Colorado Water Rights Engineer — Modeling & Planning (Hybrid)

Orion Placement; Boulder (CO); Hybrid; USD 70,000 - 115,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Paid time off

401(k) with employer match

Profit-sharing opportunities

Job summary

Orion Placement seeks an experienced Colorado water resources engineer to develop and support water rights applications, augmentation plans, and water accounting systems in Boulder. You will model allocations using RiverWare and Excel, evaluate supply scenarios, and assist with planning and operations within a collaborative team.

The role emphasizes strong Excel skills, knowledge of Colorado water rights, and potential PE registration within a year.

Qualifications

• 4+ years of Colorado water resources engineering experience.
• Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering, Water Resources, Hydrology, Hydrogeology, or related discipline.
• Strong understanding of Colorado water rights, water administration, and surface water modeling.
• Knowledge of groundwater principles and modeling, water quality, and water accounting.
• Advanced Excel skills and strong technical analysis capabilities.
• PE registration or ability to obtain within one year.
• Excellent written and verbal communication and organizational skills.
• Master's degree, GIS experience, and CDSS familiarity preferred.

Responsibilities

• Develop and support Colorado water rights applications, augmentation plans, historical consumptive use analyses, and water accounting systems.
• Build and analyze water allocation models using RiverWare, StateMod, MODSIM, and Excel.
• Evaluate water supply scenarios, groundwater and surface water resources, and long-term water management strategies.
• Assist with water supply planning, demand studies, permitting, and system operations.
• Support water quality sampling, field measurements, data analysis, and technical reporting.
• Collaborate with engineers, clients, and water management professionals to develop effective solutions.
• Help coordinate daily water operations, including occasional limited weekend coverage through a rotating on-call schedule.

Skills

Water resources engineering

Excel

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering / water resources

Master's degree (preferred)

Tools

RiverWare

StateMod

MODSIM

CDSS

Job description

Orion Placement seeks an experienced Colorado water resources engineer to develop and support water rights applications, augmentation plans, and water accounting systems in Boulder. You will model allocations using RiverWare and Excel, evaluate supply scenarios, and assist with planning and operations within a collaborative team.

The role emphasizes strong Excel skills, knowledge of Colorado water rights, and potential PE registration within a year.