Flexible, Project Based Wetland Scientist

Midwest Wetland Improvements LLC; Fort Snelling Unorganized Territory (MN); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Part time

Job summary

Midwest Wetland Improvements LLC is seeking a part-time Water Resources Engineer to scope hydrologic work, design grading and water-control features, and work directly with an interdisciplinary team on stormwater, flood mitigation, and stream restoration across Minnesota and western Wisconsin.

You’ll lead design from calc to field, collaborate with regulatory agencies, and help grow the practice both technically and financially. Hybrid work arrangement with field travel is expected.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Civil or Environmental Engineering (Master’s preferred).
• Professional Engineer license in MN and/or WI or ability to obtain within 6 months.
• 7–10 years of water resources engineering experience.
• Proficiency with hydrologic and hydraulic modeling tools (e.g., HEC-RAS, HEC-HMS, SWMM).
• Proficiency with AutoCAD Civil 3D for plan preparation and grading design.
• Proficiency with ESRI ArcGIS Pro for spatial analysis and CAD/GIS integration.
• Strong technical writing and ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Willingness to travel within Minnesota and Wisconsin for field visits.

Responsibilities

• Perform hydrologic and hydraulic modeling to support project design.
• Prepare permit submittals and coordinate with regulatory agencies.
• Provide construction-phase support including review of submittals and site visits.
• Lead client communications and manage project scope from concept to completion.
• Mentor junior staff and stay current with modeling advances and regulatory trends.

Skills

Hydrologic modeling

Hydraulic modeling

Project management

Regulatory permits

Field observations

Client relations

Mentoring

Education

Bachelor's in Civil/Environmental Engineering

Professional Engineer license (MN/WI)

Tools

HEC-RAS

HEC-HMS

SWMM

AutoCAD Civil 3D

ArcGIS Pro

WinSLAMM

P8

HydroCAD

TR-55/TR-20

Job description

Midwest Wetland Improvements (MWI) is a small, specialized environmental consulting firm dedicated to restoring and protecting the water resources and habitats that are critical to life. We blend wetland science, water resources engineering, stream ecology, and landscape architecture to deliver creative, science-based solutions across Minnesota and Wisconsin.

We work with clients of every size and type: homeowners, engineering firms, municipalities, watershed districts, developers, federal agencies and non-profit conservation groups. We bring the same depth of expertise to each one. We take pride in the details, collaborate tightly across disciplines, and do work that makes a measurable difference in the wetlands, streams, and watersheds of the Upper Midwest.

The Opportunity

At a large firm, “water resources engineer” often means running models and drafting for projects you’ll never see in the field. We’re offering the opposite. As our water resources engineer, you’ll be a seller-doer scoping the hydrologic and hydraulic work, designing the grading, structures, and water-control features that make a restoration work, talking clients through it, and standing in the field as it’s constructed. The design is yours from the first calc to the day water flows through it.

You’ll work directly with our interdisciplinary team on stormwater management, flood mitigation, stream restoration, water quality improvement, and mitigation banking across Minnesota, with occasional work in western Wisconsin. As MWI’s water resources practice expands, so does your opportunity to shape it professionally and financially. If you want to own the whole design and watch it come out of the ground, let’s talk.

Who It’s For

We’re hiring this role as a part-time role to start, sized to our current project load and growing as the work does. This is a great fit for a seasoned professional who is looking to ramp back up in the professional world, or step back from a demanding schedule and is not ready to stop doing work that matters. Focus on the projects that interest you, set your own pace, and, if you are inclined, pass on what you know to the next generation of our team. It is an equally good fit for an established engineer who wants to bring existing client relationships to a firm that will let them run with them. If you’re an established professional who can bring a book of work with you, we should especially talk since there’s room to grow faster. Tell us what you’re looking for, and we’ll build the role around the right person. That’s something only a small firm can credibly offer.

What You’ll Do

Design & Modeling

• Perform hydrologic and hydraulic modeling using HEC-RAS (1D/2D), HEC-HMS, SWMM / PCSWMM, HydroCAD, and TR-55 / TR-20 methods.
• Conduct 100-year floodplain analysis, culvert and road-crossing hydraulics (HY-8, FHWA Hydraulic Toolbox), and scour analysis to support design and regulatory compliance.
• Design stormwater management systems and BMPs, including green infrastructure / low-impact development (bioretention, infiltration, filtration, ponds, and wetland treatment).
• Perform water quality modeling (WinSLAMM, P8) and pollutant load-reduction analysis.
• Design stream and channel restoration projects using natural channel design and fluvial geomorphology to design grade control, bank stabilization, and fish passage projects.
• Design grading, water-control structures, and hydraulic features that make wetland restorations and mitigation sites function.
• Produce plan sets, details, and specifications in AutoCAD Civil 3D.

