Water Resources Engineer

~ Managing, Protecting & Improving the Basin's Water Resources Since 1961 ~

A breakthrough in water resources management occurred in 1961 when President Kennedy and the governors of Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York for the first time signed concurrent compact legislation into law creating a regional body with the force of law to oversee a unified approach to managing a river system without regard to political boundaries.

The members of this regional body - the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) - include the four basin state governors and the Division Engineer, North Atlantic Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, who serves as the federal representative.

When the DRBC was created, some 43 state agencies, 14 interstate agencies, and 19 federal agencies exercised a multiplicity of splintered powers and duties within the watershed, which stretches 330 miles from the Delaware River's headwaters near Hancock, N. Y., to the mouth of the Delaware Bay.

The Compact's signing marked the first time since the nation's birth that the federal government and a group of states joined together as equal partners in a river basin planning, development, and regulatory agency.

Position Overview

This position provides technical and administrative services to support Water Resource Operations Branch activities related to hydrologic assessment, hydrologic modeling, flood, reservoir operations, and climate change.

Responsibilities

Specific duties of the Water Resources Engineer include:

• Support of modeling efforts related to flow management operations and their effects on storage and river flows under current and future climate, land use, and demand scenarios;
• Development and quality assurance of large time-series data sets for use in hydrologic, flood, and reservoir operations models;
• Statistical analyses of input and output datasets from hydrologic, flood, and reservoir operations models (experience with R is desirable);
• Design of reservoir releases, based on current and predicted conditions, to meet instream flow needs;
• Monitoring, evaluating, and reporting on hydrologic conditions in real-time and in summary format for internal and external stakeholders;
• Participation in, and reporting about, advisory committees and other meetings;
• Activities related to flood loss reduction activities, including GIS analyses and interaction with the public, state, and federal agencies regarding flood loss reduction;
• Maintenance of Water Resources Operations library and creating an archive of historical analytical documents and analyses;
• Provision of hydrologic information to the Communications Office or to the public as needed, including oral presentations, responses to inquiries, and development of content for dissemination;
• Support of other branches as assigned to meet Commission goals and objectives; and
• Other activities as assigned.

Qualifications

Education: 

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering or science from an accredited institution.
• A Master’s degree in engineering, hydrology, or water resources including course work in hydrology, GIS, water resources modeling, and statistics is preferred.
• A professional engineering license is preferable, but not required.

Experience: 

• This is an early career position open to graduates with a Bachelors or Masters in engineering degree related to water resource engineering and science.
• The individual selected for the position will develop an understanding of hydrologic modeling, hydrologic data analysis, reservoir operations modeling, and flood loss reduction.
• Desirable Candidates will have 1-2 years of experience, but new graduates will be considered.
• Participation in a cooperative education program may be included as part of work experience.
• Excellent oral and written communication and organizational skills are required.
• Knowledge of python, R, or other programming languages is desirable.
• Applicant must be authorized to work lawfully in the United States without sponsorship.

To Apply

• Send resume via email to: jobs@drbc.nj.gov
• This position is open until filled