Waterways Program Delivery Engineering Specialist

About Our Job

Note: We are hiring for two limited positions, with an expected end date of December 31, 2032, with the potential to be extended. With competitive pay, great benefits, and endless opportunities, working for the City and County of Denver means seeing yourself working with purpose — for you, and those who benefit from your passion, skills and expertise. Join our diverse, inclusive and talented workforce of more than 11,000 team members who are at the heart of what makes Denver, Denver.

What We Offer

• Competitive salary commensurate with education and experience, with a target salary range of $115,683.00 - $156,172.00/year, based on experience and education.
• Guaranteed life-long monthly pension, once vested after 5 years of service.
• 457B Retirement Plan.
• 140 hours of PTO earned within first year + 12 paid holidays, 1 personal holiday, 1 Wellness Day and 1 volunteer day per year.
• Competitive medical, dental and vision plans effective within 1 month of start date.
• City-sponsored RTD EcoPass to all City employees – allowing the use of public transportation for free as a City Employee.

Location

The positions have the flexibility of a hybrid work schedule with the in-office locations at the Denver Wastewater Building (2000 W 3rd Ave) and /or Wellington E. Webb Building (201 W Colfax Ave.). You can expect to work in the office 3 days per week. Employees must work within the state of Colorado on their off-site days. Downtown parking expenses are the responsibility of the employee. We offer a flexible spending account option specifically for parking; if you elect this option, you can use pre-tax dollars for parking.

Who We Are & What You’ll Do

The Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI), through its employees, enhances the quality of life in Denver by efficiently delivering effective, high quality, safe and equitable public infrastructure, and services. For more information, please visit the DOTI website.

DOTI’s Commitment to Equity: DOTI is committed to providing attention and resources to the areas, assets and people of the city with the greatest need. Through equitable contracting, equitable investments, and equitable workforce development. DOTI’s culture revolves around four key principles: (1) Invest in Our People, (2) Operate with Discipline, (3) Use Data to Drive Decisions, and (4) Deliver Results.

DOTI is seeking a Waterways Program Delivery Engineering Specialist to serve as DOTI’s lead engineer for waterways initiatives such as the WATR Program and similar multi-agency efforts. You will be reporting to the DOTI Environmental Implementation Division (EID) Wastewater Design Supervisor.

The WATR Program is a long-term effort to restore the ecosystem on 6.5 miles of the South Platte River and reduce flood risk on the Weir Gulch and East Harvard Gulch tributaries. The WATR Program is being delivered through an innovative pilot partnership with the US Army Corps of Engineers.

As the Waterways Program Delivery Engineering Specialist, specifically in this role, you will:

• Lead technical planning, design, and delivery of complex urban waterway projects, including creek, gulch, and river corridor improvements.
• Serve as the technical lead for hydrologic and hydraulic analysis supporting flood mitigation, floodplain management, and channel stability.
• Guide multidisciplinary consultant teams responsible for planning, design, permitting, and construction services.
• Advance projects within the WATR Program, ensuring project scopes and design solutions support broader waterways resilience objectives.
• Translate citywide waterways strategy into deliverable projects, coordinating closely with the Waterways Program Manager.
• Balance hydraulic performance, geomorphic stability, ecological function, and community outcomes when evaluating channel design alternatives.
• Cookordinate across multiple agencies and stakeholders, including Mile High Flood District, regulatory agencies, utilities, and community groups.
• Manage project development from concept through construction and closeout, including scope definition, budget development, schedule creation, stakeholder engagement, communications management, resource assignment, and risk management.
• Provide technical expertise in urban channel design, including grade control, bank stabilization, sediment transport considerations, and vegetation strategies.
• Mentor engineering staff and contribute to internal technical standards, helping strengthen the organization’s expertise in waterway engineering.

What You’ll Bring

We value diversity of ethnicity, race, socioeconomic status, sexual identity, gender, religion, language, ability, and experience and exemplify this through the makeup of our team at all levels. You'll be right at home here if you cultivate strong relationships and push yourself, your work, the people around you and Denver to the next level. Our ideal candidate has some or all the following experience, skills, and characteristics:

• Strong Technical Judgment - Understand the tradeoffs inherent in urban waterway design and can balance flood protection, stability, ecology, and community needs.
• Systems Thinker - Able to see how individual projects fit within broader watershed, flood risk, and capital planning strategies.
• Collaborative Project Leader - Effective at coordinating consultant teams, internal staff, and external partners across complex infrastructure projects.
• Clear Communicator - Able to explain technical engineering concepts to leadership, elected officials, and community stakeholders.
• Praactical Problem Solver - Comfortable navigating constraints such as right-of-way limitations, regulatory requirements, and funding realities.
• Delivery Focused - Keep projects moving forward through design, permitting, and construction while managing scope, schedule, and budget.
• Urban Waterways Experience - Experienced designing or managing projects involving creeks, gulches, rivers, and open channel systems in developed environments.
• Balanced Engineering Perspective - Recognizes that successful waterway projects integrate flood mitigation, environmental function, and community benefit.

Required Minimum Qualifications

• Education requirement: Bachelor's Degree in Engineering or Architecture.
• Experience Requirement: Three (3) years of experience at the type and level of a Senior Engineer or Senior Architect.

Additional Information

To be considered for this position, you must include the following on your job application (upload the attachment(s) to the Resume/CV section on the My Experience tab): Resume Detailed cover letter about your interest in public service and experience working on dynamic long-term engineering projects. Tell us more about how you professionally prepared for this role.

Application Deadline: This position is expected to stay open until July 26, 2026. Please submit your application as soon as possible and no later than July 26, 2026, at 11:59 PM.

View the full job profile including position specifications, physical demands, and probationary period.