mining, tailings, or Engineer of Record experience is a strong asset.
• Class 5 BC driver's license, and willingness to travel to project and mine sites, including remote, fly-in, or camp-based work.

Why PRI

• A growing practice with a specialized dam safety and mining portfolio, where a senior engineer can genuinely shape the technical direction.
• Unusual breadth, from dams and mining to hydropower, municipal water, resource roads, and coastal work.
• A multidisciplinary platform, working alongside geotechnical, civil, environmental, natural sciences, and geomatics colleagues, and a direct path to practice leadership.
• Competitive compensation, comprehensive benefits, and support for professional development and EGBC obligations.

PRI is a multidisciplinary engineering and natural sciences consulting firm with offices across British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, and Nova Scotia. We are an equal-opportunity employer and welcome applications from all qualified candidates. We particularly encourage applications from Indigenous professionals.