System Operations Modeling Team Lead

Water Resources Engineer Team Leader

At HDR, our employee-owners are fully engaged in creating a welcoming environment where each of us is valued and respected, a place where everyone is empowered to bring their authentic selves and novel ideas to work every day. As we foster a culture of inclusion throughout our company and within our communities, we constantly ask ourselves:
What is our impact on the world? Each and every role throughout our organization makes a difference in our ability to change the world for the better. We believe water is more than a resource, it's a shared responsibility. As part of our Water Business Group, you'll help shape how communities manage water for generations to come. From delivering safe drinking water and treating wastewater responsibly to developing sustainable water supplies and protecting lives and property through flood control, your work will directly support public health, environmental sustainability, and infrastructure resilience.

We bring together experts across disciplines to solve complex challenges with bold thinking and technical excellence. Whether you're modernizing aging systems or pioneering innovative approaches, your contributions will make a meaningful difference in people's lives. This isn't just a job, it's a chance to lead change, drive progress, and leave a lasting legacy.

HDR is looking for a water resources engineer to join as a team leader within our Hydrology and System Operations Section team in Sacramento, CA and assist in staff development and project delivery. This position is well-suited for an experienced water resources professional with a strong technical foundation and increasing responsibility in project delivery, client interaction, technical leadership, and staff development.

The ideal candidate will bring depth in reservoir system operations, hydrologic and hydraulic modeling, watershed hydrology, and climate change analysis, and will contribute meaningfully to team leadership and mentoring.

Our clients include local, state, and federal agencies, and our work spans some of the most complex and high-profile water resources challenges in California and the western U.S. The selected candidate will play a key role in project execution, staff development, and the delivery of high-quality technical work across a diverse portfolio.

Skills such as scripting (such as WRESL, Python/Jython, or VBA) and experience with Cal Sim II and Cal Sim 3, Cal Lite, VIC, HEC software (such as HEC-SSP, HEC-HMS, HEC-Res Sim and both HEC-RAS 1D and 2D), water temperature modeling (HEC 5Q, CE QUAL W2), climate change analytical tools and datasets (such as Global Circulation Models and downscaling methods), linear programming and optimization would be considered beneficial.

The candidate is expected to be a key part of project delivery teams; mentor junior staff; manage small- to medium-sized projects; and effectively interact with clients and peers. Candidates should be able to work independently but also enjoy working in a collaborative team environment. The candidate must have strong writing skills and good quality control/quality assurance processes.

In the role of System Operations Modeling Team Lead, we'll count on you to:

• Assist in the responsibility for operations of section team including staff development, profitability, morale, quality control and marketing support
• Assist in the selection, training, development and management of technical personnel in the section team
• Provide advanced technical support and task leadership on water resources projects related to:
• Water supply and reservoir operations modeling
• Hydrology development and analysis
• Reservoir simulation, optimization, re-operation, and decision support
• Hydrologic and climate change modeling, including ensemble and statistical analyses
• Flood risk management, FERC relicensing, and ecological enhancement projects
• Contribute to and, where appropriate, lead technical tasks within multi-disciplinary project teams.
• Support project management activities for small- to medium-sized projects, including scope, schedule, and budget tracking.
• Mentor junior staff and support knowledge transfer, technical review, and staff development.
• Participate in client coordination, including technical meetings, work sessions, and preparation of client-facing deliverables.
• Apply strong QA/QC practices, ensuring clear documentation, reproducible analyses, and high-quality deliverables.
• Contribute to the development and improvement of HDR's technical tools, workflows, and best practices.
• Provide project engineering and task management, conduct difficult to complex hydraulic and hydrologic modeling; conduct stormwater collection systems modeling and design; collect, assimilate and present data in reports, memos and public forums; lead production of design calculations and technical reports; and lead preparation of engineering plans and specifications for design of detention facilities, storm drains, flood control facilities and other…