Associate Engineer / Associate Water Resources Specialist

Salary: See Position Description
Location : 5750 Almaden Expressway, San Jose, CA, CA
Job Type: Full-Time
Job Number: 02027-E
Division: Watersheds Stewardship and Planning
Unit: Hydrology, Hydraulics & Geomorphology
Opening Date: 10/21/2026
Closing Date: 11/15/2026 11:59 PM Pacific

Description
Associate Engineer - Civil: $151,049.60 - $193,377.60 AnnuallyAssociate Water Resources Specialist: $151,049.60 - $193,377.60 Annually

Overview:

Make an impact on flood protection and water resource management!

Valley Water is seeking an Associate Engineer/Associate Water Resources Specialist to support critical watershed and water utility projects through developing software tools. Applications may include flood forecasting, emergency alerting, database management, data ingestion, front-end GUIs, and digital twin development. Data would include both geospatial and time-series types. This primary function will work closely with a small team to push the boundaries of water management and emergency flood operations.

In addition, this position may involve hydrologic and hydraulic modeling, engineering, scientific data analysis, and field work near waterways. This position offers an exciting opportunity to unify the traditional water engineering field with software development to create tools that run for real-time operation and ad-hoc research. Our team also has the infrastructure resources to expand and iterate quickly. The ideal candidate will have experience in software development and data analysis, with a foundation and background in water resources. Knowledge of environmental data collection/management is highly desirable. A positive attitude and a collaborative spirit is also a must!

This is a single position, for which the incumbent would be hired as either an Associate Engineer or an Associate Water Resources Specialist. There are multiple ways a candidate may develop the skills and experience required to be successful in this role. Depending on the background and experience of the selected candidate, the exact classification will be determined at point of hire.

Key Responsibilities may include, but are not limited to:

• Software feature development and maintenance/upkeep of existing water operation tools and systems.
• Develop new software tools for large scale hydrologic modeling and statistical analyses.
• Assist in wholistic management, collection, and review process for hydrologic data.
• Perform and review hydrologic and hydraulic modeling analyses.
• Perform stream restoration and geomorphic analyses.
• Perform field work and data collection.

Ideal Candidate's Background Includes:

Applicants whose experience and background best match the ideal experience, knowledge, skills, abilities, and education are considered ideal candidates for the position. To determine the top candidates, each applicant will be assessed based on the ideal candidate criteria as listed below.

Ideal Experience:

Associate Engineer: Four (4) years of professional water resources engineering experience

Associate Water Resources Specialist: Four (4) years of professional-level experience with environmental data collection, water supply planning or distribution, groundwater management, or hydrogeology.

Ideal experience for both classifications:

• Experience working with geospatial datasets and GIS software, such as QGIS or ArcGIS.
• Experience analyzing complex water resources data and communicating findings and recommendations.
• Experience processing large environmental time-series datasets and integrating data from multiple sources.
• Experience conducting field investigations and collecting data for water resources projects.
• Experience developing production-quality software to support water resources engineering and scientific applications, such as hydrologic modeling, water supply analysis, or environmental data analysis, using Python (including libraries such as Pandas and NumPy), Java, or a similar programming language is highly preferred.

Ideal Skills and Abilities for both classifications:

• Understand the water resources industry and the needs of collecting, analyzing, and interpreting environmental data water supply, flood protection, and environmental stewardship.
• Understand computer coding, data structures, and algorithms.
• Curious, self-motivated, and eager to learn new technologies and methodologies.
• Demonstrates punctuality and a strong sense of responsibility for deadlines and commitments.
• Ability to work effectively as part of a team in a collaborative environment.

Ideal Knowledge:

• Understanding principles, practices, theories, and concepts of water resources engineering and science.
• Data collection, telemetry, and calibration techniques for environmental datasets.
• Have familiarity with software engineering principles, modular architecture, system design, and unit testing, along with using Git, AWS, and database systems.

