Senior Hydrogeologist / Senior Water Resources Engineer

INTERA Incorporated; Austin (TX); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision insurance

Parental leave up to 12 weeks

Stock ownership opportunities

Performance bonuses

Tuition reimbursement

Professional licensure support

Job summary

INTERA Incorporated is seeking an experienced Senior Hydrogeologist / Senior Water Resources Engineer to join our Water Resources and Supply team in Austin, Texas. The candidate will lead groundwater and water-resource projects, guide scope and budgets, and mentor staff while remaining engaged in the science.

The role requires a Texas PG or PE license and strong communication with clients. You will collaborate with hydrogeologists, engineers, modelers, GIS professionals, and field staff across

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required in geology, hydrogeology, geoscience, environmental science, or related field.
• Active Texas PG or PE license required.
• 10+ years of relevant professional experience, with consulting water resources focus.
• Demonstrated experience as technical lead, PM, or task manager with scope/budget/schedule accountability.
• Strong knowledge of groundwater-flow systems, aquifer characterization, hydraulic testing.
• Ability to lead technical work independently while collaborating with multidisciplinary teams.
• Strong technical writing, review, presentation, and verbal communication skills.
• Willingness to travel to project sites and participate in field activities.

Responsibilities

• Serve as technical lead and project manager for hydrogeologic and groundwater projects, managing scope, budget, schedule, staffing, and deliverables.
• Lead field and office based investigations supporting groundwater supply and aquifer characterization.
• Develop conceptual hydrogeologic models using diverse data.
• Plan and direct field programs including well installations and sampling.
• Prepare technical memoranda, reports, work plans, figures, and client deliverables.
• Apply quality assurance practices and provide technical reviews of others’ work.
• Mentor junior staff and provide day-to-day technical direction.
• Communicate progress, risks, and next steps to clients and stakeholders.

Skills

Technical leadership

Project management

Hydrogeology

Written & verbal communication

Team mentorship

Education

Bachelor’s degree in geology/hydrogeology/geoscience/environmental science

Master’s degree in geology/hydrogeology or related field

Tools

ArcGIS Pro

ArcMap

QGIS

Python

Job description

Description

Senior Hydrogeologist / Senior Water Resources Engineer

Austin, Texas

Description

INTERA Incorporated is seeking an experienced Senior Hydrogeologist / Senior Water Resources Engineer to join our Water Resources and Supply team in Austin, Texas. This role is designed for a well-rounded hydrogeologist or water resources engineer with experience managing staff and leading the technical delivery of groundwater and water-supply projects while remaining actively engaged in the science. The successful candidate will bring strong hydrogeologic judgment, an active Texas Professional Geoscientist or Professional Engineer license, and sufficient project management experience to guide scope, track budget, maintain schedule, direct project staff, develop quality deliverables, and communicate comfortably with clients.

Success will be measured by dependable project execution, defensible technical work, clear communication, and the ability to help project teams perform at a high level. The role will collaborate with INTERA’s hydrogeologists, engineers, groundwater modelers, data scientists, GIS professionals, and field staff on projects involving groundwater supply, aquifer characterization, water-resource planning, production wells, groundwater management, and related hydrogeologic challenges across Texas and beyond.

Our purpose is innovation and stewardship for a sustainable tomorrow. Help us make a difference today!

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as technical lead and, where appropriate, project manager for both field- and office-based hydrogeologic and groundwater-resource projects, with responsibility for technical approach, work planning, scope, budget, schedule, staffing, and deliverable quality.
• Lead both office- and field-based hydrogeologic investigations and analyses supporting groundwater supply, aquifer characterization, water-resource planning, wellfield evaluation, groundwater management, and related client decisions.
• Develop and refine conceptual hydrogeologic models using geologic, hydraulic, geochemical, monitoring, and spatial data.
• Plan and direct field programs that may include drilling, lithologic logging, monitoring- and production-well installation, well development, groundwater sampling, hydraulic testing, aquifer pumping tests, and monitoring-system deployment.
• Prepare, manage, and review the development of technical memoranda, reports, work plans, figures, presentations, specifications, and other project deliverables for clients, regulators, and stakeholders.
• Apply INTERA quality-assurance and quality-control procedures and provide technical review of project work completed by other staff.
• Manage staff and provide day-to-day technical direction and mentorship to early-career hydrogeologists, geologists, scientists, and field staff.
• Communicate directly with clients and project stakeholders about technical progress, decisions, risks, and next steps; support strong client service without an individual sales expectation.
• Travel periodically to client and project sites and participate in field activities when project needs require it.
• Ensure compliance with INTERA’s health and safety requirements for fieldwork.

Founded in 1974, INTERA has grown into an international geosciences and engineering consulting firm that helps clients make informed business decisions, mitigate risk, and drive optimal outcomes in a multitude of industries. Building and sustaining a strong company culture is at the heart of INTERA’s practice of good stewardship. We strive to foster an environment where people love the work that they do and the place that they work because we believe that our employees are our most valuable asset. As an employee-owned company, we are committed to investing in our people’s needs for security, health, and well-being with:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance that includes a free health plan option for employee-only coverage
• Paid parental leave—up to 12 weeks for birthing and non-birthing parents
• Group term life and accidental death and dismemberment insurance, short-term and long-term coverage—paid 100% by the company
• Paid holiday, vacation, and sick time
• Opportunities for stock ownership
• Performance-based bonuses and award programs for technical paper publication and employee referrals
• Career coaching instead of performance evaluations
• Tuition reimbursement, financial assistance for professional licensure and registration, and one paid membership to a professional society
• Pet insurance, LegalShield, IDShield, and more

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in geology, hydrogeology, geoscience, environmental science, or a closely related field.
• Active Professional Geoscientist (PG) or Professional Engineer (PE) license in Texas.
• Ten or more years of relevant professional experience, with a substantial portion in consulting, water resources, groundwater supply, hydrogeologic investigation, or a closely related setting.
• Demonstrated experience serving as a technical lead, project manager, or task manager with accountability for scope, schedule, budget, staffing, technical decisions, and deliverable quality.
• Strong working knowledge of physical hydrogeology, groundwater-flow systems, aquifer characterization, hydraulic testing, and hydrogeologic data interpretation.
• Ability to lead technical work independently while collaborating effectively with multidisciplinary project teams.
• Strong technical writing, review, presentation, and verbal communication skills for both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Strong organization and judgment, including the ability to manage competing priorities, identify project risks, and deliver accurate work on schedule.
• Willingness and ability to travel to project sites and safely participate in field activities as project needs require.
• Strong dedication to maintaining a safe working environment in both office and field settings.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in geology, hydrogeology, geoscience, civil or environmental engineering, or a related discipline.
• Experience managing and mentoring junior technical staff and reviewing their analyses, field documentation, and written deliverables.
• Experience with Texas aquifer systems, groundwater availability models, groundwater conservation districts, water utilities, and/or the broader Texas water-planning and regulatory environment.
• Experience with municipal or industrial groundwater-supply development, production wells, wellfield evaluation, managed aquifer recharge, or aquifer storage and recovery.
• Demonstrated experience with public water supply (PWS) well permitting and registration with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).
• Experience with ArcGIS Pro, ArcMap, QGIS, or other GIS tools for hydrogeologic interpretation, data management, mapping, and technical communication.
• Experience applying geostatistical methods to hydrogeologic, geologic, or water-resource datasets.
• Experience using Python or similar programming tools for hydrogeologic data analysis, workflow automation, modeling support, or visualization.