Principal Water Distribution Modeling Engineer

About the role

The successful candidate will serve as a technical leader for drinking water distribution system modeling, planning, and infrastructure evaluation projects. They will lead development, calibration, maintenance, and application of hydraulic and water quality models for municipal water systems.

Responsibilities

• Lead development, calibration, maintenance, and application of hydraulic and water quality models for municipal water systems
• Direct water system master plans, infrastructure planning studies, and long-term capital improvement programs
• Perform and oversee hydraulic analyses related to system capacity, pressure management, storage operations, fire flow, reliability, and emergency response planning
• Lead water quality evaluations including water age, disinfectant residuals, constituent tracking, source blending, and operational optimization studies
• Develop and oversee field testing and model calibration programs, including pressure monitoring, flow monitoring, hydrant testing, and operational data collection
• Integrate and analyze GIS, SCADA, AMI/AMR, billing, and operational datasets to improve model fidelity and support utility decision-making
• Develop technically defensible infrastructure recommendations supported by hydraulic, operational, financial, and risk-based analyses
• Prepare and review technical reports, memoranda, presentations, and planning documents
• Collaborate directly with utility leadership, operations personnel, and executive stakeholders to communicate technical findings and implementation strategies
• Mentor and develop junior and mid-level engineers while advancing modeling best practices across the firm
• Support business development activities including client relationship management, proposal development, conference participation, and strategic growth initiatives

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, environmental engineering, or a related engineering discipline
• Advanced degree in the same/similar field (preferred)
• Professional Engineer (P.E.) registration (required)
• 10+ years of experience (15+ preferred) in drinking water system planning, hydraulic modeling, water quality modeling, or water distribution engineering consulting; or equivalent combination of education and experience
• Demonstrated experience leading hydraulic and water quality modeling efforts for municipal water utilities
• Experience developing and implementing water system master plans and capital improvement programs
• Expertise in water distribution system operations, planning, reliability analysis, and water quality management
• Experience utilizing GIS, SCADA, AMI/AMR, billing, and operational datasets in support of model development and planning studies
• Proficiency with industry-standard modeling software such as InfoWater Pro, OpenFlows WaterGEMS, EPANET, AquaTwin Water, and/or similar hydraulic and water quality modeling platforms
• Experience leading model calibration programs and integrating field data into planning and operational analyses
• Strong technical writing, presentation, and communication skills
• Demonstrated ability to lead multidisciplinary project teams and mentor technical staff
• Experience interacting directly with utility management, operations staff, and executive stakeholders