Dam Safety Specialist

AECOM•Burnaby, BC

1d•CA$65,000 - CA$85,000•Hybrid

About The Position

AECOM is searching for a Dam Safety Specialist to be based in our Burnaby, BC office. The ideal successful candidate will have a minimum of one year of experience working on dam projects and a general understanding of dam safety. In this newly created role, they will be expected to work successfully within a team environment and be able to communicate effectively with other project team members and clients. They will have a high level of initiative, motivation, and display drive, energy, and enthusiasm for getting things done! The successful candidate will be expected to support the delivery of dam safety reviews mostly to municipal, provincial and mining sectors clients.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Geotechnical, Geological, Civil, or Mining Engineering, with geotechnical specialization, or demonstrated equivalency of experience and/or education.
Minimum two years of relevant experience in civil, geotechnical, hydrotechnical, mining, tailings, or dam-related projects.
Valid Class 5 BC driver’s license.
Ability to travel to remote sites and work in field conditions.

Nice To Haves

Registered as an Engineer-in-Training, or eligible for EIT registration with Engineers and Geoscientists BC.
Progression toward P.Eng. designation is strongly preferred.
Master’s degree in Geotechnical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Mining Engineering, or related discipline is considered an asset.
Minimum one year of experience supporting dam safety projects, dam inspections, dam reviews, dam assessments, tailings facilities, water-retaining structures, or related geotechnical/hydrotechnical work.
Experience supporting dam safety inspections, dam safety reviews, or condition assessments, including preparation of draft reports, inspection summaries, deficiencies, recommendations, and supporting documentation.
Field experience with geotechnical investigations, including drilling coordination, borehole/testhole logging, soil and rock sampling, in-situ testing, test pitting, groundwater/seepage observations, and laboratory testing programs.
Familiarity with CDA Dam Safety Guidelines, BC Dam Safety Regulation, Ontario dam safety procedures, or other provincial dam safety requirements is considered a strong asset.
Experience with slope stability, seepage, settlement, deformation, foundation recommendations, earthworks, or geotechnical design evaluations.
Exposure to dams, reservoirs, embankments, concrete dams, tailings storage facilities, hydraulic structures, culverts, mining infrastructure, or remote project sites.
Experience supporting construction QA/QC, field reviews, dam surveillance, instrumentation monitoring, or construction documentation.
Experience preparing technical memoranda, geotechnical reports, dam safety reports, proposals, cost estimates, work plans, drawings, or specifications.
Basic understanding of soil mechanics, rock mechanics, earthfill and tailings dams, groundwater and seepage behaviour, and geotechnical design principles.
Familiarity with geotechnical software such as GeoStudio SLOPE/W and SEEP/W, PLAXIS, Rocscience Slide2/RS2, FLAC, gINT/OpenGround, AutoCAD, Civil 3D, GIS, and Microsoft Office Suite.
Ability to interpret field and laboratory geotechnical data, instrumentation data, piezometer/inclinometer readings, survey data, and field inspection observations.
Strong technical writing, communication, organization, and coordination skills, with the ability to work with senior engineers, subcontractors, field teams, and multidisciplinary project teams.
Understanding of dam safety practices, risk-informed engineering principles, and field safety requirements.

Responsibilities

Assist with dam safety inspections (DSIs), dam safety reviews (DSRs), and condition assessments for embankment and concrete dams, tailings-retaining structures, water resource dams, and hydraulic structures.
Support geotechnical investigations including drilling programs, borehole logging, instrumentation installation, soils/rock sampling, and field testing.
Participate in field reviews, construction QA/QC, site monitoring, and dam surveillance activities.
Conduct engineering analyses under supervision, including seepage and slope stability analyses, settlement and deformation assessments, and earthworks and foundation evaluations.
Assist with preparation of technical reports summarizing findings and recommendations, proposals (technical and financial), drawings, specifications, design memoranda, and risk assessment documentation.
Support instrumentation and dam safety monitoring programs and interpretation of piezometer, inclinometer, survey data, etc.
Coordinate with multidisciplinary teams including civil, hydrotechnical, geological, mining, and environmental engineers.
Assist with development of dam safety management plans, OMS manuals, dam emergency plans (EPPs and ERPs), and risk registers.
Support project management tasks including scheduling, budgeting, tracking, and client coordination.
Participate in site travel and field assignments throughout BC and Canada, often in remote or mining locations.