Hydraulic Engineer

About the role

The Hydraulic Engineer functions as a technical contributor and emerging leader within the Transportation group at Larson Design Group (LDG). This role requires a Professional Engineer (PE) license and relevant experience in NCDOT hydraulic design, including drainage, bridge and culvert replacements, and hydrologic/hydraulic modeling.

Responsibilities

• Performs independent hydraulic planning and design tasks, including roadway drainage design, culvert and bridge hydraulics, stormwater management, and erosion control plans.
• Conducts HEC-RAS 1D modeling for culverts and bridges; 2D modeling experience is a plus.
• Supports NCDOT bridge and culvert replacement projects, including hydraulic reports, scour analysis, and coordination with roadway and structures teams.
• Develops NCDOT drainage designs, including storm drain systems, ditches, channels, and BMPs.
• Utilizes OpenRoads Designer (ORD) Drainage & GeoPak Drainage for hydraulic modeling and plan production.
• Performs supplemental surveys and field reconnaissance to verify drainage features, collect site data, and support hydraulic analyses.
• Reviews the work of others, prepares construction documents, and assists in delivering projects to completion.
• Maintains collaborative inter-departmental and cross-functional working relationships with project team members.
• Conducts initial QA/QC reviews of hydraulic submissions to ensure compliance with NCDOT standards and technical requirements.
• Aids senior staff in developing schedules, technical proposals, and labor hour estimates for hydraulic scopes.
• Communicates effectively with project teams to define and deliver hydraulic design scope.
• Promotes and supports quality assurance and quality control processes to enhance deliverables and reduce design errors or omissions.
• Performs and verifies hydraulic calculations, develops technical specifications, and prepares cost estimates.
• Develops and manages design budgets for routine hydraulic scopes of work.
• Provides guidance, training, and support to engineering associates and interns, helping them develop technical skills and design intuition.

Requirements

• Education: Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering or related field from an ABET-accredited program.
• Experience: 4-10 years of hydraulic engineering experience, preferably with NCDOT bridge & culvert replacement projects.
• Licensure/Certification: Professional Engineer (PE) required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Strong desire to expand technical knowledge and take on new responsibilities within hydraulic engineering.
• Proficiency with HEC-RAS 2D.
• Proficiency with Hydrologic/hydraulic software such as HY-8, StormCAD, FlowMaster, PondPack, or similar.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook).
• Excellent organizational and time-management skills to manage multiple tasks and meet deadlines.
• Strong oral and written communication skills; able to work independently and collaboratively.
• Exhibits strong critical thinking and problem-solving skills with a commitment to technical excellence and innovation.