Dam Design Engineers Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Position Description: About Us
NewFields invites you to join our team! NewFields MDTS is a close-knit consulting team of civil engineers, geotechnical engineers, and geologists who support exciting national and international mining projects to contain and control mine waste materials. Typical services range from site characterization and subsequent site development to embankment designs for freshwater and tailings impoundments, and containment pads utilized in mineral processing. We are committed to providing safe and ethical mining designs as they play a pivotal role in securing the critical minerals essential for a sustainable future. NewFields is a dynamic and growing employee-owned engineering firm that maintains an established profit-sharing program with all employees. We are growing fast and looking for interested, hard-working, and ambitious engineers to grow with us.
We pride ourselves on a strong team atmosphere and positive work culture, always striving to improve technical and interpersonal skills at every level. We are an employee-first organization and focus on providing growth and development opportunities for all our employees. Our engineers develop their skills through working on diverse projects, internal mentorship from senior staff, and collaboration with our internal and external industry experts.
Position Summary
Based in our Denver (Englewood), Colorado office, you'll contribute to impactful mining projects around the world, focusing on the design and management of tailings dams and heap leach facilities. This role offers exciting opportunities for travel, client interaction, and hands-on experience in the dynamic mining sector. The successful candidate will perform technical lead, Deputy Engineer-of-Record (EOR), or EOR duties and support the development of geotechnical investigation, design work, as well as systematic monitoring and surveillance activities. Additional professional experiences and project support would include earthen dam design, geotechnical site assessments and associated field services, dam breach evaluations, stability and deformation analyses, instrumentation installation design and data review, annual dam safety inspections, participation in audits and risk assessment, among other work. The position is meant to be dynamic and will be supported by multiple design teams (general civil, water resource, hydrogeological, etc.). The role as a Senior Geotechnical Engineer also includes developing and maintaining client relationships and working with clients to execute scopes of work successfully.
Responsibilities
Technical Leadership & Project Execution
Lead Engineer of Record (EOR) Services: Serve as Engineer-of-Record (EOR) or principal technical advisor for tailings storage facilities (TSFs), heap leach pads, and water retention dams across domestic (USA) and international projects after a suitable amount of time as the Deputy EOR and familiarization with the project.
Direct Dam Design & Construction Oversight: Spearhead geotechnical design, risk assessments, and construction supervision for earthen dams, ensuring compliance with safety, regulatory, and sustainability standards.
Oversee Material Characterization Programs: Design and manage advanced laboratory/field testing initiatives, interpret data, and establish design criteria/constitutive models for complex geotechnical analyses.Advanced Engineering AnalysisConduct and Manage Advanced Engineering Analyses:Develop and validate 2D/3D seepage, slope stability, and stress-deformation models (limit equilibrium, finite element/difference) for static/dynamic conditions.
Lead constitutive model development for numerical simulations of tailings, heap leach, and dam materials.
Perform site-specific liquefaction assessments and seismic hazard evaluations.Direct dam breach analyses and risk mitigation strategies.
Infrastructure Design Validation: Review and approve bearing capacity, settlement, and foundation analyses for critical mining infrastructure.
Instrumentation & MonitoringDesign Advanced Instrumentation Systems: Develop real-time monitoring programs for dam performance, including data interpretation and risk-alert protocols.
Project & Client ManagementStrategic Project Execution: Develop and execute project management plans, ensuring adherence to scope, budget, timelines, and quality benchmarks.
Cultivate Client Relationships: Act as a primary technical liaison, identifying opportunities for business growth and fostering long-term partnerships.
Proposal Development & Innovation: Lead the preparation of competitive proposals and contribute to R&D initiatives for cutting-edge tailings management solutions.
Regulatory Compliance & Industry InfluenceChampion Regulatory Adherence: Ensure projects align with the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management (GISTM), ICMM, ICOLD, and other applicable regulations and industry-accepted guidance practices.
Drive Industry Thought Leadership: Author whitepapers, present at conferences (e.g., Tailings and Mine Waste), and participate in technical committees to advance industry best practices.
Team Development & Collaboration
Provide Technical Leadership & Mentorship: Guide junior engineers through complex analyses, design reviews, and professional development.
Oversee Design Documentation: Supervise the preparation of engineering design reports, technical specifications, and construction drawings using Autodesk Civil 3D.
Additional Duties
Undertake strategic initiatives, special projects, and other tasks as assigned by senior managementQualifications:
Education: Bachelor of Science (minimum); Master of Science or Ph.D. (preferred). Civil Engineering or Geological Engineering degrees from ABET-accredited universities are preferred.
Professional Experience: 8+ years (1 year of experience considered equivalent for MS degree and 2 years considered for Ph.D.);
Computer Software: Significant experience with MS Office Suite. Proficiency using standard geotechnical design software (Rocscience, GeoStudios, etc.); numerical modeling experience is advantageous; and basic understanding of Autodesk Civil 3D. Programming skills are desired.
Geotechnical Laboratory: Proficient with standard material testing and index tests. Knowledgeable with data analysis from compressibility, hydraulic conductivity, and shear strength test data. Experience with dynamic testing is desired.
Required Registrations / Professional Development: P.E. registration is required in applicable jurisdiction(s).
Travel: Must have the ability to travel in the U.S. and internationally to support field programs.
Technical Writing: Experience writing technical reports, memorandums, and proposals.
Other: Advanced knowledge of geotechnical monitoring instrumentation; various geotechnical tools for subsurface assessments (drilling methods; CPT; geophysics; etc.); numerical modeling methods and software.
Benefits:NewFields believes that to attract and retain the best and brightest employees, we need to offer an outstanding benefits package. We provide paid vacation, sick and parental leave, along with paid holidays. We have a discretionary bonus program based on the profitability of the company. We support employee development, including publications in technical journals, attendance at conferences, and participation in other technical sessions. We pay uplifted wages for some longer-duration international assignments. We have a long history of organizing employee functions such as holiday events and summer picnics.
Medical and Prescription Drug Coverage
Health Savings Account (HSA) with employer contribution of $1,250 (among the highest in the industry)
Telemedicine
401k (Conventional and Roth) with an employer match up to 4%
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
Basic Life / Accidental Death & Dismemberment
Long Term Care
Short Term Disability (STD) Insurance
Long Term Disability (LTD) Insurance
Supplemental Life and AD&D Insurance
Supplemental Income Protection
Supplemental Long-Term Care Insurance
Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account
$300 Boot Stipend (renews every 2 years)
$500 Health and Wellness Stipend
NewFields is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or protected veteran status.

$114,000.00 - $149,000.00 Annually