Dam Safety Engineer

Join a nationally recognized leader in water resource and heavy civil engineering. Our firm is celebrated for tackling some of the most challenging infrastructure projects across the United States. We are deeply committed to engineering excellence, sustainable solutions, and fostering a culture of continuous professional growth and innovation for every member of our team.

Your Impact and Responsibilities

- Lead the comprehensive design of new dams, levees, and associated hydraulic structures—from initial feasibility studies and site investigations through to final construction drawings and specifications.

- Conduct sophisticated stability and seepage analyses for existing earth and concrete dams, utilizing state-of-the-art software to evaluate performance under various static and dynamic loading conditions, including seismic events.

- Execute formal dam safety inspections and periodic reviews in accordance with federal and state regulations (including FERC guidelines), identifying potential deficiencies and formulating mitigation strategies.

- Perform comprehensive Potential Failure Mode Analyses (PFMA) and quantitative risk assessments to prioritize capital improvements and dam safety modifications, effectively communicating complex risks to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

- Develop, review, and update comprehensive Emergency Action Plans (EAPs), a critical responsibility that includes creating detailed inundation maps, defining response protocols, and coordinating with emergency management agencies to protect downstream communities.

- Engineer intricate hydraulic and hydrologic (H&H) models to design and optimize spillways, outlet works, and other critical flow-control components, ensuring these systems can safely manage probable maximum floods and other extreme events.

- Oversee and provide expert technical direction during dam construction and major rehabilitation projects, ensuring all work conforms to design specifications, quality standards, and safety protocols. You will be the key engineering authority on-site or guiding the project remotely.

- Prepare detailed technical reports, engineering calculations, and presentations that clearly document your findings, analyses, and recommendations for clients, regulatory bodies, and internal teams.

Core Qualifications and Skills

- A Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering or a closely related discipline is required; a Master of Science with a specialization in Geotechnical, Structural, or Water Resources Engineering is highly preferred.

- You must possess a current Professional Engineer (P.E.) license in at least one state, with the ability to obtain licensure in other states through comity.

- A minimum of seven years of progressive, direct experience in dam safety, analysis, and design. Your project portfolio should demonstrate a clear trajectory of increasing responsibility and technical complexity.

- Profound understanding of advanced soil mechanics, rock mechanics, and engineering geology as they apply to dam foundations, embankment stability, and material characterization.

- Demonstrated expertise in open-channel hydraulics, hydrology, and the principles of dam safety risk analysis and management.

- Comprehensive knowledge of dam safety regulations and guidelines, particularly those set forth by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), and the Bureau of Reclamation.

- Exceptional problem-solving abilities and the capacity to make sound engineering judgments under pressure. What is your approach to resolving unexpected field conditions?

Technical Proficiency

- High-level proficiency with geotechnical modeling suites such as GeoStudio (specifically SLOPE/W, SEEP/W) and finite element analysis software like PLAXIS for complex soil-structure interaction problems.

- Advanced capabilities in 1D and 2D hydraulic modeling using HEC-RAS for dam breach analysis, inundation mapping, and spillway design.

- Competency in CAD software, primarily AutoCAD or Civil 3D, for the development of detailed engineering drawings and construction plans.

- Experience with related software for data analysis, GIS (e.g., ArcGIS), and project management is considered a significant asset.