Geosyntec Consultants

Early-Career Water Resources Engineer

Geosyntec Consultants$73K — $106K *
Energy & Utilities
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in environmental engineering, civil engineering, water resources engineering, or a closely related field.
  • Advanced degree in environmental or civil engineering with a focus on water resources is preferred.
  • Engineering Intern (EI) or Engineer-in-Training (EIT) certification is preferred.
  • At least 2 years of related experience in water resources or environmental engineering is preferred.
  • Strong interest in improving water quality and stormwater management.

Responsibilities

  • Support hydrologic and hydraulic modeling for urban stormwater and drainage systems.
  • Assist with evaluations of stormwater infrastructure and flood vulnerability analysis.
  • Conduct field investigations, including stormwater sampling and environmental monitoring.
  • Help develop and interpret models simulating storm drain infrastructure responses.
  • Prepare technical documentation and visual data representations for water quality projects.
  • Manage and analyze environmental monitoring data for various assessments.
  • Coordinate with teams and stakeholders for project execution and compliance efforts.

Benefits

  • Paid holidays and vacation time.
  • Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance.
  • Life and disability insurance.
  • 401(k) retirement plan options.
  • Paid personal time off.
Full Job Description
Overview

Geosyntec has an exciting opportunity for an Early-Career Water Resources Engineer to join our San Diego or Costa Mesa, California office. This role will support stormwater and surface water projects focused on urban hydrology and hydraulics, watershed and receiving water quality, green infrastructure and low-impact development, coastal flood resilience, field monitoring, environmental data analysis, and regulatory compliance for municipal, public-sector, and private clients throughout Southern California and the West Coast. This opportunity is ideal for an early-career engineer with a strong foundation in stormwater modeling, field sampling, aquatic ecosystem water quality, and applied research who is interested in translating academic and field experience into practical consulting solutions.

 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities
  • Support hydrologic, hydraulic, and hydrodynamic modeling for urban stormwater, drainage, flood-prone coastal communities, and watershed-scale water quality projects using tools such as PCSWMM, EPA-SWMM, HEC-HMS, HEC-RAS, ArcGIS, and related platforms.
  • Assist with stormwater infrastructure evaluations, drainage system assessments, flood vulnerability analyses, and climate resilience studies for municipal and public-sector clients in San Diego, Imperial Beach, Southern California, and other West Coast communities.
  • Support green infrastructure and low-impact development evaluations, including BMP siting, performance assessment, life-cycle considerations, pollutant load reduction analyses, and design support for projects intended to improve water quality in aquatic ecosystems.
  • Conduct field investigations and monitoring activities, including stormwater sampling, receiving water monitoring, sediment collection, groundwater-level observations, site reconnaissance, photo documentation, and coordination of field equipment installations.
  • Assist with development, calibration, review, and interpretation of computer models that simulate storm drain infrastructure response, litter transport, runoff generation, pollutant buildup and washoff, combined sewer system performance, and climate change impacts.
  • Prepare technical memoranda, modeling documentation, figures, maps, tables, calculations, monitoring summaries, and data visualizations to support stormwater planning, water quality assessments, NPDES/MS4 compliance, and engineering design deliverables.
  • Manage and analyze environmental monitoring data, including laboratory analytical results, field measurements, chain-of-custody documentation, GIS datasets, hydrologic records, photographs, and model input/output files.
  • Support preparation of Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plans (SWPPPs), Water Quality Management Plans (WQMPs), monitoring reports, inspection summaries, BMP evaluations, and other regulatory compliance documents.
  • Coordinate with project managers, field staff, laboratories, contractors, agencies, and community stakeholders to plan field events, support permitting and access needs, communicate findings, and track project tasks.
  • Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams of engineers and scientists while developing consulting, technical writing, project delivery, and client communication skills.
  • Drivepersonal, company, and rental vehicles to client or company project or office sites, and other business locations, as needed.
Education and Licensure
  • Bachelors degree in environmental engineering, civil engineering, water resources engineering, or a closely related discipline. (required)
  • Advanced degree in environmental or civil engineering with emphasis in water resources, hydrology, hydraulics, stormwater management, coastal water quality, or a closely related discipline. (preferred)
  • Doctoral research, masters research, or equivalent applied project experience involving stormwater modeling, water quality, watershed assessment, green infrastructure, or climate resilience. (preferred)
  • Engineering Intern (EI) or Engineer-in-Training (EIT) certification, or ability and interest to obtain certification. (preferred)
Skills, Experience and Qualifications
  • At least 2 years of related experience in water resources, environmental engineering, stormwater management, surface water quality, hydrologic/hydraulic modeling, environmental monitoring, or applied research; graduate research, teaching, internship, contractor, and field experience. (preferred)
  • Strong interest in improving water quality in aquatic ecosystems through stormwater management, watershed planning, green infrastructure, field monitoring, and data-driven engineering analysis. (required)
  • Experience or coursework with hydrology, hydraulics, open channel flow, environmental hydrology, water resources engineering, applied mathematics, numerical methods, heat and mass transfer, or remote sensing. (preferred)
  • Technical experience developing or applying hydrologic, hydraulic, or hydrodynamic models, particularly PCSWMM, EPA-SWMM, HEC-HMS, HEC-RAS, or similar tools. (preferred)
  • Experience with GIS, digital elevation models, spatial analysis, watershed delineation, map/figure preparation, and interpretation of stormwater infrastructure and drainage patterns. (preferred)
  • Experience conducting field work related to stormwater, surface water, sediment, groundwater, coastal or near-shore environments, ecological monitoring, or scientific diving/boat-based sampling. (preferred)
  • Familiarity with stormwater sampling, water quality monitoring, sediment collection methods, field instrumentation, camera or monitoring station setup, and field documentation. (preferred)
  • Experience analyzing and organizing environmental data using tools such as Microsoft Excel, MATLAB, Python, R, statistical software, or other data analysis and visualization platforms. (preferred)
  • Interest in NPDES/MS4 compliance, SWPPP/WQMP support, BMP evaluations, trash/litter transport, pollutant source assessment, combined sewer system vulnerability, and climate change/resilience planning. (preferred)
  • Ability to prepare clear technical documentation, including modeling summaries, monitoring reports, technical memoranda, conference or client-facing presentations, figures, tables, and supporting calculations. (required)
  • Strong communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively with project teams, laboratories, contractors, agencies, students, and community or municipal stakeholders. (required)
  • Ability to work in a consulting environment by managing multiple assignments, meeting deadlines, asking thoughtful technical questions, and supporting high-quality deliverables. (required)
  • Willingness to perform field work in Southern California and other project locations, including storm event response, site inspections, monitoring equipment deployment, sediment or water quality sampling, and occasional overnight travel. (required)
  • Health & Safety training, medical monitoring, and client-driven drug and background testing may be required.
  • Valid U.S. drivers license and a satisfactory driving record for business travel. (required)

This opportunity will be posted for at least five days. Below are the potential compensation ranges that we in good faith believe are applicable for this role at the time of this posting and are only applicable for jobs to be performed in the specified location(s) below. The typical base salary range for this position is just one component of Geosyntecs total compensation package for employees. Actual compensation will be determined based on education, experience, skill set and location.

  • Minimum: $73,880/yearly / Maximum: $106,945/yearly (San Diego, Costa Mesa)

We offer a comprehensive benefits package including, paid holidays, vacation, sick, and personal paid time off, medical, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance, 401(k), and other benefits to eligible employees.

 

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About Geosyntec Consultants

Geosyntec Consultants is an environmental consulting and engineering firm founded in 1983. The company provides consulting, engineering, and project management services to clients in the environmental, energy, and infrastructure markets. Geosyntec has more than 80 offices in the United States, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom. The company's services include environmental due diligence, site assessment and remediation, water resources management, and waste management. Geosyntec has worked on projects for clients in the oil and gas, mining, chemical, and manufacturing industries. The company is headquartered in Alpharetta, Georgia.
Learn more about Geosyntec Consultants
Size
1,200 employees
Industry
Net Income
$20 million
Founded
1983
5 Year Trend
+10%
Revenue
$180 million

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