HQ Hydraulics Fish Passage Design Manager - Olympic Region (WMS3)

State of Washington•Thurston County – Lacey, WA

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is seeking an experienced, civil, environmental, or water-resources engineer and mission-driven leader to join our State Hydraulics Office as the Fish Passage Design Manager in Lacey, WA. This is a unique opportunity to lead some of Washington’s most challenging fish passage, stream restoration and transportation water-crossing projects. As the Fish Passage Design Manager, you will lead the Fish Passage Section serving the Olympic Region while also providing statewide technical leadership for fish passage, stream restoration, and streambed scour design. You will work alongside engineers, project teams, Tribal governments, regulatory agencies, and other partners to turn complex environmental and transportation challenges into practical, resilient solutions where rivers, fish, infrastructure, and the public safety intersect. Your work will directly influence how WSDOT designs and delivers transportation projects that restore fish passage, protect communities and infrastructure, improve stream function, and keep Washington moving. You will also help shape statewide engineering practices, mentor technical professionals, advance practical, resilience solutions that balance environmental stewardship with the needs of a modern transportation system.

Requirements

Technical Leadership in Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering: Applies advanced expertise in fish passage, stream restoration, streambed scour, and transportation hydraulics to guide complex design, construction, and restoration solutions.
Policy Development and Implementation: Leads development, interpretation, and implementation of complex engineering and environmental policies and ensures consistent application of standards.
Strategic Leadership and Organizational Alignment: Sets direction and priorities for programs with statewide impact and aligns multidisciplinary teams, resources, and stakeholders to achieve agency goals.
Program and Financial Management: Applies management principles to program delivery, budgeting, resource allocation, prioritization, and performance management across large-scale programs.
Project Delivery and Execution Excellence: Directs complex, multidisciplinary projects through development, design, and construction while ensuring quality, consistency, and compliance.
Decision-Making Under Uncertainty: Exercises independent judgment in high-risk or ambiguous situations and balances technical, financial, environmental, and legal considerations.
Change Leadership and Continuous Improvement: Leads organizational change and process improvements that enhance efficiency, consistency, and quality.
Collaborative Leadership and Influence: Builds relationships across organizational boundaries, including internal teams, executive leadership, regulatory agencies, Tribal governments, and industry partners, and influences outcomes without direct authority.
Workforce Leadership and Development: Leads, mentors, and develops staff and indirect reports while building technical capacity and accountability.
Communication and Executive Presence: Communicates complex technical and policy information clearly to executives, engineers, stakeholders, and external partners.
Stakeholder and Regulatory Engagement: Coordinates with federal, state, and local agencies, Tribal governments, and industry partners to achieve compliant and collaborative outcomes.
Systems Thinking and Integration: Integrates engineering, environmental, operational, and policy considerations to develop practical, forward-looking solutions.
Growth Mindset: Actively demonstrates a commitment to learning and growth.
Service-Oriented: Takes action to meet the needs of others.
A valid driver's license.
Registration as a Professional Engineer in Washington State.
Ability to obtain WSDOT Water Crossing and Stream Restoration Design and Documentation Certification within six months.
Ability to obtain WSDOT Scour Certification within six months.

Nice To Haves

Hydraulic and Transportation Engineering Expertise: Demonstrates advanced expertise in hydraulic engineering and transportation design and construction and/or advanced academic preparation in civil engineering or a related field, with emphasis in hydraulics or water resources.

Responsibilities

Lead statewide fish passage and stream restoration policy and standards by developing, implementing, and enforcing design criteria, policies, and procedures for fish passage, stream restoration, streambed scour, and hydraulic practices.
Direct the Fish Passage Design program and provide statewide technical authority by leading the Olympic Region Fish Passage Design Section and serving as the final technical authority for complex, high-risk design decisions.
Ensure quality and consistency in project delivery by overseeing and approving hydraulic and restoration design products and ensuring deviations from standards are technically justified, documented, and approved.
Guide multidisciplinary project delivery across scoping, design, and construction for Fish Passage, Mega, Improvement, and Chronic Environmental Deficiencies projects.
Provide advanced hydraulic engineering expertise through complex analyses of hydrology, hydraulics, scour, lateral migration, and by establishing guidance for bridge hydraulics, water crossing design, and habitat-integrated restoration.
Strengthen workforce expertise by mentoring, training, coaching, and developing staff, consultants, and project engineers statewide.
Coordinate with partners and represent WSDOT with regulatory agencies, Tribal governments, federal partners, and technical organizations at regional and national levels.
Support program integration and infrastructure resilience by contributing to bridge scour, stormwater retrofit, major drainage, and chronic environmental deficiency programs, including budgeting, policy updates, and long-term strategy.
Provide emergency response leadership by serving as a statewide hydraulic expert during emergency events and providing technical analysis, risk assessment, and executive-level communication.
Advance WSDOT’s values by incorporating environmental stewardship, safety, responsive service, innovation, and long-term sustainability into decisions and project delivery.