Senior River Engineer

Environmental Science Associates (ESA) seeks a highly experienced Senior River Engineer to provide technical leadership for ESA’s restoration design practice in California leading design development, providing senior review, and serving as Engineer of Record on a wide range of river restoration design projects. We are looking for a dedicated and enthusiastic team member with 20+ years of work experience, a passion for ecosystem restoration, and the desire to help lead, train, and mentor our top-notch team of restoration designers.

Who You Are

• California-licensed civil engineer with 20+ years of professional experience leading and/or preparing engineering design documents (plans, specifications, and cost estimates) for river engineering projects with an emphasis on and/or interest in river restoration, salmonid habitat enhancement, fish passage, erosion protection, and flood management in Northern California. 
• You have led and managed complex civil engineering tasks including engineering evaluations, technical reports, design development, specifications, cost estimates, construction schedules and construction support. You are highly familiar with all the engineering steps to get from concept to construction bid package, including working closely with related engineering fields such as geotechnical, structural, and hydraulic engineers. You have in depth knowledge and extensive experience with application of hydrologic, hydraulic, and geomorphic principles, fine grading, large wood structure engineering, bank and stream rock stabilization, erosion control, biotechnical bank treatments, and construction methods.    
• You have led, managed, mentored, and/or supervised multidisciplinary design and engineering teams including delegating and guiding Engineers-In-Training through simple to complex tasks. You are an effective communicator who fosters teamwork and inclusion, and shares knowledge and expertise with more junior staff through mentoring and direct supervision.  
• You hold a Bachelor’s degree or higher in civil engineering or a closely related discipline, and have a California Professional Engineer license.

What You Will Do for ESA

• You will serve as the engineer in charge of restoration construction documents, including engineering plans, specifications, and cost estimates. As a senior engineer in the Northern California Environmental Hydrology & Design group, you will cultivate best practices in civil engineering; facilitate knowledge sharing and technical training; mentor and manage engineering staff at various career stages; and develop and oversee implementation of engineering QA/QC protocols.
• You will have the immediate opportunity to lead engineering design development and senior review for several exciting large-scale multi-objective restoration projects. You will collaborate with other engineers, hydrologists, fluvial geomorphologists, landscape architects, ecologists, biologists, and other specialists in advancing restoration approaches and other project solutions from concept to implementation.
• You will thrive in a fast-paced, challenging environment and be able to manage multiple responsibilities and deadlines while working on a team or independently.

What’s Special About ESA

Joining ESA means becoming part of a close-knit team of environmental professionals who contribute to outstanding projects, improve environmental stewardship, and advance a more sustainable and resilient future for our communities and wild places.

At ESA, we provide benefits such as medical, dental, and vision insurance (paid at 70% for you AND your family), annual allocations of company shares through our ESOP, a 401(k) plan with company match, annual performance-based bonuses, and paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays, to name a few.

We also provide specific programs whether you want to further your technical expertise, sharpen your business acumen, or help lead the next generation of employee-owners. We want to support you in reaching your career goals through tuition reimbursement, professional development bonuses, and attendance at conferences.

What’s Special About ESA’s River Restoration Group

Our rapidly growing River Restoration Group is leading some of the most ambitious and exciting fish passage and river and floodplain restoration projects throughout Northern California. We recently designed and implemented over 11 miles of Napa River restoration, greatly expanding the riparian corridor and enhancing salmonid habitat, and are now undertaking similar efforts on Sonoma Creek. We are also designing fish passage barrier removals on Butte Creek, Feather River, and Sacramento River. In the Lagunitas Creek watershed in Marin County, we are enhancing the Coho Salmon habitat by introducing over 300 large wood pieces and over 2,000 tons of gravel below an existing dam and rewilding a former golf course that will link several large open space preserves. We have decades of restoration design and implementation experience, specializing in applied geomorphology process-based design. We strive to foster a positive, respectful, and collaborative team atmosphere that empowers every member to pursue their passion.

The river engineering group is part of our 80-person Environmental Hydrology & Design practice, which includes civil and coastal engineers, hydrologists, hydrographers, geomorphologists, and landscape architects. Much of our work is restoring habitat and ecosystem function, often as part of multi-benefit flood management and/or recreation projects. As a highly integrated team, we value creative thinking, teamwork, and a passion for protecting our fragile yet precious creeks, rivers, wetlands, and coasts.

To read about some of the exciting projects we have recently completed or are currently working on, check out these links Dutch Slough, Yuba River Canyon, Napa River, Dry Creek, San Geronimo Creek, Milliken Creek Dam Removal.

In accordance with ESA’s duty and responsibility to provide and maintain a safe workplace that is free of known hazards and to minimize the exposure to potential hazards, any employee who works from an ESA office or conducts any other in-person ESA work-related activity is required to submit their proof of vaccination status or have received an approved exemption and accommodation.