Dam Safety Performance Analyst

Grand River Dam Authority•Tulsa, OK

14h

About The Position

The Dam Safety Performance Analyst evaluates, interprets, trends, and reports surveillance, instrumentation, operational, geotechnical, structural, hydrologic, hydraulic, and condition-assessment data associated with GRDA water-retaining structures. The position turns technical data and field observations into actionable information supporting engineering evaluations, regulatory compliance, risk-informed decisions, and the GRDA Dam Safety Program. It reports to the Chief Dam Safety Engineer and works closely with dam safety engineering, surveillance, instrumentation, and project personnel. The role maintains long-term performance records; evaluates trends and threshold exceedances; prepares technical reports and visualizations; and supports inspections, instrumentation evaluations, Potential Failure Mode Analyses (PFMAs), risk assessments, Emergency Action Plans, Dam Safety Surveillance and Monitoring Plans (DSSMPs), and Supporting Technical Information Documents (STIDs). Work is primarily performed in an office, with periodic field visits to dams, galleries, spillways, embankments, instrumentation sites, and construction locations. The analyst may travel among GRDA facilities and support emergency monitoring during unusual conditions, flood events, or dam safety incidents. Compensation is commensurate with experience and qualifications. A highly competitive benefits package is offered.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Geology, Geological Engineering, Civil Engineering, Engineering Technology, Data Analytics, Hydrology, Geotechnical Engineering, Structural Engineering, Environmental Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Computer Science, or a related technical field.
Advanced analytical, problem-solving, trend-evaluation, and technical-reporting skills.
Knowledge of dam safety instrumentation systems and geotechnical, structural, hydrologic, and hydraulic performance indicators.
Ability to interpret engineering, surveillance, and instrumentation data and communicate complex technical information clearly to engineers, leadership, consultants, and regulators.
Strong database-management, data-quality, technical-writing, and graphical-presentation skills.
Advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including formulas, trend analysis, charting, and data management.
Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and ability to manage multiple analytical assignments.
Valid Oklahoma driver's license, or ability to convert an out-of-state license within 30 days if an Oklahoma resident.
Ability to obtain additional technical certifications and training, as assigned.
Ability to traverse uneven terrain, access monitoring locations, and work outdoors during inspections and investigations.
Ability to occasionally lift and carry monitoring equipment weighing up to 25 pounds.
Mental, visual, and auditory acuity necessary to analyze complex data, prepare technical reports and visualizations, and identify unusual conditions.
Ability to travel among GRDA facilities and support emergency monitoring during unusual conditions, flood events, or dam safety incidents.

Nice To Haves

Experience with technical data analysis, instrumentation monitoring, risk analysis, or dam safety involving dams, levees, hydropower facilities, or other water-retaining infrastructure.
Experience with instrumentation databases and dam performance evaluations.
Experience with SQL databases, Power BI, GIS, statistical software, or similar analytical tools.
Engineer Intern (EI), Professional Geologist (PG), Professional Engineer (PE), Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Project Management, or similar professional credential.

Responsibilities

Compile, organize, validate, and evaluate surveillance and instrumentation data for GRDA dams and appurtenant structures.
Analyze data from piezometers, observation and relief wells, weirs, drainage systems, water-level recorders, survey and alignment monuments, crack gauges, and other monitoring devices.
Review routine and supplemental data for anomalies, trends, threshold exceedances, missing information, and unusual behavior; identify conditions requiring engineering review.
Verify data completeness, coordinate investigation of questionable readings, and support recommendations for instrumentation repair, replacement, maintenance, abandonment, or enhancement.
Develop and maintain long-term performance histories and trend-analysis methods for GRDA water-retaining structures.
Evaluate relationships among reservoir and tailwater elevations, piezometric response, seepage, foundation pressure, seasonal and climatic effects, structural movement, construction, and maintenance activities.
Compare monitoring data with historical performance, baseline conditions, expected facility behavior, and established limits; document exceedances or unusual conditions, notify appropriate dam safety personnel, and track investigations through resolution.
Prepare routine and special reports, technical memoranda, data summaries, statistical analyses, and performance visualizations for engineering, management, consultant, and regulatory review.
Develop monthly, quarterly, and annual monitoring and performance reports, including instrumentation and trend evaluations; create figures, plots, maps, charts, dashboards, and presentations.
Support development and updates of DSSMPs, STIDs, dam safety status reports, corrective-action reports, engineering evaluations, PFMAs, and risk assessments.
Administer dam safety performance databases and maintain complete, organized, searchable, and defensible historical monitoring records and electronic archives.
Perform quality-control reviews of incoming data, coordinate data transfers from field personnel, and develop and maintain data-management procedures.
Support migration, enhancement, and long-term preservation of monitoring databases, reporting tools, and performance histories.
Prepare data packages and analytical support for engineering assessments, stability evaluations, seepage investigations, construction monitoring, corrective actions, PFMAs, and risk assessments.
Evaluate data consistency and potential influences on interpretation; assess performance indicators and trends associated with identified PFMs and significant dam safety concerns; assist engineers in establishing risk-informed monitoring requirements.
Review field surveillance observations, correlate observed conditions with measured responses, and help develop enhanced surveillance and monitoring requirements for unusual conditions or areas requiring additional evaluation.
Participate in field reviews and inspections as needed and support technical review of consultant reports, independent consultant inspections, and dam safety audits.
Compile technical information and records for regulatory reports, submittals, audits, inspections, and independent consultant reviews.
Assist with preparation of FERC-required monitoring information and responses to requests concerning monitoring data and facility performance; maintain documentation supporting regulatory reviews and annual Dam Safety Program assessments.
Develop improved methods for data analysis, visualization, monitoring efficiency, and performance assessment; evaluate emerging technologies and recommend practical enhancements.
Support automated monitoring and reporting, dam safety performance metrics, and continuous improvement initiatives.
Perform other duties as assigned.