Water Resource Engineer III- PE Required

KLJ; Phoenix (AZ); On-site; USD 85,000 - 105,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Life insurance

Performance bonus

401k

ESOP

Flexible work environment

Job summary

KLJ is seeking a Water Resources Engineer in Phoenix, AZ with a current PE license and 6+ years of water resources experience. You will lead hydrologic and hydraulic analyses, mentor junior staff, and manage project scopes, budgets, and client relations on diverse infrastructure projects including stormwater, flood mitigation, culverts, bridges, and irrigation conveyance systems.

The role emphasizes leadership, collaboration with multidisciplinary teams, and compliance with regulations.

Qualifications

• Active Professional Engineer (PE) license.
• 6+ years water resources engineering experience.
• Strong background in hydraulic and hydrologic modeling.
• Proficiency with relevant engineering software and modeling tools.
• Excellent communication, organizational, and leadership skills.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership for hydrologic and hydraulic analyses on diverse infrastructure projects.
• Lead development and application of models using industry-standard software.
• Evaluate drainage systems, floodplain impacts, culvert sizing, and stormwater strategies.
• Mentor junior staff and review calculations, reports, designs, and cost estimates.
• Ensure designs comply with federal, state, and local regulations.
• Serve as Technical Task Lead and/or Project Manager; manage scope, budgets, schedules, and quality control.
• Coordinate with internal teams, subconsultants, and clients through all project phases.
• Identify opportunities for business development and client relationship building.
• Mentor and provide guidance to junior engineers and designers.
• Review work products for technical accuracy and consistency.

Skills

PE license

Hydraulic & hydrologic modeling

Project leadership

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering

Tools

HEC-RAS

HEC-HMS

TR-55

HydroCAD

HY-8

SRH-2D

InfoDrainage

OpenRoads Drainage

Job description

Job Summary

We are seeking a highly skilled Water Resources Engineer with a current Professional Engineer (PE) license and strong experience serving as a Technical Task Lead and Project Manager on hydrologic and hydraulic (H&H) engineering projects. This role is ideal for an experienced engineer who combines technical expertise in H&H analysis and modeling with the leadership skills needed to successfully manage project scopes, schedules, budgets, and client relationships.

The Water Resources Engineer will lead the planning, analysis, and design of water resources infrastructure projects, including stormwater systems, drainage improvements, flood mitigation, culverts, bridges, and irrigation conveyance systems. This individual will work collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams, mentor junior staff, and deliver high-quality solutions that meet client goals and regulatory requirements.

Job Duties and Responsibilities

Technical Leadership

• Serve as a technical lead for advanced hydrologic and hydraulic analyses for a wide range of infrastructure projects.
• Lead teams to develop and apply hydrologic and hydraulic models using industry-standard software such as HEC-RAS, HEC-HMS, TR-55, HydroCAD, HY-8, SRH-2D, InfoDrainage, and OpenRoads Drainage.
• Evaluate drainage systems, floodplain impacts, culvert sizing, bridge hydraulics, and stormwater management strategies.
• Guide junior staff and review engineering calculations, technical reports, design plans, specifications, and cost estimates.
• Ensure designs comply with federal, state, and local regulations.

Project Management

• Serve as Technical Task Lead and/or Project Manager for hydrologic, hydraulic, and water resource projects.
• Manage project scope, budgets, schedules, deliverables, and quality control.
• Coordinate with internal teams, subconsultants, and clients throughout all project phases.
• Monitor project progress and proactively address technical and scheduling challenges.

Client & Business Development

• Build and maintain strong client relationships.
• Participate in proposal preparation, scope development, and fee estimation.
• Identify opportunities for additional services and support business growth.

Team Leadership

• Mentor and provide technical guidance to junior engineers and designers.
• Review work products to ensure technical accuracy and consistency.
• Foster collaboration and knowledge sharing across project teams.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering or a related field.
• Active Professional Engineer (PE) license.
• 6+ years water resources engineering experience.
• Strong background in hydraulic and hydrologic modeling.
• Proficiency with relevant engineering software and modeling tools.
• Excellent communication, organizational, and leadership skills.

Preferred

• Experience with transportation, municipal, or water resources infrastructure projects.
• Knowledge of Federal Emergency Management Agency floodplain requirements and Federal Highway Administration drainage design standards.
• Experience working with public‑sector clients, including Departments of Transportation, counties, and/or municipalities.
• Active PE license in one or more of these states: CO, NM, MT, MN, ND, SD and AZ

Physical Requirements

The physical demands described represent those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities.

The employee is regularly required to:

Sit, stand, walk, stoop, kneel, twist, crouch, and crawl.

Use hands to handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls; and reach with hands and arms.

Talk or hear and communicate clearly.

The employee must:

Be able to occasionally walk on uneven terrain up to two miles per day.

Frequently lift and move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and move up to 25 pounds and infrequently up to 50 pounds.

Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, color vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

Other Information

At KLJ, we have a vested interest in the personal, financial, and professional goals of our employees. The salary for this position is expected to range between $85,000-105,000K + straight time for billable hours. Factors that may be used to determine actual salary include education (or applicable experience), training, job location, competencies relevant to the role, and internal equity.

We offer a competitive full suite benefit package including health, dental, vision, and life insurance, performance bonus, 401k, employee stock ownership program and a flexible work environment that gives you options to support excelling both professionally and personally. The options available for the current year are described at www.kljeng.com/careers/benefits.

This job description is not meant to be all-inclusive or restrictive and other duties may be assigned. It is a description of the job as presently defined and is subject at any time to revision. This document is intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by individuals assigned to this classification. This is not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required. Individuals may be required to perform duties outside of their normal responsibilities, as needed.

All applicants must be authorized to work in the US, without employer-sponsorship. KLJ does not offer employment based VISAs.

KLJ will not be partnering with third-party recruiters on this position. Please review our third-party recruiting policy at www.kljeng.com/careers.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities

This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws.

For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.