Water Resources Engineer

King County•Seattle - Regional area, WA

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

We are seeking to hire a Water Resources Engineer (Engineer II) to join the countywide Technical Services team working on water bodies throughout King County. This position is within the Water & Land Resources Division in the River and Floodplain Management Section. This team is focused on identifying and mapping flood hazards, reviewing hydraulic and hydrologic studies, and supporting other work of the River and Floodplain Management Program including our seasonal Flood Warning program, flood risk planning and communications, structural protection of public infrastructure and agency and community partnerships to limit development in flood risk areas. This position provides excellent opportunities to apply and further develop your engineering skills including 1D- and 2D-hydraulic modeling, hydrologic and GIS analyses, and to conduct research including gathering technical information and field data. You will use your skills to support flood hazard identification and mapping, review of project proposals for flood risk reduction and habitat restoration and assist with floodplain mapping projects and related assignments. You will be working with senior hydraulic engineers on floodplain mapping, floodplain development review, and consultant contracted projects to serve King County residents, community partners and tribes while coordinating with local, state and federal agencies such as Seattle Public Utilities, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, USGS and US Army Corps of Engineers. In your work, you will collaborate with other engineers, geologists, planners, ecologists and you will have the opportunity to collaborate and build relationships with other county divisions and departments, landowners and members of the community. You will work with myriad sources and types of data including precipitation, stormwater and streamflow data, various surface elevations, topographic data from lidar and PLS surveys, GIS point, line and raster data, and model files from 1D- and 2D-HEC RAS, SRH 2D, HSPF, and other hydrologic and hydraulic model types. You will have the opportunity to receive training to learn and become proficient in new models, updated versions of existing models, new platforms of GIS (ArcGIS Enterprise and ArcGIS Online), and data analysis in GIS, statistics, and other relevant software. Your duties will make you familiar with the King County Surface Water Design Manual, King County flood code and related regulatory requirements. You will receive Swiftwater Awareness, First Aid and CPR training, and be expected to participate in seasonal Flood Warning Center and Flood Patrol operations during your tenure with RFMS. In the wake of historic flooding in December 2025, we have a greater need to provide technical support to numerous flood risk reduction programs and projects around King County. This 3-year temporary position will immediately make a difference by supporting floodplain engineers who provide expertise to the River and Floodplain Management Program, Water and Land Resources Division and other King County Departments delivering quality work on time for new and on-going projects and programs. This position follows a hybrid work model, blending remote and in-person work.

Requirements

Bachelors in civil engineering or equivalent with an intermediate level of experience in hydraulic modeling of natural systems.
Demonstrated working knowledge of open channel hydraulics, river mechanics, and/or floodplain management.
Strong working knowledge of HEC-RAS-1D, -2D, and ArcGIS Pro.
Demonstrated strong oral and written communications skills.
Strong problem solving and analytical skills.
Ability to work collaboratively on a team and also independently to accomplish tasks with minimal supervision.

Nice To Haves

WA State driver's license.
A Licensed Professional Engineer (P.E.) in the State of Washington, or Engineer-in-Training Certification.
Drone pilot's license (part 107 certification)
Skill at handling politically sensitive issues.

Responsibilities

Assist senior staff in various work assignments including hydrologic analyses, 1D and 2D hydraulic modeling, and GIS analysis.
Act as task manager of floodplain mapping projects to assist with production of maps, profiles and floodplain elevations for various FEMA and non-FEMA studies.
Research, organize and assess technical information.
Coordinate the preparation of technical documents.
Review of work for floodplain compliance.
Review hydraulic modeling inputs, outputs and model parameters.
Plan, develop and implement field data collection for projects.