Restoration Engineer

Anchor QEA, LLC; Portland (OR); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare benefits

Retirement plan

Paid time off

Sick leave

Bonus opportunities

Benefits package

Job summary

Anchor QEA, LLC seeks a senior Restoration Engineer to lead coastal and riverine restoration projects across the Pacific Northwest and nationwide. The role emphasizes client engagement, interdisciplinary collaboration, and delivering design-build solutions from concept through construction.

The ideal candidate has 8+ years in restoration design with project management experience, a PE license in OR/WA or the ability to obtain within a year, and proficiency in hydraulic and geomorphic modeling

Qualifications

• B.S. or M.S. in civil, hydraulic, or water resources engineering.
• 8+ years in river/floodplain or fish passage restoration design with 3+ years of project management.
• PE license in OR or WA (or ability to obtain within one year).
• Proven ability to lead projects, manage scope, budgets, and schedules.
• Experience with hydrologic, hydraulic, and sediment transport modeling.
• Proficiency in AutoCAD Civil 3D and ArcGIS.
• Willingness to travel up to 2 weeks seasonally.

Responsibilities

• Lead restoration projects from concept to construction, coordinating with clients and interdisciplinary teams.
• Perform hydrologic, hydraulic, and geomorphic analyses to support estuarine, river, and coastal restoration.
• Design fish passage solutions, engineered log jams, channel realignments, and habitat improvements.
• Prepare detailed design plans, specifications, cost estimates, and construction documents.
• Manage project teams, budgets, scopes, and schedules for complex projects.
• Assist with development of competitive proposals and supporting documentation.
• Provide field oversight during construction and adaptive design adjustments.
• Mentor junior engineers and contribute to technical reviews and QA.
• Engage with tribes, agencies, and stakeholders to deliver high-impact restoration outcomes.

Skills

Hydraulic modeling

Geomorphic assessment

Project management

Client engagement

Team mentoring

Field data collection

Education

B.S./M.S. in Civil/Water Resources Engineering

Tools

AutoCAD Civil 3D

ArcGIS

HEC-RAS 1D/2D

SRH-2D

Job description

Title: Restoration Engineer

Location: Portland Oregon

Job Type: Regular Full-time

What's the Opportunity?

Anchor QEA is seeking a full-time senior-level engineer and project manager to support Anchor QEA in the delivery of innovative projects across the Pacific Northwest and nationwide, including marsh and estuary restoration, coastal restoration, riverine and stream restoration, compensatory mitigation, fish passage, living shorelines and engineering with nature and nature-based solutions. The applicant will have 8 or more years of experience providing restoration-related field assessments, data collection and analysis, hydraulic and hydrologic modeling, geomorphic and habitat assessment support, fish passage and restoration design, and construction and project management.

We are committed to investing in the right person and to providing support to foster your professional success and long-term impact.

Responsibilities:

As a senior engineer and project manager, you'll lead restoration projects from concept to construction, collaborating closely with clients, partners, and interdisciplinary teams. Your work will include:

• Leading hydrologic, hydraulic, and geomorphic analyses to support estuarine, river, stream, coastal, and/or floodplain restoration.
• Designing fish passage solutions, engineered log jams, channel realignments, habitat and floodplain enhancement projects.
• Preparing detailed design plans, specifications, cost estimates, and construction documents.
• Managing project teams, budgets, scopes, and schedules for complex, multi-stakeholder projects.
• Assisting with the development of competitive proposals.
• Providing field oversight during construction, including adaptive design and troubleshooting.
• Mentoring junior engineers and contributing to technical review and quality assurance.
• Engaging directly with tribes, state and federal agencies, conservation districts, and non-profits to deliver high-impact restoration outcomes.

What Are We Looking For?

We're seeking a collaborative, solutions-oriented engineer who's ready to step into a leadership role. The ideal candidate will have:

• B.S. or M.S. degree in civil, hydraulic, water resources engineering, or related discipline.
• 8 or more years experience in river, stream, floodplain, or fish passage restoration design with a minimum of 3 years of project management experience.

• Professional Engineer (PE) license in Washington or Oregon (or ability to obtain within one year).
• Proven ability to lead projects, including client engagement, scope and task management, budget oversight, and schedule coordination
• Proven skills in hydraulic, hydrologic and sediment transport modeling of riverine or coastal systems (e.g., HEC-RAS 1D/2D, SRH-2D) and geomorphic assessments.
• Proficiency in AutoCAD Civil 3D, ArcGIS, and related design tools.
• Experience with construction observation, field data collection, and field engineering.

• Willingness to travel seasonally for field work and construction projects for up to 2 weeks at a time.

• Strong communication skills and the ability to work across disciplines and with diverse stakeholders.

Bonus experience includes:

• Experience with large wood design, sediment transport analysis, or drone-based field surveying.
• Familiarity with Pacific Northwest fisheries biology and environmental regulatory frameworks.
• Experience supporting proposal development and business growth initiatives.

What Can You Expect?

A collaborative work environment where we encourage everyone to bring their authentic self. We offer competitive compensation and benefits which are 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:

• 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 Full-Time Positions:

• Healthcare: Medical, dental, vision, basic life and AD&D insurance, short- and long-term disability programs.
• Paid Company and Floating Holidays: 7 paid company and 2 floating holidays annually
• Vacation: 2 weeks accrued paid vacation based on length of service. Vacation may vary by level.
• Sick and Safe Time: 80 hours annually
• Retirement Plan: 401k plan with an employer match
• Further information on benefits: https://anchorqea.com/careers/benefits/