GIS Specialist

McMillen, Inc.; Boise (ID); On-site; USD 64,747 - 104,697; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Full Benefits Program

Generous PTO

Opportunity for Stock Ownership

Wellness Reimbursement

Job summary

McMillen, Inc. is seeking a GIS Specialist based in Boise, Idaho, with over 10 years of experience. The successful candidate will lead geospatial workflows for hydropower and environmental projects. Responsibilities include managing spatial datasets, conducting terrain analyses, and mentoring junior staff. A relevant bachelor's degree is required, with a master's preferred. The position offers a competitive pay range of $47 to $76 per hour, along with a comprehensive benefits package including medical and 401(k).

Qualifications

• Minimum of 10 years of experience applying GIS and spatial analysis.
• Strong understanding of hydrologic, geomorphic, and environmental datasets.
• Experience building and maintaining geodatabases.

Responsibilities

• Lead GIS workflows supporting hydropower relicensing and environmental projects.
• Manage large spatial datasets for engineering and ecological disciplines.
• Mentor junior staff in geospatial methods and quality assurance practices.

Skills

GIS and spatial analysis

ArcGIS Pro or QGIS

Data management

Python

Cartography

Hydrology

Geomorphology

Stakeholder communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Geography, GIS, Environmental Science or related field

Master’s degree or graduate GIS certificate

Tools

ArcGIS Pro

QGIS

ModelBuilder

Job description

McMillen Inc. is looking for a GIS Specialist with 10+ years of professional experience to lead geospatial workflows for hydropower, watershed, and environmental projects. This position offers the opportunity to apply advanced GIS and data management skills across disciplines including hydrology, geomorphology, and ecology. The successful candidate will oversee spatial data integration, analysis, and visualization to support complex modeling, regulatory, and design projects. This role requires a balance of technical expertise, project management ability, and a passion for transforming geospatial data into actionable insights that inform sustainable water‑resource and infrastructure solutions.

Responsibilities

• Lead GIS workflows supporting hydropower relicensing, dam removal, watershed modeling, hydraulic analysis, and environmental compliance projects.
• Manage, process, and QA/QC large spatial datasets (LiDAR, topobathymetric surveys, DEMs, orthophotos, UAV‑SfM) for use across engineering, geomorphic, and ecological disciplines.
• Build geodatabases and automated geoprocessing workflows (ModelBuilder, Python, SQL) to ensure efficient, reproducible analyses and defensible regulatory documentation (FERC, NEPA/CEQA, ESA).
• Conduct hydrologic and terrain analyses—watershed delineation, change detection, floodplain mapping, sediment characterization, and habitat suitability modeling.
• Prepare and translate inputs and outputs for 1D/2D hydraulic, sediment transport, and habitat models, ensuring spatial consistency and model‑ready datasets.
• Develop basemaps, dashboards, and story maps to communicate modeling results and monitoring data to clients, regulators, tribes, and the public.
• Produce high‑quality cartographic and visualization products for technical reports, permitting, and stakeholder engagement.
• Maintain metadata, QA/QC, and data management standards to support transparency, repeatability, and defensible technical deliverables.
• Collaborate closely with engineers, geomorphologists, hydrologists, and biologists to integrate GIS analyses into design, modeling, and decision‑making.
• Mentor junior staff in geospatial methods, database management, and quality assurance practices.
• Serve as GIS lead in proposal development, project planning, and data‑management strategy for multi‑disciplinary teams.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 10 years of experience applying GIS and spatial analysis in support of engineering, hydrology, or environmental science projects.
• Bachelor’s degree in Geography, GIS, Environmental Science, or related field required; Master’s degree or graduate GIS certificate preferred.
• Advanced proficiency in ArcGIS Pro or QGIS for terrain analysis, cartography, and spatial data management.
• Proven ability to manage, process, and QA/QC large geospatial datasets (LiDAR, DEMs, topobathymetric surveys, orthophotos, UAV‑SfM).
• Strong understanding of hydrologic, geomorphic, and environmental datasets, and their application in watershed, habitat, and infrastructure studies.
• Demonstrated experience building and maintaining geodatabases and automated workflows using ModelBuilder, Python, or SQL.
• Familiarity with 1D/2D hydraulic, sediment transport, or habitat modeling and preparation of model‑ready spatial inputs and outputs.
• Skilled in developing high‑quality cartographic and visualization products for technical reports, permitting, and stakeholder communication.
• Excellent data management, documentation, and metadata practices ensuring transparency and reproducibility.
• Experience mentoring junior GIS staff and contributing to proposal development and project planning.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to collaborate across disciplines and convey technical concepts to varied audiences.

Compensation Package

• Pay Range: $47 hr. – $76 hr. (DOE)
• Benefits: McMillen provides a full Benefits Program consisting of Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Disability, FSA, EAP, 401(k) and match, 9 Paid Holidays, generous PTO, opportunity for Stock Ownership and Wellness Reimbursement.

McMillen, Inc. is an EEO/Affirmative Action Employer and will make all employment related decisions without race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.

Equal Opportunity Employer, including disabled and veterans.