Water Resources Engineer (10-14 Years)

Full Job Description

COMPANY BACKGROUND

Riley Engineering is a civil engineering firm specializing in water resources. Our mission is to engineer and implement solutions to provide society with water infrastructure. Riley was founded to improve people’s lives by ensuring that all have the necessary civil infrastructure to facilitate socioeconomic well-being. Our employees rally behind that mission and enjoy building the firm from the ground up together—pairing technical expertise with business acumen and a heart for helping others.

Candidate must demonstrate professional experience in an engineering consulting role. Resume must be project-based and include projects the candidate has worked on in the United States. Include: project title, client, location, your role, software you used, and any calculations or analyses you performed. Please do not apply if you do not meet these qualifications.

WATER RESOURCES ENGINEER ROLE

We are recruiting a talented and motivated civil engineer who is eager to grow with a dynamic and rapidly developing firm. This unique position will entail both field work and office-based engineering. The ideal candidate will feel energized conducting hands-on field investigations, data collection, construction observations, and water/wastewater system assessments—while also excelling at technical analysis, design, modeling, and professional report writing.

If you enjoy contributing to water, wastewater, drainage, and site civil projects across sectors such as mining, residential, commercial, and tribal clients, this role may be the perfect fit.

EXAMPLES OF DUTIES

Field Responsibilities

• Travel to project sites within and outside typical work hours as needed
• Coordinate staking of long distance remote/rural waterline and sewer alignments
• Ground and drone reconnaissance of potential pipeline routes
• Lead team to perform flush testing of water distribution systems for hydraulic modeling and calibration
• Perform site visits, field investigations, and surveys to assess drainage patterns, channel conditions, erosion, sediment transport, and infrastructure performance
• Conduct field-based hydrology and hydraulics data collection (e.g., flow measurements, sediment sampling, GPS data collection, field reconnaissance)
• Inspect and oversee construction activities related to stormwater, site civil, and water/wastewater infrastructure
• Document field conditions thoroughly, including photographs, field notes, measurements, and observations
• Perform field assessments of water distribution, wastewater, and stormwater systems for compliance with regulations and performance requirements
• Coordinate with contractors, clients, and team members onsite to ensure construction or field activities align with design intent
• Ensure safety compliance during fieldwork, including use of PPE and adherence to field safety protocols
• Lead a team of entry-level engineers and technicians to achieve project goals and tasks
• Travel to the Navajo Nation or other tribal locations performing homesite inspections and designing septic systems and water connections

Office Responsibilities – Engineering & Technical Reporting

Project Management:

• Manage schedule and coordinate project deliverables
• Regularly report project status to Principal or Program Manager
• Ensure project is on track with deliverables
• Lead a team to achieve project deliverables
• Provide weekly or bi-weekly updates to the client
• Coordinate invoicing and billing; review time entries
• Manage subconsultants (surveyors, archaeologists, geotechnical, etc.)
• Prepare work scopes for internal team and subconsultants

Water and Wastewater:

• Model and evaluate water systems using EPANET, WaterCAD, InfoWater, etc.
• Design long distance rural waterlines, booster stations, tanks, and pressure reducing valves
• Design sewer systems including extensions, septic systems, and lagoons
• Perform system planning, scenario analysis, and calibration
• Prepare permitting documents, engineering memos, and technical reports
• Design to meet environmental, ROW, archaeological, and biological requirements
• Design water and wastewater systems using AutoCAD Civil 3D
• May be required to seal engineering deliverables

Hydrology and Hydraulics:

• Develop hydrologic and hydraulic models for stormwater design
• Perform calculations using HEC-HMS, HEC-SSP, HEC-DSSVue, and GIS tools
• Conduct flood studies using HEC-RAS (1D/2D), Flow2D, FlowMaster, HY-8, CulvertMaster
• Perform sediment transport analyses
• Prepare detailed technical reports
• Design channels using AutoCAD Civil 3D
• May be required to seal engineering deliverables

Site Civil Drainage and Design:

• Design retention/detention basins, grading, channels, and drainage structures
• Develop Civil 3D drawings for grading, drainage, and utilities
• Prepare construction plans, specifications, and cost estimates
• May be required to seal engineering deliverables

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering
• 10–14 years of experience in civil or water resources engineering consulting
• Professional Engineer (PE) certification (AZ, NM, UT, CO eligibility)
• Valid Driver’s License
• Ability to perform extensive field work (up to one week at a time)
• Experience with AutoCAD Civil 3D
• Experience leading projects as Project Engineer or Project Manager
• Equivalent combinations of education and experience may be considered

PREFFERED QUALIFICATIONS

• Strong understanding of drainage and hydrology & hydraulics
• Experience with water distribution and wastewater systems
• Strong technical writing skills
• Proficiency with listed engineering software
• Experience in construction observation or environmental fieldwork

WHAT WE’LL EXPECT FROM YOU

• 40 hours per week, based in Tucson, AZ
• Approximately 30% fieldwork and 70% office work
• Self-motivated and proactive learner
• Strong teamwork and communication skills
• Occasional travel and after-hours fieldwork
• Values alignment: Passion, Excellence, Integrity, Education, Balance, Humility, Adaptability

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM US

• Professional growth and leadership opportunities
• Influence in a growing firm where your voice matters
• Supportive and mentorship-driven culture
• Private office
• 10 paid holidays; 3 weeks PTO (more with tenure)
• Company-paid health, dental, and vision insurance
• Company-paid life insurance
• Optional FSA/HSA and disability coverage
• 401(k) with 5% company match
• Salary Range: $95,000 – $130,000 (commensurate with experience)

Placement within the salary range is dependent on direct experience.

BENEFITS

• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Relocation assistance
• Vision insurance

IF THIS SOUNDS LIKE YOU, PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR PROJECT-BASED RESUME AND COVER LETTER. WE LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM YOU.