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Careers

Please Note:  As with much of the Architecture and Engineering (A&E) industry, we find ourselves in the fortunate position of having many interesting and challenging projects, so are looking to add capacity in several areas.  If you have skills and interest in restoration engineering or science, but do not quite fit into one of the open positions, we’d still love to hear from you!

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 interdisciplinary team of 40+ professional scientists and engineers.  We have locations in Seattle, Bellingham, and Port Angeles…choose a location that works best for you.

Why work with us?

  • At NSD we work exclusively on aquatic and floodplain habitat restoration, watershed analysis, and restoration planning and we have developed a regional reputation for innovative and excellent work, which results in a constant stream of challenging and interesting projects with great clients. 
  • We work on highly interdisciplinary teams and aim to consider ecological, geological, hydrological, and engineering perspectives on every technical challenge; this leads to constant learning and lively discussions. 
  • We are a group that is deeply committed to restoration and protection of natural processes, and also to solutions that benefit both the ecosystem and the community; we take pride in our work to make the world a better place and we advocate with our clients for the actions needed to make that happen. 
  • Our work is highly varied, and ranges from field work in beautiful places – wading streams, surveying from boats, mapping wetlands – to using state-of-the-art data analysis tools, drafting programs, and hydraulic models in the office, to advising during engineered log jam construction, to presenting at stakeholder meetings.
  • We are looking for people who share our enthusiasm for the work we do in the following positions:

To Apply:

If you are equally excited about the type of work we do and can provide the skills outlined below, apply by submitting a resume and cover letter to jobs@naturaldes.com with the job position title in the subject line of your email.

Please note that remote work is encouraged during the COVID-19 pandemic, but offices remain open for those who wish to utilize them and we anticipate that all staff will return to in-person work at least three days per week in the future.

NSD is an equal opportunity employer and candidates who identify with groups that are frequently underrepresented in the science, engineering, technology, and math fields are highly encouraged to apply. All candidates will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, or protected veteran or disabled status or any other category protected under law.

In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification document form upon

Bookkeeper, Operations Support

NSD is seeking an entry to mid-level bookkeeper to assist their CPA and Operations Lead in a broad spectrum of accounting and operational functions. This position may be based in either our Seattle, or Bellingham, Washington office.  Remote work up to 2 days per week is possible, but face-to-face collaboration in the office is essential to our team process, so the position will typically require office presence at least 3 days per week. Candidate should be someone who is a “self-starter” with the desire to grow and develop their skills such that they are in a position to fill a more senior level accounting position in the future. This position will also assist with general office management including some human resources functions, contract preparation and other duties as assigned.

Responsibilities
  • Process accounts receivables and payables
  • Perform payroll, bank and timekeeping reconciliations
  • Assist with payroll
  • Assist with monthly client invoicing
  • Learn and be a resource for our current accounting system, Ajera
  • Assist Operations Lead with other operational needs
Minimum Qualifications
  • 1-2 years of demonstrated and verifiable accounting experience
  • Post-secondary education with focused coursework in accounting
  • Proficiency in bookkeeping programs & related software
  • Exceptional attention to detail & accuracy
  • High level of integrity with ability to act responsibly and ethically when working with financial and other sensitive information
Preferred Qualifications
  • Exposure to B&O tax preparation
  • Familiarity with professional firms and the billable hour
Compensation

NSD offers competitive salary and benefits, including up to a 4% match on 401(K), 7 paid holidays, and up to 4 weeks of paid time off annually.

Start Date

Negotiable

Hours

Full-time, generally working within the hours of 7 am–7 pm, M-F, with occasional weekend and/or evening work.

Drafting Technician

 

NSD is seeking a Staff Drafting Technician with 2-3 years of experience and/or education in computer-aided drafting and civil engineering support to join our team of professionals. This position may be based in either our Seattle or Bellingham, Washington office. Remote work up to 2 days per week is possible, but face-to-face collaboration in the office is essential to our team process, so the position will typically require office presence at least 3 days per week.