Permitting & Regulatory (MN + WI)

• Minnesota: Experience with the MPCA Construction Stormwater General Permit, the Minimal Impact Design Standards (MIDS) and Minnesota Stormwater Manual, watershed district / WMO permits, MnDOT drainage standards, DNR Public Waters Work Permits, and WCA coordination.
• Wisconsin: Experience with WDNR Chapter 30 waterway and wetland permits, NR 151 runoff management and NR 216 stormwater discharge, construction-site erosion control, and WinSLAMM-based water quality standards.
• Prepare permit submittals and design memos, and coordinate directly with regulatory agencies to keep projects on track.

Construction & Delivery

• Prepare cost estimates, bid packages, and construction specifications.
• Provide construction-phase support: submittal review, site inspections, resident project representation, as-built verification, and pay-application review.

Client, Business & Team

• Scope projects, communicate directly with clients, and lead from concept to completion.
• Contribute to proposals, client relationships, and business development as the practice grows.
• Collaborate with scientists, ecologists, and landscape architects; mentor junior staff.
• Stay current with modeling advances, design standards, and regulatory trends.

What You Bring

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering, or a related field (Master’s a plus).
• Professional Engineer (PE) license in Minnesota and/or Wisconsin, or the ability to obtain within 6 months; reciprocity in the second state is a plus.
• 7–10 years of water resources engineering experience, including stormwater management, flood control, and water quality projects.
• Proficiency with hydrologic and hydraulic modeling tools (e.g., HEC-RAS, HEC-HMS, SWMM).
• Proficiency with AutoCAD Civil 3D for plan preparation and grading design.
• Proficiency with ESRI ArcGIS Pro for spatial analysis and CAD/GIS integration.
• Strong technical writing for reports, design memos, and permit submittals.
• Ability to self-direct, manage multiple priorities, and meet deadlines in a flexible environment.
• Minnesota residency, a valid driver's license, and reliable transportation. Field visits and construction observation are concentrated in the Twin Cities metro, with some travel in greater Minnesota and occasional trips to western Wisconsin. Overnight travel is infrequent.Valid driver’s license and willingness to travel to project sites for field visits and construction observation across Minnesota and Wisconsin (occasional overnight travel required).

Preferred

• Certified Floodplain Manager (CFM) credential or eligibility.
• Certified Professional in Erosion and Sediment Control (CPESC) or in Storm Water Quality (CPSWQ).
• Experience with WinSLAMM, P8, HydroCAD, HY-8, and the FHWA Hydraulic Toolbox.
• Natural channel design, stream restoration, or fluvial geomorphology experience (Rosgen training a plus).
• Familiarity with watershed district permitting, MIDS, MnDOT drainage standards, and WDNR Chapter 30 / NR 151.
• Experience preparing cost estimates, bid packages, and construction specifications.
• Genuine interest in ecological restoration, green infrastructure, and sustainable design.
• Dual MN/WI PE licensure, or willingness to pursue it.

Why MWI

• A real say in how the firm runs. You’ll have direct access to ownership and a genuine voice in how we work and grow. Not a suggestion box, but a seat at the table.
• A faster path to senior responsibility. There’s no one in line ahead of you. Your path to leading projects, and eventually a team, moves as fast as you’re ready for.
• Flexibility a large firm can’t match. Hybrid and project-based, built around real life rather than a rigid schedule or a daily commute.
• Work you can stand in. Restoring and protecting the water resources and habitats that are critical to life—tangible, ecological, and visible in a way a lot of AEC work isn’t. You’ll see what you helped build.
• Whole projects, not pieces of them. No matrix of departments, no handoffs, no being “the one specialist” on someone else’s project for years. You scope it, you do it, you see it through.
• A team that invests in you. We support professional development, licensure and certification, and growth into new project types. Because a stronger team builds a better firm and better outcomes for Minnesota’s and Wisconsin’s natural systems.

Our Mission

Restoring and protecting the water resources and habitats that are critical to life.