Floodplain Senior Engineer

City and County of Denver; United States; Hybrid; USD 109,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Life-long pension

457B Retirement Plan

PTO + holidays + personal day + welln.

Health, dental, and vision coverage

Job summary

The City and County of Denver is seeking a Floodplain Senior Engineer to join the Right-of-Way Services (ROWS) Engineering and Plan Review (EPR) Floodplain team. You will lead regulatory review and provide technical evaluation for private site development, City infrastructure, and external projects in the regulatory floodplain.

Responsibilities include supporting floodplain management, coordinating with inspectors, and delivering compliant designs.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Civil or Water Resources Engineering.
• Certified Floodplain Manager (CFM) credential is preferred.
• Three+ years of professional engineering experience in floodplain/stormwater.
• Experience with hydrologic/hydraulic modeling and design.
• Ability to manage workload and collaborate with multiple stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Support floodplain management program administration, including permitting, audits, mapping activities, documentation, and process improvements.
• Review plans, reports, and flood models for regulatory compliance.
• Lead regulatory review of hydrologic/hydraulic studies and master planning efforts.
• Coordinate with floodplain inspectors and perform field inspections when needed.
• Provide GIS analysis and maintain spatial data for drainage and floodplain decisions.
• Collaborate with applicants, consultants, contractors, City staff, and the public to resolve issues.

Skills

Strong communication

Problem solving

Team player

Independent workload management

Education

Bachelor’s or higher in Civil or Water Resources Engineering

Tools

ArcGIS

HEC-HMS

CUHP/SWMM

1D HEC-RAS

2D modeling tools

Job description

About Our Job With competitive pay, great benefits, and endless opportunities, working for the City and County of Denver means seeing yourself working with purpose — for you, and those who benefit from your passion, skills and expertise. Join our diverse, inclusive and talented workforce of more than 11,000 team members who are at the heart of what makes Denver, Denver.

What We Offer

The City and County of Denver offers competitive pay commensurate with education and experience. New hires are typically brought into the organization between $109,134.00 - $144,603.00/year, based on experience and education.

• A guaranteed life-long monthly pension, once vested after 5 years of service
• 457B Retirement Plan
• 140 hours of PTO earned within first year + 12 paid holidays, 1 personal holiday, 1 Wellness Day and 1 volunteer day per year
• Competitive medical, dental, and vision plans effective within 1 month of start date

Location & Schedule

The City and County of Denver supports a hybrid workplace model. Employees work where needed, at a job site several days a week and off-site as needed. In this position you can expect to work three (3) days in office. For your in-office days, you can expect to work on-site at the Denver Wastewater Management Building (2000 W 3rd Ave, Denver, CO 80223). Employees must work within the state of Colorado on their off-site days.

Who We Are & What You’ll Do

The Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI), through its employees, enhances the quality of life in Denver by efficiently delivering effective, high quality, safe and equitable public infrastructure. DOTI also provides regulatory oversight services for both public and private development projects. For more information, please visit the DOTI website. DOTI’s Commitment to Equity: DOTI is committed to providing attention and resources to the areas, assets, and people of the city with the greatest need through equitable contracting, equitable investments, and equitable workforce development. DOTI’s culture revolves around four key principles: (1) Invest in Our People, (2) Operate with Discipline, (3) Use Data to Drive Decisions, and (4) Deliver Results. DOTI is seeking a Floodplain Senior Engineer to join the Right‑of‑Way Services (ROWS) Engineering and Plan Review (EPR) Floodplain team. This position plays a key role in ensuring that public and private construction within Denver’s regulatory floodplain is safe, sustainable, and compliant with City, State, and Federal requirements. In this role, you will lead regulatory review and provide technical evaluation, documentation, and support for private site development, City infrastructure, utility work, and external‑agency projects located in the regulatory floodplain. You will support permitting and inspection activities that uphold Denver’s floodplain management program and ensure compliance with engineering and environmental standards. The EPR‑Floodplain team works across a diverse range of complex and nonstandard projects and is regularly called upon to solve unique technical challenges. Success in this position requires strong collaboration skills, attention to detail, and the ability to deliver excellent customer service in daily interactions with the public, developers, partner agencies, and internal staff.

