Principal Fish Passage Engineer

Anchor QEA; Sacramento (CA); On-site; USD 75,000 - 114,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

7 paid company and 1 floating holiday

Vacation: prorated to hours/week

Sick and Safe Time: 45 hours annually

401(k) plan with employer match

Job summary

Anchor QEA in Sacramento is seeking a Principal Fish Passage Engineer to lead complex river restoration and fish passage projects across California and the Pacific Northwest. This part-time role (20 hours/week) emphasizes technical leadership and client coordination.

The successful candidate will manage multidisciplinary teams, advance hydraulic design and dam passage studies, mentor staff, and shape Anchor QEA's growth in fish passage and reintroduction practice while contributing to proposals

Qualifications

• S. in Civil Engineering; MS coursework or advanced specialization in hydrology, fluvial geomorphology, or related discipline preferred.
• California Professional Engineer registration.
• Approximately 30 years of progressive experience in water resources, fish passage engineering, and river restoration.
• Demonstrated expertise in hydraulic design, fish passage, fish screening, salmon reintroduction, and large dam passage evaluations.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams, managing budgets, and complex interagency coordination.
• Strong technical writing, presentation, and project management skills.
• Established relationships with DWR, CDFW, NOAA Fisheries, USFWS, USBR, USGS, and other resource agencies.
• Ability to identify and develop new business opportunities.

Responsibilities

• Serve as project manager and technical lead for multidisciplinary fish passage, reintroduction, river restoration, and water resources projects.
• Lead planning, alternatives analysis, design, hydraulic evaluation, permitting support, construction oversight, and post-project monitoring for fish passage and reintroduction projects.
• Provide engineering leadership for large dam fish passage and salmon reintroduction studies.
• Prepare technical reports, engineering memoranda, proposals, budgets, and project schedules.
• Mentor engineering and scientific staff.
• Represent Anchor QEA through technical committees, conferences, and publications.
• Develop new client relationships and capture new work with fisheries, fish passage and reintroduction, and/or restoration clients.

Skills

Civil Engineering degree

California PE registration

Fish passage engineering

Hydraulic design

Project management

Interagency coordination

Technical writing

Team leadership

Education

B.S. in Civil Engineering

MS coursework in hydrology or fluvial geomorphology

Tools

Hydraulic modeling software

GIS

Job description

Title: Principal Fish Passage Engineer

Location: Sacramento, CA (Remote)

Job Type: Permanent Part Time (20 hours/week)

What's the Opportunity?

Anchor QEA is seeking a Senior Fish Passage Engineer with regionally recognized expertise in fish passage engineering and planning, hydraulic design, salmonid restoration, and large river infrastructure to support complex water resources, fisheries, and ecosystem restoration projects throughout California and the Pacific Northwest. This position will provide technical leadership for planning, design, and implementation of fish passage, screening, habitat restoration, dam removal, and reintroduction projects while helping expand Anchor QEA's fish passage and reintroduction practice through client development and strategic leadership.

Responsibilities:

Specific responsibilities of this position include the following:

• Serve as project manager and technical lead for multidisciplinary fish passage, reintroduction, river restoration, and water resources projects.
• Lead planning, alternatives analysis, design, hydraulic evaluation, permitting support, construction oversight, and post-project monitoring for fish passage and reintroduction projects.
• Provide engineering leadership for large dam fish passage and salmon reintroduction studies.
• Prepare technical reports, engineering memoranda, proposals, budgets, and project schedules.
• Mentor engineering and scientific staff.
• Represent Anchor QEA through technical committees, conferences, and publications.
• Develop new client relationships and capture new work with fisheries, fish passage and reintroduction, and/or restoration clients.

What Are We Looking For?

Ideal candidates will have the following:

• S. in Civil Engineering; M.S. coursework or advanced specialization in hydrology, fluvial geomorphology, or related discipline preferred.
• California Professional Engineer registration.
• Approximately 30 years of progressive experience in water resources, fish passage engineering, and river restoration.
• Demonstrated expertise in hydraulic design, fish passage, fish screening, salmon reintroduction, and large dam passage evaluations.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams, managing budgets, and complex interagency coordination.
• Strong technical writing, presentation, and project management skills.
• Established relationships with DWR, CDFW, NOAA Fisheries, USFWS, USBR, USGS, and other resource agencies.
• Ability to identify and develop new business opportunities.

What Can You Expect?

A collaborative environment where engineering and science are integrated to solve complex aquatic resource challenges. We offer competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits detailed below.

Who Are We?

Anchor QEA provides environmental planning, science, and engineering consulting services with the mission of transforming our environment and communities with integrity and vibe. With more than 500 people in offices across the United States, our collective vision is to be an inclusive, sustainable, and growing environmental innovator making generational impacts. By embodying our core values, we strive to be our clients' first choice for solving their most challenging problems and to be our employees' reason to be excited about going to work each morning. Learn more about Anchor QEA at
www.anchorqea.com.

Additional Information

We work hard to embrace diversity and inclusion. As an equal opportunity employer, Anchor QEA is committed to a diverse, multi-cultural work environment. Anchor QEA does not discriminate in employment based on age, race, creed, gender, religion, marital status, veteran's status, national origin, disability or sexual orientation. Employment is contingent upon satisfactory results of a comprehensive background check.

Salary and Other Compensation:

• Salary Range: $75,000 - $114,000

• Annual Bonus

• Other potential bonus types: Billable Time Bonus, Spot Bonus, Milestone Anniversary Bonus, Receiving Professional License/Certification Bonus, Peer-Reviewed Publication Bonus, Employee Referral Bonus

Base Level Benefits for Regular Part-Time Positions:

• Paid Company and Floating Holidays: 7 paid company and 1 floating holiday annually

• Vacation: accrued paid vacation may vary by level and prorated to reflect hours/week.

• Sick and Safe Time: 45 hours annually

• Retirement Plan: 401(k) plan with an employer match

Employment is contingent upon satisfactory results of a comprehensive background check.