Senior Hydrologic Engineer

Are you excited to make a positive difference in our world by helping valued clients successfully address their challenges? Ayres is seeking a passionate and talented senior hydrology expert to grow our national dam safety market, expand relationships with safety-focused clients, and innovate solutions to complex riverine engineering challenges. This position requires good written and oral communication skills and a passion to continue lifelong learning and transfer that passion and technical understanding to younger engineers.

Join Ayres – a USA TODAY Top Workplace recognized in both 2025 and 2026 – where people-first leadership, collaboration, and professional growth create an environment where great teams do their best work.

On any given day, you’ll:

• Collaborate with a team of hydraulics/hydrology engineers to develop analyses approaches, confirm applicable codes, analyze complex watersheds and flow conveyance systems, document findings efficiently, review others’ work and have your work reviewed, and prepare well-written and complete reports. 
• Assist your group manager with identifying marketing opportunities that create exciting Water Resources projects. 
• Communicate to understand our client’s project challenges and what our studies conclude.
• Take responsibility for large hydraulic/hydrology projects, including overseeing other staff, reviewing work products to confirm they meet applicable codes, and ensure that the work is produced on schedule, profitably, and in conformance with the quality standards of Ayres.
• Build and maintain respectful working relationships with Project Managers and Ayres leadership.
• Support and participate in the development and mentorship of staff.

Required Qualifications:

• A bachelor’s degree in civil/hydraulic/hydrologic engineering from an accredited university is the minimum requirement.  A master’s or doctorate degree in civil engineering with emphasis in hydrology is preferred.
• Registered professional engineer (PE) in a US state with ability to become licensed by comity in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Colorado and other states as needed for Ayres projects.
• Experience using state-of-the-practice software for analysis of open channel flow, two-dimensional flow, three-dimensional flow, rainfall-runoff processes, and statistical hydrology.
• A minimum of 10 years of experience in the field of hydraulic and hydrologic engineering. 
• Ability to independently manage projects with budgets of 250 to 2000 hours of engineering time.
• Working knowledge of state and federal design standards. 
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, PowerPoint, Word).
• Proven oral and written communication skills.
• A valid driver’s license and good driving record. 

Desired Skills and Experiences:

• Experience establishing mutually respectful and collaborative relationships with clients, contractors, and review agencies. 
• Previous experience in completing designs and submitting approved analyses for state- or federally regulated projects is highly desirable.
• Understanding of state dam and floodplain regulations, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission guidelines, and Federal Emergency Management Agency design standards for flood studies and dam conveyances. 
• Great communication skills and team interaction skills are desired, especially for projects that face intense regulatory review and have multiple competing interests (budget, schedule, risk reduction measures, regulatory standards, etc.).
• The position is expected to be hybrid with three days in the office and two days remote.  While Ayres has multiple offices that may serve as a home office, most of the Junior staff in Water Resources are in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and so the successful candidate should offer a plan for face-time mentoring of these younger staff and promoting group cohesiveness.  Note that Ayres allows flexible time, hybrid location options but places high value on in-person mentorship and networking opportunities.

Not sure you meet every single requirement?

• We understand that no candidate is likely to match every qualification listed. If you are passionate about contributing meaningful and innovative solutions, leading impactful projects, and helping clients address complex challenges related to rivers and riverine structures, we encourage you to apply—even if your experience doesn’t align perfectly with every detail in the posting. Your unique perspective and skills could be a great fit for our team and the work we do in our Rivers and Water Resources groups.

Benefits of being part of the Ayres team: 

• Health, dental, and vision Insurance.
• Short and long-term disability and life insurance.
• Employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) and 401K with company match.
• PTO, paid holidays including two floating holidays, and a flexible work schedule.
• Professional development opportunities.

Please note, benefits vary depending on job status. To learn more about our great benefits, visit our website at https://www.ayresassociates.com/careers/the-ayres-advantage/

Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer