WSP

Lead Surface Water Engineer

WSP$110K — $188K *
Real Estate & Construction
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Civil or Environmental Engineering or related field.
  • 7-10 years of relevant professional experience, including 2 years in a Project Engineer role.
  • Colorado PE license or eligibility to obtain within 6 months.
  • Experience with FEMA flood studies and analysis.
  • Proficient in hydrologic and hydraulic modeling software (e.g., HEC-RAS, SRH-2D).
  • Familiarity with local drainage practices and strong knowledge of the Mile High Flood District.
  • Competency in using CADD software and tools such as Bentley and ArcGIS.

Responsibilities

  • Oversee multi-disciplinary teams on mid-level projects including budget tracking and compliance documentation.
  • Manage project submissions and ensure predictable delivery through review cycles.
  • Lead FEMA RiskMAP project management across Colorado counties.
  • Mentor junior engineers with hands-on technical coaching in drainage design and hydraulic modeling.
  • Foster a collaborative learning environment for technical excellence and knowledge sharing.
  • Lead urban stormwater design projects including roadway drainage and culverts.
  • Maintain relationships with local municipalities and participate in client meetings.

Benefits

  • Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage.
  • Retirement savings options.
  • Paid sick leave and paid vacation.
  • Parental leave policy.
  • Paid time off for bereavement and civic duties such as voting.
Full Job Description
Job Description

This Opportunity

WSP is seeking a Senior Surface Water Engineer to join our Denver (South Colorado Boulevard) office. This role is intended for an engineer with strong local drainage and stormwater design experience who can also support project management across a diverse portfolio of transportation, municipal, and flood risk management projects.

The position will support WSP's Denver-based surface water engineering team through project management activities including scope development, schedule and budget tracking, client engagement, and QA/QC, while remaining technically engaged in hydrologic and hydraulic analysis and design.

This role also provides mentorship and technical guidance to junior staff working on stormwater engineering and complex municipal drainage projects. The Senior Surface Water Engineer will support junior engineers in developing designs for stormwater master planning, stormwater management facilities, culverts, hydrology, open channel and bridge hydraulics, floodplain modeling and mapping, hydrologic and hydraulic modeling, and river, stream, and habitat restoration projects.

Your Impact
  • Oversee and monitor multi-disciplinary teams to execute mid-level projects including, budgets, tracking hours and expenses, task completion, permit applications, compliance documentation, and regulatory and technical analysis memos.
  • Help manage submittals, review cycles, and internal coordination to maintain predictable delivery.
  • Manage projects in the FEMA RiskMAP program in counties across Colorado.
  • Mentor and develop junior engineers through technical coaching, project reviews, and hands-on guidance in drainage design, hydrologic analysis, hydraulic modeling, and stormwater engineering.
  • Support staff growth by sharing best practices, reviewing technical work products, and providing training on hydrologic and hydraulic modeling tools, design standards, and regulatory requirements.
  • Foster a collaborative learning environment that promotes technical excellence, professional development, and knowledge sharing across the surface water practice.
  • Lead and support MHFD and other Denver-area drainage and stormwater design, including roadway drainage, culvert and bridge hydraulics, outfalls, and urban stormwater systems.
  • Perform and review hydrologic and hydraulic analyses using industry-standard tools and local/regional methods.
  • Provide technical oversight and QA/QC for modeling and design deliverables.
  • Maintain and grow working relationships with Denver-area municipalities, agencies, and regional stakeholders.
  • Participate in client meetings, agency coordination calls, and technical discussions.
  • Support proposal development and business development efforts through technical input and local knowledge.
  • Provide day-to-day technical guidance and informal mentorship to junior engineers.

Who You Are

Required Qualifications
  • Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering, or a closely related field from an accredited university.
  • 7-10 years of applicable professional experience, including a minimum of 2 years in a Project Engineer (or equivalent) role supporting private and/or public infrastructure projects.
  • Colorado Professional Engineer (PE) license or ability to obtain licensure within 6 months.
  • Experience and familiarity with the Mile High Flood District
  • Experience supporting project management tasks such as scope development, coordination, schedules, and budgets.
  • Working knowledge of FEMA flood studies, floodplain analysis and hazards analysis.
  • Proficient understanding of and experience with surface water analysis, hydrologic methodologies/models (TR-55, HEC-HMS, etc.), hydraulic models (HEC-RAS, HEC-RAS-2D, SRH-2D, etc.)
  • Use computer-aided design (CADD) software to develop design plans. Use of Bentley, Autodesk, and ArcGIS software is expected.

Preferred Qualifications
  • Experience with Colorado drainage and stormwater design practices.
  • Familiarity working with municipalities, transportation agencies, or local stakeholders in the Denver metro area.

WSP Benefits:

WSP provides a comprehensive suite of benefits focused on a providing health and financial stability throughout the employee's career. These benefits include coverage related to medical, dental, vision, disability, and life; retirement savings; paid sick leave; paid vacation (or other personal time); paid parental leave; and paid time off for purposes of bereavement, voting, and/or attendance at naturalization proceedings.

Compensation:

Expected Salary (Colorado only): $110,700 - $188,200

WSP USA is providing the compensation range that the company in good faith believes it might pay and/or offer for this position within the state of Colorado, based on the successful applicant's education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities in addition to internal equity and specific geographic location. WSP USA reserves the right to ultimately pay more or less than the posted range and offer additional benefits and other compensation, depending on circumstances not related to an applicant's sex or other status protected by local, state, and/or federal law.

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About WSP

WSP is a Canadian engineering consulting firm that provides services to transform the built environment and restore the natural environment. The firm's expertise ranges from environmental remediation and urban planning, to engineering iconic buildings and designing sustainable transport networks, to developing the energy sources of the future and enabling new ways of extracting essential resources. It has approximately 54,000 employees, including engineers, technicians, scientists, architects, planners, surveyors, program and construction management professionals, and various environmental experts. WSP has offices in more than 40 countries and territories around the world.
Learn more about WSP
Size
54,000 employees
Industry
Founded
1959

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