Senior Geotechnical Engineer

HDR; Folsom (CA); On-site; USD 128,000 - 208,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Employee ownership

Comprehensive benefits (medical,Dental

Vision, short/long-term disability, 1+

Tuition reimbursement

Paid time away

Job summary

HDR is seeking a Senior Geotechnical Engineer in California to lead complex geotechnical projects within the Water Business Group. You will mentor staff, lead field exploration, supervise data analysis, and prepare reports with thorough recommendations for design and project management.

This role requires a PE in CA, a strong background in CA geology, and extensive experience with geotechnical software such as gINT, GeoStudio, Ensoft, and Bentley tools, including ArcGIS and Civil3D.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's in Civil Engineering with PE license (CA).
• 10 years of geotechnical experience with CA project exposure.
• Experience with GIS, CADD, and Bentley software suite.
• Knowledge of advanced numerical modeling and geotechnical design.

Responsibilities

• Lead geotechnical projects and serve as technical lead.
• Mentor staff in technical and leadership skills.
• Develop field exploration programs and oversee lab testing.
• Analyze data and inform engineering design and project mgmt.
• Prepare geotechnical reports and memos with recommendations.
• Support marketing and proposal development.
• Plan and supervise staff and potentially manage larger projects.
• Engage in Bay Area geotechnical and site-specific analyses.

Skills

Technical leadership

Mentor staff

Project management

Geotechnical analysis

Education

Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering

Master's degree in Geotechnical Engineering

Licensed Geotechnical Engineer (CA)

Tools

ArcGIS

Autodesk AutoCAD

Civil3D

gINT

GeoStudio (SLOPE/W, SEEP/W)

Ensoft (LPILE, APILE, SHAFT, GROUP)

Settle3

CLiq

CPeT-IT

Bentley (gINT/OpenGround/LeapFrog)

PLAXIS

Itasca FLAC

Job description

At HDR, our employee-owners are fully engaged in creating a welcoming environment where each of us is valued and respected, a place where everyone is empowered to bring their authentic selves and novel ideas to work every day. As we foster a culture of inclusion throughout our company and within our communities, we constantly ask ourselves: What is our impact on the world?
Watch Our Story: https://www.hdrinc.com/our-story
Each and every role throughout our organization makes a difference in our ability to change the world for the better. Read further to learn how you could help make great things possible not only in your community, but around the world.
We believe water is more than a resource, it's a shared responsibility. As part of our Water Business Group, you’ll help shape how communities manage water for generations to come. From delivering safe drinking water and treating wastewater responsibly to developing sustainable water supplies and protecting lives and property through flood control, your work will directly support public health, environmental sustainability, and infrastructure resilience. We bring together experts across disciplines to solve complex challenges with bold thinking and technical excellence. Whether you're modernizing aging systems or pioneering innovative approaches, your contributions will make a meaningful difference in people’s lives. This isn’t just a job, it's a chance to lead change, drive progress, and leave a lasting legacy.

In the role of Senior Geotechnical Engineer, we'll count on you to:

• Be viewed as a technical expert with recognized authority in an area of specialization that resolves problems of greater scope and complexity.
• Mentor Staff in technical and leadership development skills.
• Serve as a Technical Lead on projects.
• Take responsibility for proposal (scope and fee) development.
• Participate in marketing efforts of both internal and external clients
• Develop and lead geotechnical field exploration and laboratory testing programs.
• Lead and perform data analysis and engineering evaluating to support and inform engineering design, and project management as well as client management.
• Prepare technical documents geotechnical reports and technical memoranda containing geotechnical conclusions and recommendations.
• Have advanced working knowledge of geotechnical earthquake engineering concepts such as seismic hazard, seismic site response, and liquefaction.
• Have advanced working knowledge of Bay Area and California geology and soil conditions, including marine deposits (e.g., Young Bay Mud).
• Review geotechnical technical documentation.
• Plan and develop projects or design activities that have significant impact on major company programs as needed.
• Plan, organize and supervise work of a small to medium number of staff of professionals and technicians.
• May serve as Project Manager on larger projects, though project management is not sole focus of position.
• Bay Area business development.
• Perform other duties as needed.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering
• Master's degree in Geotechnical Engineering
• Licensed Geotechnical Engineer (in CA)
• Heavy emphasis on California project experience
• Experience with ArcGIS and/or Autodesk AutoCAD and Civil3D.
• Proficiency using the following software: gINT, GeoStudio (SLOPE/W, SEEP/W), Ensoft pile software (LPILE, APILE, SHAFT, GROUP), Settle3, CLiq, CPeT-IT.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree
• 10 years of experience
• Requires professional engineering license recognized by the licensing board for the location of the position offered. Example: Professional Engineer (PE or P.Eng) license.
• Experience with Microsoft Office applications, GIS, and CADD, as appropriate
• Experience with GeoStudio/Ensoft slope stability, settlement, seepage, and deep foundation response software, as appropriate
• Experience with Bentley suite of geotechnical data management and visualization software (gINT/OpenGround/LeapFrog)
• Knowledge of advanced numerical modeling techniques such as Finite Difference, Finite Element, Discrete Element, etc. and commercial software for advanced numerical modeling (Bentley, PLAXIS, Itasca FLAC)
• An attitude and commitment to being an active participant of our employee-owned culture is a must

What We Believe

HDR is our company. Together, we build on each other's life experiences and perspectives to make great things possible every day. This shapes our collaborative culture, encourages organizational trust and connects us closer to the clients and communities we serve.

Our Commitment

As employee owners, we all have a role in creating an inclusive environment where each of us is welcomed, valued, respected and empowered to bring our authentic selves to work every day.

Our eight Employee Network Groups (Asian Pacific, Black, Hispanic/Latino(a), LGBTQ+, People with Disabilities, Veterans, Women, Young Professionals) help create a sense of belonging and foster a supportive environment where everyone is empowered to engage and contribute. Each group has an executive sponsor and is open to all employees.

We provide a comprehensive benefits package that promotes employee ownership, employee health, performance, and success, which includes medical, dental, vision, short and long-term disability, life insurance, an employee assistance program, paid time away, parental leave, paid holidays, a retirement savings plan with employer match, employee referral bonus and tuition reimbursement. Stated benefits are for full-time regular positions. The expected compensation range for this position is $128,205.00 - $208,125.00 annually depending upon skills, experience, education and geographical location.

Primary Location: United States-California-Walnut Creek
Other Locations: United States-California-Oakland, United States-California-Folsom
Industry: Water
Schedule: Full-time
Employee Status: Regular
BusinessClass: Dams Levees Civil Works
Job Posting: Sep 29, 2026

At HDR, we are committed to the principles of employment equity. We are an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer (https://www.hdrinc.com/equal-employment-opportunity-employer). We consider all qualified applicants, regardless of criminal histories, arrest and conviction records.