Senior Water Resource Engineer

ESA, a 100% employee‑owned environmental consulting firm with 50 years of experience, is seeking a highly motivated Water Resource Engineer to join our team of engineers and scientists in the Southeast region.

The position is full‑time, overtime‑exempt, and ideally based in one of the Tampa or Orlando offices. Candidates located in Florida (and willing to relocate at their own expense) are also considered.

• Lead, manage, and assist with the preparation of freshwater resources analyses, reports, designs, permit applications, construction drawings, technical specifications, and other project documentation.
• Participate in the planning, design, permitting, mitigation, and restoration of water resource projects across communities, infrastructure, open spaces, and wildlands.
• Conduct field data collection and geologic, topographic, and natural‑resource surveys to support engineering analysis and design.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams—engineers, ecologists, hydrologists, geomorphologists, numerical modelers, landscape architects, biologists—to advance restoration approaches from concept to implementation.
• Provide mentorship and support to junior staff, reviewing their work for accuracy and clarity and offering career‑development guidance.
• Manage project schedules, budgets, and deliverables, ensuring compliance with applicable guidelines and requirements.
• Prepare scopes of work, budgets, and technical input for proposals, contract negotiations, and marketing tasks.
• Attend client and agency meetings, workshops, and conferences; communicate findings and recommendations.
• Support ad‑hoc tasks and engineering work as required.

• Water resources engineer with 10+ years of professional experience focusing on freshwater restoration design within the southeastern United States, preferably Florida.
• Holder of a bachelor’s degree (or higher) in civil, environmental engineering, or closely related discipline and a licensed engineer (PE). A Florida PE license is desirable; otherwise, willing to obtain licensure within 6 months of hire.
• Experienced in designing moderately complex freshwater restoration projects, including water control structures, ditch blocks, low water crossings, weirs, seepage swales, grading, and rehabilitation/repair of water control structures.
• Prepared design plans, technical specifications, engineer’s opinions of probable costs, and construction bid packages for a variety of projects.
• Performed field inspections of existing water control structures and evaluated designs in freshwater, riverine, or tidal systems.
• Familiar with state and federal regulations related to permitting, monitoring, and implementation of water resource projects.
• Strong skills in Microsoft Office, AutoCAD, ArcGIS, and other design and mapping software.
• Experience with stormwater hydrology and hydraulic modeling tools (e.g., SWMM, WWHM, TRUST, HEC‑RAS, ICPR).
• Effective communicator who shares knowledge with junior staff and fosters teamwork and inclusion.
• Proactive team member who identifies and addresses project or team issues constructively.
• Present information clearly and persuade stakeholders, clients, agencies, partners, and the general public.
• Led, managed, mentored, or supervised multidisciplinary teams, delegating tasks to junior staff.
• Able to work independently from our Florida offices and perform field visits across Florida, Alabama, and other states as needed.
• Capable of fieldwork, walking long distances with a backpack, and lifting at least 50 pounds; confident working outdoors in varied conditions.
• Valid driver’s license with a clean DMV record.

• Proficiency in hydrodynamic and water‑quality numerical simulation modeling (e.g., Princeton Ocean Model, EFDC, CH3D, WASP, CE‑QUAL‑ICM, CE‑QUAL‑W2, QUAL2K).
• Advanced ArcGIS Pro and Hydro Tools skills.
• Knowledge of Florida ecosystems.
• Experience with construction observations, surveying, field data collection, and drainage design for DOT projects.
• Skilled in identification of vegetation and soils.
• Certified or trained boat operator.

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance (70% paid for employee and family). 401(k) plan with company match.
• Annual share allocations through ESA’s ESOP.
• Paid vacation, sick leave, holidays, and other paid time off.
• Tuition reimbursement, professional development bonuses, and conference attendance support.
• Programs to enhance technical expertise, business acumen, and leadership growth.

ESA is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to a diverse and inclusive work environment. (EOEM/V/F/D)