Hydraulics Practice Lead - Dams and Levees

Geosyntec Consultants; Phoenix (AZ); On-site; USD 100,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive pay and benefits

Well-being programs

Job summary

A leading consulting firm is seeking a Hydraulics Practice Lead for Dams and Levees in Phoenix, AZ. The successful candidate will manage the hydraulic engineering practice, lead technical teams, and oversee complex projects related to flood risk management. With a minimum of 10 years of engineering consulting experience focusing on water resource projects, this role requires strong leadership, communication, and project management skills. The company offers competitive pay and benefits to support professional growth.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of engineering consulting experience in water resource projects.
• Experience managing multi-disciplinary project teams.
• Exceptional oral and written communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Build and grow the hydraulic engineering practice.
• Lead technical teams and mentor junior staff.
• Manage multiple concurrent projects and ensure client satisfaction.

Skills

Leadership

Hydraulic analysis and modeling

Client interaction

Project management

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in water resources or environmental engineering

Advanced degrees in relevant field

Professional registration (P.E.)

Tools

HEC-RAS

HEC-FIA

HEC-LifeSim

Job description

Hydraulics Practice Lead - Dams and Levees

Primary Location: US-KY-Louisville

ID: 2026-4293

Category: Dams & Levees

Position Type: Regular Full-Time

Remote Available: No

Additional Locations

• US-OR-Portland
• US-TX-Houston
• US-PA-Pittsburgh
• US-IN-Indianapolis
• US-FL-Boca Raton
• US-AZ-Phoenix
• US-TX-Dallas

Overview

Do you want to build an impactful career to change the world for the better?

Geosyntec has an exciting opportunity for a Hydraulics Practice Lead - Dams and Levees for our growing practice in our Louisville, KY; Phoenix, AZ; Dallas, TX; Houston, TX; Pittsburgh, PA; or Indianapolis, IN 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

• 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.
• Past experience with hydraulic analysis and modeling (1‑D and 2‑D, and 3‑D) utilizing various hydraulic modeling software. Ability to scope, lead, and serve as a technical advisor on modeling projects.
• Rehabilitation and design of existing/new spillways, outlet works, and other appurtenant dam hydraulic structures.
• Flood hazard assessment and dam breach modeling 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 conduct dam safety reviews of previous analyses and studies against the current state of the practice and design criteria.
• Interact with client representatives.
• 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.
• Task and project management, including planning and directing staff, budgeting and budget management, adherence to schedule, 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 degrees of the same. (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 multi‑disciplinary 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 modeling tools such as platforms like 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)