Habitat Environmental Engineer – Environmental Engineer

Title- Habitat Environmental Engineer

Classification- Environmental Engineer 3

Job Status – Full-Time / Permanent

WDFW Program – Habitat Program

Duty Station – Spokane Valley, Washington – Spokane County

Hybrid/Telework – The selected candidate may be able to telework remotely up to 2 days per week at the discretion of the supervisor.

Are you an experienced engineer with a passion for aquatic habitat and environmental restoration?

Join our team in Region 1, where you’ll apply your professional engineering expertise to design and evaluate projects that include fish passage, screening, habitat restoration, and water crossings.

In this role, you’ll provide technical guidance to agency staff and partners, conduct field investigations and engineering analyses, and help promote consistent, high-quality aquatic habitat practices statewide through collaboration, training, and mentorship.

The Habitat Environmental Engineer will provide technical assistance and manage project design as part of the Department’s Habitat engineering efforts in Region 1.

• Serve as the Department’s Habitat engineering representative for Region 1, Eastern Washington.
• Act as a registered Professional Engineer to review, approve, and provide final engineering designs and decisions on a diversity of fish passage, fish screening, fish habitat restoration, and water crossing structure projects.
• Evaluate and recommend approval or disapproval of plans, proposals, and designs for fish passage, screening, water crossing, bank protection, erosion control, fish habitat enhancement and restoration, flood hazard reduction, and other instream projects.
• Prepare professional engineering designs and permit documents for fish passage (e.g., fish ladders, fishways, roughened channels, grade control weirs), erosion control, bank protection, gravity and pump fish screening for various fish species and life history stages, and habitat restoration projects.
• Serve as a liaison with agency staff, state and federal agencies, and local governments to resolve complex engineering issues; provide expert testimony as needed.
• Offer technical assistance for designs of proposals for work affecting fish and wildlife habitats.
• Negotiate for plan, project and/or design specifications.

• Develop and manage habitat restoration, fish passage, and bank protection projects, applying engineering, biological, and project management principles.
• Perform hydrologic, hydraulic, structural, and geomorphic analyses; evaluate design alternatives.
• Conduct topographic surveys, soils and geomorphic studies, and oversee project development and construction.
• Prepare design reports, engineering plans, specifications, cost estimates, and perform construction inspection.

• Research, write, and participate in development of aquatic habitat guidelines and standards.
• Prepare and deliver training, presentations, and materials for agency staff, partners, and the public.
• Stay current on emerging technologies that protect fish and wildlife including new passage and screening designs and technologies.
• Review peer design documents to ensure quality and consistency.

• Approximately 70% office work and 30% field work.
• Field duties include hiking and wading in streams, often in rough weather conditions, and walking over uneven terrain for short distances (less than 1 mile) regularly or occasionally over long distances (several miles). Physical capacity to work in remote forested and aquatic environments. Must be able to safely operate a vehicle to conduct field review of project sites.
• This position may involve working in or near water, including tasks that require navigating, negotiating, and performing duties related to water environments.

This position is full-time, working 40 hours per week. The standard work schedule includes the potential for occasional evening or weekend work as needed. Alternative schedules may be considered based on business needs. Work hours may often exceed the standard 8am to 5pm workday.

Travel throughout the state to evaluate site conditions and attend meetings is required.…