Careers - Natural Systems Design

Natural Systems Design is excited to be hiring for the following positions. To apply, please send resume and cover letter to info@naturaldes.com.

Thank you!

Position: Hydraulic Engineer

Natural Systems Design, Inc. (NSD) is a Pacific Northwest firm of passionate geomorphologists, hydrologists, engineers, fisheries biologists, landscape architects, and ecologists, created to make a positive contribution to the natural world. Founded in 2003, we are an SBA certified small business (DUNS #019851651), with an interdisciplinary team of 33 professional scientists and engineers on staff, including eight experienced professional engineers and three geologists licensed in Washington State.

Restoration and protection of river, stream, shoreline, and wetland functions and habitat is the sole focus of our work at NSD. We specialize in reach-scale, bioengineered stream restoration designs that are based on understanding the relationships between site hydrology, topography, soils, and local seasonal cycles, as well as the habitats needs of native plant and animal communities.

We work in highly interdisciplinary teams to develop innovative solutions to critical environmental challenges; as an engineer we would expect you to contribute your expertise in hydraulics and engineering as well as actively collaborate with and learn from colleagues and clients. Our working environment is fast-paced, collaborative, creative, professional, and fun.

Minimum Qualifications: Six years’ experience, BS Civil Engineering, Professional Engineer’s license in Civil Engineering for Washington. Graduate degree in geomorphology, river engineering, hydraulics, stream ecology or fisheries preferred.

Office: Located in Seattle, Bellingham, or Port Angeles, Washington with periodic travel to project sites and other offices.
Geographic range: Primarily WA and OR, with occasional projects in, ID, MT, HI, AK, CA

Roles and responsibilities:

Project Leadership
- Develop scope of engineering analysis needed to answer relevant questions related to meeting project goals; develop and manage schedules and budgets that align with scope
Actively and clearly communicate status and results to colleagues, collaborators, and clients through discussions, presentations, data visualizations, and technical writing
Seek out best available science to support innovative, cost-effective approaches to analyses and engineering designs that meet project goals
Organize data and analyses to be reproducible and defensible
Expertise in hydrologic and hydraulic modeling
- Scoping and managing hydrologic and hydraulic analyses
- Hydraulic and hydrologic analysis of existing and proposed conditions, including use of HEC-RAS, RiverFLO-2D, HEC-HMS, HEC-SSP, and other software applications,
- Scour, sizing, and stability calculations for project elements,
Engineering analysis and design of stream, riverine, and wetland restoration plans, specifications and cost estimates, including:
- Field work and analysis to evaluate existing conditions, historic impacts, restoration opportunities, and monitor construction of project elements
- Field work using field gear to include but not limited to use of Total Station, GPS, laser level,
- CAD Proficiency (preferred, not essential):
  - Design of surfaces and alignments using Civil 3D, including creating proposed surfaces, cut/fill analysis,
  - Develop engineering plan sets in Civil 3D,
    Develop project specifications in conformance with state or federal guidelines (WSDOT, ODOT, IDOT etc),
- Develop construction cost estimates,
- Stamp and sign plans, specifications and cost estimates produced under your direction and review with principal level QA/QC,
  On-site inspection and approval of construction of projects, including contractor negotiations and client relations, field adjustments of designs to accommodate conditions at time of construction,
Technical report writing,
Maintain an upbeat attitude and persevere during challenging field conditions including storms, wind, waves, dust, heat, rain, snow and blackberry brambles in terrain including estuaries, rivers, streams, mountains, forests, deserts and jungles.

Pay: $70,000 – $90,000 depending on experience
Benefits: Medical, Dental, Vision. 401K, 6 paid holidays, accrual of up to 4 weeks PTO annually
Start Date: Winter/Spring 2020
Hours: Full-time

Position: Fluvial Geomorphologist

We work in highly interdisciplinary teams to develop innovative solutions to critical environmental challenges; as a fluvial geomorphologist we would expect you to contribute your expertise in stream processes and analysis as well as actively collaborate with and learn from colleagues and clients. Our working environment is fast-paced, collaborative, creative, professional, and fun.

Minimum Qualifications:

MS or higher in geomorphology
Minimum of four years of experience
Professional Geologist or Professional Engineer, or ability to obtain PG or PE registration within 3 years

Location: Seattle, Bellingham, or Port Angeles, WA, with periodic travel to project sites and other offices.
Geographic range: Primarily WA and OR, with occasional projects in ID, MT, HI, AK, CA

Expertise, roles and responsibilities:

Project Leadership
- Develop scope of geomorphic analysis needed to answer relevant questions related to meeting project goals; develop and manage schedules and budgets that align with scope
- Actively and clearly communicate status and results to colleagues, collaborators, and clients through discussions, presentations, data visualizations, and technical writing
- Seek out best available science to support innovative, cost-effective approaches to analyses and engineering designs that meet project goals
- Organize data and analyses to be reproducible and defensible
Process Geomorphology
- Expertise in field-based and remote sensing-based quantitative analysis of landscape evolution and fluvial and hillslope morphology and processes, including channel form and adjustment, channel migration, and landform mapping.
- Experience with quantifying sediment transport and budgets
- Foundational understanding in the influence of vegetation and wood on streams
- Experience in historic landscape reconstruction, including describing and quantifying current conditions and historic landscape changes, such as changes to channel planform morphology, riparian vegetation, wood loading characteristics, stress partitioning, and floodplain connectivity
Geospatial Analysis
- High proficiency in Geographic Information Systems (ESRI suite, including ArcMap 3-D and Spatial analyst tools), including acquisition and analysis of remote sensing data
- Experience working with large digital elevation files (e.g., lidar) and other gridded datasets (e.g., soils, vegetation, climate)
- Experience in aerial photo and historic map analysis
- Fluency in data analysis using R or Python is desired, but not required
Hydrologic and hydraulic modeling
- Hydraulic and hydrologic analysis of existing and proposed conditions, including analysis of observational data (e.g., USGS discharge) and use of HEC-RAS, RiverFLO-2D, HEC-HMS, HEC-SSP, or other software applications.
- Scour, sizing, and stability calculations for in-stream large wood placements
Surveying and Field Data Collection
- Experience with total station, RTK, and other surveying methodologies
- Experience with field data collection, including stream gaging, pebble counts, and pool surveys
Maintain an upbeat attitude and persevere during challenging field conditions including storms, wind, waves, dust, heat, rain, snow and blackberry brambles in terrain including estuaries, rivers, streams, mountains, forests, deserts and jungles.

Pay: $60,000 to $80,000 DOE
Benefits: Medical, Dental, Vision. 401K. 6 paid holidays, accrual of up to 4 weeks PTO annually
Start Date: Winter/Spring 2020
Hours: Full-time