Hydraulics Practice Lead - Dams and Levees

Geosyntec Consultants; Los Angeles (CA); Hybrid; USD 156,115 - 271,495; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive benefits package

Paid holidays and time off

401(k) plan with company match

Job summary

A leading engineering and consulting firm is seeking a Hydraulics Practice Lead - Dams and Levees. The role involves providing technical leadership, mentoring staff, and managing complex water resource projects focused on dams and levees. The ideal candidate has 10+ years of consulting experience, is a licensed professional engineer, and possesses strong project management and communication skills. This position offers hybrid or remote work flexibility and a competitive salary package, emphasizing technical innovation and career growth.

Qualifications

• At least 10 years of direct engineering consulting experience on water resource projects.
• Experience with multidisciplinary project teams.
• Ability to perform fieldwork and travel for site visits.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership and guidance in hydraulic engineering.
• Lead dam and levee projects, managing resources and mentoring staff.
• Prepare technical reports, plans, and specifications.

Skills

Hydraulic analysis and modelling

Hydraulic engineering

Project management

Business development

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in water resources or environmental engineering

Professional registration (i.e., P.E.)

Advanced degree in similar field

Tools

HEC-RAS

CFD models

HEC-LifeSim

HEC-FIA

Job description

Overview

Geosyntec has an exciting opportunity for a Hydraulics Practice Lead - Dams and Levees for our growing practice in Los Angeles, CA, Davis, CA, Denver, CO or any of our other Geosyntec offices throughout the U.S. This position may offer the flexibility to work a hybrid or fully remote schedule at the discretion of the company. You will serve in a key leadership role and build out our hydraulic engineering capabilities, leveraging existing staff resources and collaborating with other senior dam practitioners across the firm. You will have the opportunity to establish a national dams and levees‑focused hydraulic engineering group that works on complex projects involving hydraulic structures and other flood risk management infrastructure. Projects span hydraulic modeling of various complexities, spillway and other hydraulic structure evaluation and design, supporting probabilistic risk analysis, hydraulic and hydrologic modeling for large riverine systems, flood modeling, and dam breach consequence assessment studies. Geosyntec is an innovative, international engineering and consulting firm serving private and public‑sector clients to address new ventures and complex problems involving our environment, natural resources, and civil infrastructure. Our engineers, scientists, technical and project employees serve our clients from offices across the world. Ranked by ENR as one of the top environmental engineering design firms, Geosyntec is internationally known for its technical leadership, broad experience, and exceptional client service. We invest in our people. Each employee is unique, and your career at Geosyntec will be too. We offer competitive pay and benefits, and well‑being programs to support you and your family. To Learn More Visit: http://www.geosyntec.com/careers/.

Essential Duties And Responsibilities

Collaboration and mentoring are cornerstones of Geosyntec’s culture. You should expect to work closely with experienced professionals who will help integrate you into Geosyntec’s culture as you advance to this next stage of your career of leading and growing a practice. We operate under a sell‑manage‑do culture, and so we expect that you’d work on challenging technical projects while leveraging your existing knowledge and experience to help Geosyntec expand its current practices and capabilities through business development and client management.

Some Of The Key Responsibilities For This Position Include

• Provide technical leadership and guidance directed at growing a hydraulic engineering practice within Geosyntec’s Dams and Levees high‑growth area business line;
• Pull together resources from our existing network of hydraulic and hydrologic engineers to support dam and levee projects across the country, and foster their professional growth while also recruiting additional technical team members;
• Have past experience with hydraulic analysis and modelling (1‑D, 2‑D, and 3‑D) utilizing various hydraulic modelling software. Ability to scope, lead, and serve as a technical advisor on modelling projects;
• Rehabilitation and design of existing/new spillways, outlet works, and other appurtenant dam hydraulic structures;
• Flood hazard assessment and dam breach modelling for inundation mapping and support of direct and indirect economic consequence estimation. Familiarity with HEC‑FIA and HEC‑LifeSim software is a plus;
• Serve as H&H subject matter expert on probabilistic risk assessment and risk evaluation teams;
• Serve as H&H subject matter expert and provide a senior review for Independent Technical Review Boards on dam safety modification studies and design projects;
• Inspect existing hydraulic structures and review dam safety analyses and studies against the current state of the practice and design criteria;
• Interact with client representatives;
• Take task and project‑level responsibility for scoping, performing, managing, and delivering multiple concurrent project assignments;
• Play a role in lead generation, business development, staff development and mentoring consistent with our sell‑manage‑do business model;
• Help broaden our reputation and visibility via publishing and presenting at prominent industry conferences such as USSD, ASDSO, CEATI, and NHA;
• Manage task and project work, including planning and directing staff, budgeting, schedule adherence, quality, client satisfaction, and profitability;
• Recruit, supervise, and mentor junior staff;
• Prepare technical reports, letters, memoranda, plans, specifications, and proposals;
• Drive personal, company, and rental vehicles to client or company project or office sites, and other business locations, as needed.

Education and Licensure

• Bachelor’s degree in water resources or environmental engineering or a closely related field with emphasis on water resources or a closely related discipline (required)
• Advanced degree in the same field (preferred)
• Professional registration (i.e., P.E.) (required)

Skills, Experience And Qualifications

• At least 10 years (15+ preferred) of direct engineering consulting experience working on water resource projects with a focus on dams and levees, or an equivalent combination of education and experience working on the types of projects described above (required)
• Experience with multidisciplinary project teams (required)
• Experience with project management and business development (required)Excellent leadership and detail orientation skills (required)
• Experience performing hydrologic studies for dams and specific experience performing probabilistic flood hazard analyses (preferred)
• Experience with modelling tools such as HEC‑RAS (1‑D and 2‑D), CFD (3‑D) models, or similar. HEC‑LifeSim, HEC‑FIA, DAMRAE or similar (preferred)
• Exceptional social skills and outstanding oral and written communication skills (required)
• Ability and willingness to perform fieldwork and travel for site visits, inspections, and other business‑related meetings or conferences (required)
• Field work and overnight travel may be required.
• Current OSHA 40‑hr HAZWOPER training and refreshers (preferred)
• Health & Safety training, medical monitoring, and client‑driven drug and background testing may be required.
• Valid U.S. driver’s license and a satisfactory driving record for business travel (required)

Compensation

• Minimum Salary: $156,115/year / Maximum Salary: $271,495/year (Los Angeles, CA)
• Minimum Salary: $149,330/year / Maximum Salary: $259,690/year (Davis, CA)
• Minimum Salary: $142,540/year / Maximum Salary: $247,885/year (Denver, CO)

This opportunity will be posted for at least five days.

We offer a comprehensive benefits package including paid holidays, vacation, sick, and personal paid time off, medical, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance, 401(k), and other benefits to eligible employees.