Senior Water Resources Engineer - Federal

Jacobs; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 121,000 - 212,000; Full time

Job summary

Jacobs is seeking a Senior Water Resources Engineer to lead federal civil works projects, focusing on stormwater management, flood risk reduction, and climate adaptation. The role offers a hybrid work model with offices in Arlington, New York, or Boston.

You will apply advanced hydrologic/hydraulic modeling, guide multidisciplinary teams, and coordinate with federal agencies and end users. Strong design and mentoring skills required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering required.
• Professional Engineer (PE) registration in at least one state.
• 15+ years of experience on civil site development or civil works projects, including US Government DoD/USACE.
• Proficiency with ARC GIS and AutoCAD Civil 3D.
• Expertise with H&H modeling software: HEC-RAS, HEC-HMS, SWMM/PCSWMM, HY8, HydroCAD.
• Fluency with Federal codes and standards (NOAA Atlas 14/15).
• Familiarity with civil/site design, grading, utilities, drainage, erosion & sediment control.
• Collaboration across disciplines; US Citizenship required.
• Experience with AutoCAD Civil 3D and Bluebeam.

Responsibilities

• Act as lead Water Resources Engineer on complex projects nationwide.
• Respond to proposals with technical scopes and effort estimates.
• Plan and execute complex assignments independently.
• Interpret business issues and apply best practices.
• Apply federal design standards and codes to project work.
• Lead H&H modeling efforts and prepare design documents and reports.
• QC deliverables to meet client scope and standards.
• Mentor and guide junior engineers on complex problems.
• Continuously improve workflows and communication.
• Travel to project sites for observations and meetings.

Skills

PE licensure

Water resources engineering

Hydrologic/ hydraulic modeling

Leadership/mentoring

Project coordination

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering

Professional Engineer (PE) license

Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering

Tools

ARC GIS

AutoCAD Civil3D

Bluebeam

HEC-RAS

HEC-HMS

SWMM/PCSWMM

HY8

HydroCAD

Job description

At Jacobs, we're challenging today to reinvent tomorrow by solving the world's most critical problems for thriving cities, resilient environments, mission-critical outcomes, operational advancement, scientific discovery and cutting-edge manufacturing, turning abstract ideas into realities that transform the world for good.

Your impact

Thriving communities. Healthy cities. A brighter future. What we do is more than building roads and ports, we work every day to make the world better for everyone. Join a company invested in you, your success, and the global community. We are looking for a driven and curious Senior Water Resources Engineer to support our Federal team in a hybrid capacity at either our Arlington, New York, or Boston offices.

As a key member of our team, you’ll join our collaborative process providing our clients with award-winning planning, engineering, architectural design, and construction management services. The ideal candidate is one who is passionate about Federal Civil Works projects as well as traditional site civil design. This candidate should have a keen interest in developing solutions that address our country’s water, resiliency, and disaster recovery challenges.

The Senior Water Resources Engineer will serve as a technical leader on complex water resources projects involving stormwater management, flood risk reduction, and climate adaptation. This role will apply advanced expertise in hydrologic and hydraulic (H&H) analysis, culvert and bridge hydraulics, flood mitigation strategies, and ecological restoration to support projects for a wide variety of Federal, State, and local agencies including U.S. Army Corps of Engineers districts nationwide. You’ll have the opportunity to work in a team environment and coordinate project assignments with other engineers and technicians in and out of your discipline group, as well as with clients and end users in Federal Civilian and Department of Defense (DoD) government agencies. Join us and we will assist in growing your career and exploring all that you can do across our global company, with opportunities to share your knowledge along the way.

Responsibilities include

• Act as lead Water Resources Engineer for functional teams on projects with varying complexity around the country
• Work closely with project managers to respond to client Requests for Proposal (RFPs) with written, technical scopes of work and estimated levels of effort
• Plan and execute work independently while performing non-routine and complex assignments
• Interpret business issues and recommend best practices
• Interpret and implement regulatory code requirements and design standards based on extensive experience with federal programs
• Lead teams in H&H modeling efforts and the preparation of engineering assessment reports and design documents, including plans, specifications, calculations, and basis of design reports
• Serve as a quality control reviewer to ensure deliverables meet client scope requirements, code requirements, engineering best practices, and industry standards
• Provide technical guidance, coaching, and mentorship to developing engineers in complex situations
• Continually develop skills by being proactive in advancing your own workflows, systems, tools, and communication techniques
• Occasionally travel to project and client sites for observations, meetings, and presentations

Here’s what you’ll need

• Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering or related field
• Registration as a Professional Engineer (PE) in at least one state
• At least 15 years of experience with civil site development projects and/or civil works infrastructure projects, including experience delivering for US Government clients, including USACE, US Navy, and other DoD clients
• Proficiency with ARC GIS and AutoCAD Civil3D
• Demonstrated expertise with H&H modeling software including HEC-RAS, HEC-HMS, SWMM/PCSWMM, HY8, and HydroCAD
• Fluency with applicable Federal codes and standards, including NOAA Atlas 14 and 15
• Familiarity with civil site and infrastructure design, including site layout, grading, utilities, drainage, and erosion & sediment control
• Familiarity with architecture and related engineering disciplines, and ability to collaborate across disciplines
• Attention to detail and commitment to quality
• United States Citizenship
• Expertise with AutoCAD Civil 3D design software
• Experience with Bluebeam software

Ideally, you’ll also have

• Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering or related field
• Active security clearance

Our health and welfare benefits are designed to invest in you, and in the things you care about. Your health. Your well-being. Your security. Your future. Employees have access to medical, dental, vision, and basic life insurance, a 401(k) plan, and the ability to purchase company stock at a discount. Eligible employees may also enroll in a deferred compensation plan or the Executive Deferral Plan. Jacobs has an unlimited U.S. Personalized Paid Time Off (PPTO) policy for full-time salaried/exempt employees, seven paid holidays, and caregiver leave. And certain roles may be eligible for additional rewards, including merit increases, performance discretionary bonus, and stock.

The base salary range for this position is $121,000.00 to $211,800.00. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. Job posted on October 20, 2026. This position will be open for at least 3 days.

We value collaboration and believe that in-person interactions are crucial for both our culture and client delivery. We empower employees with our hybrid working policy, allowing them to split their work week between Jacobs offices/projects and remote locations enabling them to deliver their best work.

Your application experience is important to us, and we’re keen to adapt to make every interaction even better. If you require further support or reasonable adjustments with regards to the recruitment process (for example, you require the application form in a different format), please contact the team via Careers Support.