The work for this position will focus primarily on the preparation of stream restoration design plans. The preferred candidate will have a strong understanding of standard drafting and design software and development of engineering plans and details. The role will support civil engineers, landscape architects, and geologists in the development of designs for a variety of restoration projects including but not limited to: engineered log jams, bank stabilization structures, stream channel and floodplain restoration, and fish passage restoration projects.

Responsibilities
  • Setup and develop stream and river restoration project design files and plan sets in AutoCAD Civil 3D;
  • Prepare plan sheets illustrating grading plans, culvert or hydraulic structure layout, riverine structure layout, typical engineering details, revegetation plans, etc. per the design lead sketches and direction;
  • Manage and adhere to file organization and design standards throughout the design and drafting process. Design standards may be NSD company standards or those defined by the client;
  • Transfer spatial data such as lidar-derived digital elevation models (DEMs), parcel boundaries, and other data derived from GIS or other sources into the primary drafting platform to develop plan set basemaps;
  • Coordinate with project engineer and/or design lead on design details to integrate into design files and plan sets;
  • Calculate construction, earthwork, and impact quantities to assist with permitting and develop bid schedules;
  • Ensure accuracy, quality, and completeness of design files, quantity take offs, and plan sets;
  • Understand the project design intent, construction methodologies, and situational context to identify challenges, data gaps, and opportunities;
  • Work both independently and collaboratively with colleagues across multiple disciplines;
  • Assist with topographic surveys and data processing.
Minimum Qualifications
  • Associates degree in Civil Engineering Technology, Computer-Aided Drafting and Design, or similar; or demonstrated equivalent experience;
  • Proficiency in the preparation of engineering details and plan sets using AutoCAD Civil 3D;
  • Practical knowledge of typical construction means and methods for civil and infrastructure projects related to flood and erosion control in natural channels;
  • Solid understanding of civil engineering concepts, construction plan set organization, and design presentation.
Preferred Qualifications
  • 2-3 years of professional experience in civil engineering, computer-aided drafting, or river restoration;
  • Experience with topographic surveying using conventional and GPS methods;
  • Ability to process topographic survey data into digital surface models and basemaps;
  • Experience working with WSDOT’s Electronic Engineering Data Standards;
  • Experience with Bentley Microstation/InRoads for design and plan preparation.
Compensation

NSD offers competitive salary and benefits, including up to a 4% match on 401(K), 7 paid holidays, and up to 4 weeks of paid time off annually.

Start Date

Negotiable

Hours

Full-time, generally working within the hours of 7 am–7 pm, M-F, with occasional weekend and/or evening work.

Hydraulic Engineer

We are seeking a Restoration Project Engineer with 4-6 years’ experience to be based in any of our Seattle, Bellingham, or Port Angeles, WA offices. The successful candidate will have strong proficiency in engineering analysis and design focused on rivers, streams, or wetlands.

The work for this position is primarily in Washington and Oregon, but some projects may require travel to Idaho, Montana, Hawaii, Alaska, and California. (Note that remote work is encouraged during the COVID-19 pandemic, but offices remain open for those who wish to utilize them and we anticipate that all staff will return to in-person work at least three days per week at some point).

