Environmental Scientist III/II

Full Job Description

Position: Environmental Scientist III/II
Location: Salt Lake City

The Utah Division of Water Resources is looking for a skilled individual with a background in water resources, hydrology and environmental sciences to join our Hydrology & Modeling Section in Salt Lake City. In this position you will assist in planning for Utah’s future water needs through modeling efforts across Utah including Great Salt Lake.
You will develop and maintain surface water models, assist with Great Salt Lake and wetland modeling as well as other surface and river basin modeling efforts; and create programs to interact with databases and analyze data. The division uses a variety of modeling platforms and programming languages, including RiverWare, GoldSim, ArcGIS, Visual Basic, Python, and R.
We are seeking candidates with strong expertise in surface water modeling and climate modeling, data management and analysis, a solid educational background, experience in programming and the ability to foster a positive and collaborative team environment. If your qualifications match the requirements of the position, we encourage you to apply!

The Division of Water Resources currently has about 56 skilled and dedicated employees who work well together to plan, conserve, develop and protect Utah's water resources. The work we do is meaningful and staff have the opportunity to work with water professionals across the state. The division cares about employees as individuals and promotes a healthy work-life balance.
This position is a full-time position with benefits that offers an opportunity to build your career in water planning. You will be involved in analyzing critical water issues and helping to understand and find water resources solutions for the future of Utah. Learn more about us here.

Requirements

• Guide the decisions made about Utah waters by developing and maintaining surface water models.
• Contribute to the Great Salt Lake Basin Integrated Plan and other Great Salt Lake modeling efforts.
• Use and receive training in engineering software such as RiverWare, GoldSim, HEC-HMS, ArcGIS Pro, VIC and other hydrologic and hydraulic models.
• Access and maintain climate data sets, conduct climate change analyses and provide processed climate data to team members.
• Document hydrologic studies, models, and their results.
• Use databases to read data, store results, and manipulate data.
• Use GIS to analyze and find solutions to engineering problems.
• Ensure accurate information is being presented to the public and decision-makers by timely analysis and collecting the most up-to-date data.
  
  
  

Qualifications

• Knowledge of principles, theories, and practices of water resources engineering, hydrology and environmental sciences.
• Basic understanding of modeling theory and design.
• General GIS knowledge.
• River systems, reservoir simulation and surface water modeling experience.
• Programming skills such as Python, R and Visual Basic.
• Patience and willingness to work cooperatively towards common objectives; work with people in a manner that shows sensitivity, tact, and professionalism.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Advanced programming experience using Visual Basic, Python, R, VBA or VB script.
• Knowledge of database management methodologies, database maintenance, design, and queries (SQL Server, Access, SQLite).
• Knowledge or experience with climate modeling and climate datasets.
• Experience applying models for water resources planning.
• Communicate information and ideas clearly and concisely, in writing.
• Knowledge of Utah and Great Salt Lake Basin water issues and challenges.
• Knowledge and/or experience with Google Cloud Platform and Google Earth Engine.

Additional Information

• Risks found in the typical office setting, which is adequately lighted, heated and ventilated, e.g., safe use of office equipment, avoiding trips and falls, observing fire regulations, etc.
• Typically, the employee may sit comfortably to perform the work; however, there may be some walking; standing; bending; carrying light items; driving an automobile, etc. Special physical demands are not required to perform the work.
• Driver’s license required.
• Travel required, most are day trips within the state.
• Overnight travel may be required at times but would be minimal.