Floodplain Senior Engineer Responsibilities

• Support floodplain management program administration, including permitting, audits, mapping activities, documentation, and process improvements.
• Review engineering plans, specifications, reports, and flood models for compliance with applicable regulations and standards.
• Typical projects include, but are not limited to, City capital, outside agency, and private development projects in the regulatory floodplain.
• Participate as a stakeholder in, and provide technical review of, various types of hydrologic and hydraulic (H&H) studies and master planning efforts.
• Coordinate with floodplain inspector and occasionally perform field inspections to ensure compliance with approved plans and regulations.
• Document findings through photos, measurements, and reporting.
• Provide GIS analysis and maintain spatial data to support drainage and floodplain decisions.
• Collaborate with applicants, consultants, contractors, City staff, and the public to resolve technical and regulatory issues.
• Respond to public inquiries related to flood risk, regulations, mitigation options, and flood insurance.
• Develop policies, procedures, guidelines, and technical standards.
• Advocate for safety, sustainability, and resiliency in public infrastructure and private development.
• Contribute to a dynamic team environment with creativity, flexibility, and sound engineering judgement.
• Provide additional engineering regulatory review/support and perform other duties, as assigned.

What You’ll Bring

Our ideal candidate is a reliable, adaptable team player with strong communication and problem‑solving skills. They are organized, proactive, and eager to learn, with the ability to make thoughtful decisions in a fast-paced environment. They take pride in their work, value accountability, and consistently contribute to positive customer experiences while supporting team and performance goals. In addition, our ideal candidate has some or all the following experience, skills, and characteristics:

• Bachelor’s, or higher, degree in Civil or Water Resources related Engineering field.
• Certified Floodplain Manager (CFM) credential.
• At least five (5) years of floodplain and/or stormwater related engineering experience.
• At least three (3) years of experience in H&H modeling for a variety of flood projects/studies including preparation and/or review of associated reports.
• Experience in design, review, and/or inspection of vertical development (residential, commercial, industrial), including associated architectural, civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing disciplines.
• Experience in design, review, and/or inspection of municipal infrastructure, including drainageways, dams, levees, wet/dry utilities, water quality systems, transportation/roadway facilities, etc.
• Working knowledge of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and Community Rating System (CRS).
• Experience with floodplain regulations, Elevation/Floodproofing Certificates, and floodplain compliance inspections.
• Experience in technical writing and development of design drawings, technical reports and specifications.
• Ability to independently manage workload, track project progress, resolve conflicts, and collaborate effectively to communicate project status.
• Proficiency in ArcGIS, HEC-HMS, CUHP/SWMM, 1d HEC-RAS, various databases, and other common business technology solutions.
• A working knowledge of, but not necessarily proficiency in, 2d modeling programs (2d HEC-RAS, InfoWorks ICM, SRH-2d, Tuflow, Flo-2d, etc.).

Required Minimum Qualifications

Education Requirement: Bachelor’s degree in engineering.

Experience Requirement: Three (3) years of professional engineering work experience after obtaining a Professional Engineering (PE) license.

Education/Experience Equivalency: No substitution of experience for education is permitted. Additional appropriate education may be substituted for experience requirements.

License/Certifications

Requires a valid Driver's License at the time of application.

Requires registration as a Professional Engineer (PE) by the Colorado State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers at the time of application. Registration in another state will be accepted in lieu of this requirement, provided that the applicant has Colorado PE registration at completion of probation. Licenses and certifications must be kept current as a condition of employment.

Application Deadline

Application Deadline: This position is expected to stay open until November 15, 2026. No later than November 15, 2026, at 11:59 p.m.

About Everything Else

Job Profile CE0431 Engineer Senior To view the full job profile including position specifications, physical demands, and probationary period.

Position Type Unlimited Position Salary Range $109,134.00 - $180,071.00 Target Pay $109,134.00 - $144,603.00/year, based on experience and education.

Agency Dept of Transportation & Infrastructure Redeployment during Citywide Emergencies City and County of Denver employees may be re-deployed to work in other capacities in their own agencies or in other city agencies to support core functions of the city during a citywide emergency declared by the Mayor.

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