Senior Water Resources Planning Engineer

Freese and Nichols

Senior Water Resources Planning Engineer managing complex water resource planning projects at Freese and Nichols. Providing technical leadership while collaborating with multidisciplinary teams across Colorado and nationally.

Posted 5/20/2026full-timeDenver • Colorado • 🇺🇸 United StatesSenior💰 $128,260 - $188,601 per yearWebsite

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Serve as Project Manager and/or Technical Lead for complex Colorado water resources planning projects, including: Long‑range water supply and integrated water resources plans, Water rights evaluations and strategy support, Basin‑scale hydrologic and yield analyses, Scenario‑based planning related to climate variability, demand growth, storage, reuse, and operational constraints
Provide technical support to water rights applications and processes, including: Support for water court change cases (engineering analyses, yield impacts, depletion accounting), Evaluation of conditional and absolute water rights, Analysis of augmentation plans, substitute supply plans, and conjunctive use operations, Coordination with legal counsel on water rights matters
Lead or contribute to development of quantitative planning and decision‑support models, including surface water and/or integrated surface water–groundwater systems
Prepare and review technical memoranda, reports, exhibits, and expert‑support documentation suitable for planning studies, regulatory review, and legal proceedings
Support business development by: Assisting in preparation of proposals (scope, staffing, fee), Participating in client meetings and industry events, Leveraging existing and developing new client relationships across Colorado
Supervise and mentor engineers, planners, and analysts; provide technical guidance and quality control
Coordinate with multidisciplinary internal teams (environmental, water/wastewater, planning) and subconsultants

Requirements

What you’ll need

Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering, Water Resources Engineering, or related engineering discipline
Professional Engineer (P.E.) license in the State of Colorado (or ability to obtain via comity within a defined timeframe)
10+ years of progressively responsible experience in water resources planning and/or water rights analysis
Demonstrated experience working in Colorado’s prior appropriation system
Experience supporting or leading projects involving Colorado water rights administration, such as: Augmentation plan support, Change of water right analyses, Yield and reliability analyses, Conjunctive use or replacement water evaluations
Strong technical writing and presentation skills
Experience preparing scopes, schedules, and budgets for professional services
Ability to work independently while functioning as part of a collaborative team

Benefits

Comp & perks

medical insurance
prescription drug coverage
dental insurance
vision insurance
healthcare advisory services
flexible spending accounts
health savings account
health reimbursement account
family and medical leave
short-term medial leave/short-term disability
long-term disability
401(k) matching
life insurance
critical illness insurance
accident insurance
legal/ID shield
tuition reimbursement program
employee assistance program
paid parental leave
paid holidays
paid time off
travel assistance
pet insurance
access to company cabins and partner discounts

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills & Tools

water resources planningwater rights evaluationhydrologic analysisyield analysisscenario-based planningquantitative planning modelsdecision-support modelstechnical writingproject managementbudget preparation

Soft Skills

leadershipmentoringcollaborationcommunicationclient relationship managementorganizational skillsindependent workteamworkpresentation skillsquality control

Certifications

Bachelor’s degree in Civil EngineeringBachelor’s degree in Water Resources EngineeringProfessional Engineer (P.E.) license