Ideal Training and Education:

Associate Engineer: Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with major coursework in civil engineering or a field related to assigned functional area(s).

Associate Water Resources Specialist: Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with major coursework in water resources management, natural resources management, planning, civil or other field of engineering, geology, physical sciences, earth sciences, natural sciences or a field related to assigned functional area(s).

Required License or Certificate

Possession of, or ability to obtain, an appropriate, valid California driver's license. Individuals who do not meet the driver's license requirement due to a disability will be considered for a reasonable accommodation on a case-by-case basis.

To review the Classification Specification for the Associate Engineer - Civil, please click
To review the Classification Specification for the Associate Water Resources Specialist, please click

Hydrology, Hydraulics and Geomorphology Unit (Position Code 402)Valley Water Telework Program: Eligibility for telework will depend on the type of work performed, operational needs, and the ability for the employee to perform the essential functions of their job duties while teleworking. Employment with Valley Water requires employees to live within 150 miles of their primary physical work location located in San Jose, California by their start date.

This position is eligible for a hybrid telework schedule, typically working 40% remote and 60% onsite (after a month).

Selection Process
(1) The selection process may include one or more of the following: application review, application assessment, performance exercise, written exercise and/or interview.
(2) The Employment Application, Qualifying Information Questions and/or Supplemental Questions will be evaluated based on the ideal candidate criteria listed above. Resumes are highly recommended.

NOTE: Position and start date is subject to availability of funds. Valley Water retains the right to repost this position as deemed necessary.
Consideration may be given to existing applicant pools within the same classification.
The Santa Clara Valley Water District, now known as Valley Water, offers a comprehensive benefit package including, vacation, holidays, and sick leave as well as medical, dental, vision, EAP, life and disability insurance. In addition, Valley Water participates in the California Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS). To view a summary of benefits, click
01

I acknowledge that I have entered my Work Experience and Education on the employment application, and I am aware these are required fields. If they are not completed, the application is considered incomplete, and I will be disqualified as an applicant for the position.

• Yes
• No

02

Please answer the supplemental questions thoroughly, clearly, and concisely as the responses provided (along with the application) will be carefully reviewed to determine which candidates will move forward in the recruitment process. Responses that refer to attachments (e.g., "see resume") will not be considered. Each question must be answered in full to ensure a fair and complete evaluation. I have read this information and am aware of the importance of responses to the supplemental questions.

• Yes
• No

03

Please list the highest degree of education achieved.
04

Do you have four (4) years of professional water resources engineering experience?

• Yes
• No

05

Do you have four (4) years of professional-level experience with, environmental data collection, water supply planning or distribution, groundwater management, or hydrogeology?

• Yes
• No

06

Please indicate your proficiency level with computer coding and software. (desired not required)

• None
• Individual local scripting
• Local integration (basic UI to local DB)
• Cloud integration (e.g., configuring S3 buckets)
• System architecture (cloud infrastructure design)

07

Please describe your experience in water resource sciences and engineering, and how you have used software in that work to perform analyses, improve workflows, solve problems, and deliver solutions. Explain in detail how the software worked, any algorithms used (e.g. sorting), and how data structures were applied (if any).
08

Please describe and elaborate on any of the following experiences you have working with:• Scalable and maintainable software systems• Relational databases• Amazon Web Services or other cloud platformsExplain what you were trying to accomplish, the process, and any challenges associated with it.
09

Employment with Valley Water requires employees to take an Oath as a Disaster Service Worker within California and to live within 150 miles of Valley Water Headquarters in San Jose, California by the start date. Valley Water does not cover relocation costs. If you live further than 150 miles from Valley Water Headquarters, please discuss your willingness to relocate if offered the position. If this does not apply to you, write "N/A".
10

Please list the full name of the regular/permanent Valley Water employee who referred you to this position (only one name will be accepted, so if multiple are listed, the first name provided will be documented as the referring employee). If this does not apply to you, write "N/A".
Required Question