Waterways Program Delivery Engineering Specialist

Job Summary

The Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI) seeks a Waterways Program Delivery Engineering Specialist to serve as lead engineer for waterways initiatives such as the WATR Program. This role reports to the DOTI Environmental Implementation Division (EID) Wastewater Design Supervisor and focuses on projects aimed at restoring the ecosystem on 6.5 miles of the South Platte River and reducing flood risk on the Weir Gulch and East Harvard Gulch tributaries.

This position will be housed with the Special Projects and Initiatives Division and is located at the Denver Wastewater Building or Wellington

E. Webb Building with a hybrid schedule (3 days in office, off‑site in Colorado).

• Lead technical planning, design, and delivery of complex urban waterway projects, including creek, gulch, and river corridor improvements.
• Serve as the technical lead for hydrologic and hydraulic analysis supporting flood mitigation, floodplain management, and channel stability.
• Guide multidisciplinary consultant teams responsible for planning, design, permitting, and construction services.
• Advance projects within the WATR Program, ensuring project scopes and design solutions support broader waterways resilience objectives.
• Translate citywide waterways strategy into deliverable projects, coordinating closely with the Waterways Program Manager.
• Balance hydraulic performance, geomorphic stability, ecological function, and community outcomes when evaluating channel design alternatives.
• Coordinate across multiple agencies and stakeholders, including Mile High Flood District, regulatory agencies, utilities, and community groups.
• Manage project development from concept through construction and closeout, including scope definition, budget development, schedule creation, stakeholder engagement, communications management, resource assignment, and risk management.
• Provide technical expertise in urban channel design, including grade control, bank stabilization, sediment transport considerations, and vegetation strategies.
• Mentor engineering staff and contribute to internal technical standards, helping strengthen the organization’s expertise in waterway engineering.

• Strong technical judgment in balancing flood protection, stability, ecology, and community needs.
• System thinking – ability to see how individual projects fit within broader watershed and capital planning strategies.
• Collaborative project leadership – effective coordination of consultant teams, internal staff, and external partners across complex infrastructure projects.
• Clear communication – ability to explain technical engineering concepts to leadership, elected officials, and community stakeholders.
• Practical problem solving – comfortable navigating constraints such as right‑of‑way limitations, regulatory requirements, and funding realities.
• Delivery focus – keep projects moving forward through design, permitting, and construction while managing scope, schedule, and budget.
• Urban waterways experience – designing or managing projects involving creeks, gulches, rivers, and open channel systems in developed environments.
• Balanced engineering perspective – integrate flood mitigation, environmental function, and community benefit.

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or Architecture.
• Three (3) years of experience at the type and level of a Senior Engineer or Senior Architect.
• No substitution of experience for education; additional education may be substituted for experience, but experience alone cannot replace the required degree.

• Valid driver’s license.
• Registration as a Professional Engineer (PE) with the Colorado State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers, or registration as an Architect with the Colorado State Board of Registration for Architects, required at time of application (registration in another state accepted if Colorado registration completed by end of probation).
• All licenses and certifications must be kept current as a condition of employment.

• Resume.
• Detailed cover letter describing interest in public service and experience with dynamic long‑term…