Responsibilities
  • Technically lead and support design and analysis of engineering approaches to restoration of streams, rivers, and wetlands
  • Collect field data at project sites, including driving to field sites throughout the Pacific Northwest, hiking and carrying gear of up to 40 lbs. over rough terrain, wading in streams, and taking careful and detailed field notes in all weather conditions
  • Acquire, process, and analyze field data using methods such as Total Station survey, Real Time Kinematic GPS survey, pebble counts, and wood loading surveys to understand existing conditions
  • Collaborate with geomorphologists and ecologists to contribute to historical landscape reconstruction, including describing and quantifying current conditions and historic landscape changes, such as changes to channel morphology, riparian vegetation, instream wood loading, and floodplain connectivity
  • Lead hydraulic and hydrologic analysis of existing and proposed conditions, including analysis of observational data (e.g., USGS discharge) and implementation of models and software that include HEC-RAS, SRH2D, RiverFlow-2D, HEC-HMS, and HEC-SSP
  • Complete and communicate calculations of scour, sizing, and stability for project elements, such as engineered log jams
  • Develop project specifications in conformance with state or federal guidelines (WSDOT, ODOT etc).
  • Develop construction cost estimates
  • Write technical narratives describing methodology and results of analyses
  • Support production of illustrative figures and maps of technical analyses using ArcGIS, Excel, and PowerPoint
  • Develop plans, specifications and cost estimates with principal level QA/QC,
  • Lead and manage projects and project teams
  • 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
  • Track hours, budget, progress, and review processes to ensure high-quality and on-time delivery of design packages
  • Actively contribute to success of Project Teams
  • Proactively 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 clearly documented
  • Ask questions, volunteer knowledge, and maintain an attitude of constant learning and excellence
  • Maintain an upbeat attitude and persevere during challenging field conditions including storms, dust, heat, rain, snow, and blackberry brambles.
Minimum Qualifications
  • BS in Civil Engineering, or related field; or equivalent experience
  • 4-6 years of professional experience
  • Professional Engineer’s license in Civil Engineering for Washington State (or ability to gain through reciprocity within 1 year of employment)
  • Proficiency with drafting in AutoCAD or MicroStation
  • High proficiency in Microsoft Office suite, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
  • Experience with field data collection, such as topographic survey using Real Time Kinematic (RTK) GPS and/or Total Station, pebble count, channel morphology measurements, and field mapping
  • Competence with technical writing and technical communication
  • Valid Washington State Driver’s License
Preferred Qualifications
  • 6+ years of professional experience in river restoration and design related to engineered log jams, culvert replacements
  • Proficiency with Microstation InRoads drafting and plan development
  • Proficiency with ArcGIS platform, including acquiring and importing geospatial and remote sensing data, geospatial analysis using spatial analyst and 3D analyst tools, and cartography
  • Competency writing and executing scripts for data processing, analysis, and visualization in R or Python
  • Experience working with and analyzing large digital elevation files (e.g., lidar) and other gridded datasets (e.g., soils, vegetation, climate)
  • Experience 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 working with hydraulic and hydrologic models such as HEC-RAS, SRH2D, RiverFlow-2D, HEC-HMS, HEC-SSP, VELMA, or other software applications.
  • Demonstrated understanding of and sensitivity to a range of perspectives on relationships and interconnections with the natural world, such as traditional indigenous knowledge
Compensation

NSD offers competitive salary and benefits, including up to a 4% match on 401(K), 7 paid holidays, and up to 4 weeks of paid time off annually.

Start Date

October 2021

Hours

Full-time, generally working within the hours of 7 am–7 pm, M-F, with occasional weekend and/or evening work.

Admin Assistant

NSD is seeking an Administrative Assistant to support the principals and staff based in our Bellingham, WA office. The successful candidate will have strong interpersonal skills, be solution oriented and able to work independently to move initiatives forward.

Responsibilities
  • Manage front office tasks such as answering and directing incoming calls, snail mail and greeting visitors.
  • Assist with facilities management, including coordination with vendors that support the office environment.
  • Manage procurement of office supplies, field supplies and equipment as needed.
  • Assist with maintaining company calendar, including scheduling meetings and coordination of all aspects of meeting logistics.
  • Assist staff as requested with travel arrangements.
  • Provide support for staff on document preparation, including reports, correspondence and contracts.  Working knowledge of formatting in Word is desirable.
  • Work with the Operations Lead in the planning and implementation of employee engagement events, including in-person and on-line functions.
  • Work with the Operations Lead, based in Seattle, to complete certain HR and other administrative tasks as needed in the Bellingham office.
Preferred Qualifications
  • Proficient user of Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint, including proficiency with formatting and styles in Word
  • Familiarity with WordPress and Elementor.
  • Proficient in Adobe Acrobat, including creating forms and e-signature.
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
  • Ability to work independently and coordinate multiple assignment deadlines.
  • Detail oriented.
  • Self-starter/self-motivated.
Education/Experience

AA degree or higher
1-2 years in a professional environment

Compensation

NSD offers competitive salary and benefits, including up to a 4% match on 401(K), 7 paid holidays, and up to 4 weeks of paid time off annually.

Start Date

Negotiable

Hours

Full-time, generally working within the hours of 7 am–7 pm, M-F, with occasional weekend and/or evening work.