River Restoration Engineer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Grounded in safety, quality, and ethics, our experts lead their fields and guide our work with rigor, a creative spirit, and a vision for growth. We draw from more than 20 technical specialties worldwide and are committed to fostering an inclusive community of diverse talents, backgrounds, and expertise. We're a place to apply your passion and collaborate with top environmental talents on work critical to our clients and the communities they support. Join a team that has the environment down to a science.
Your Opportunity
Stantec's Environmental Services practice in the Mountain Region (serving 11 states) is seeking a Senior Restoration Engineer with at least 15 years of experience leading and preparing ecological restoration projects within Rocky Mountain region. The position is to be based out of Denver or Colorado Springs, Colorado. Stantec flexible work arrangements include a hybrid model (i.e., a combination of office and remote working) and robust benefits package.
As a Senior Restoration Engineer, you will play a lead role in shaping and delivering high impact ecosystem restoration projects across the Rocky Mountain West and beyond. You will guide the planning, negotiation, design, and implementation of complex restoration efforts for a diverse mix of clients and programs-ranging from stream and river restoration to dam removal, fish passage, and aquatic organism passage projects at the federal, state, and local levels.
In this role, you will bring deep technical expertise and a passion for restoration to oversee multidisciplinary teams, contractors, and consultants, ensuring projects are delivered with technical excellence from concept through construction and monitoring. With a strong foundation in restoration ecology, restoration design, or water resources engineering, you will apply your understanding of soils, hydrology, and biological processes to create resilient, nature based solutions for aquatic and riparian systems. Successful candidates will thrive in a key role-taking ownership of project development, management, and technical direction-while helping advance innovative restoration outcomes that make a lasting difference on the landscape.
The Senior Restoration Engineer will be providing support for the enhancement, restoration/revegetation of upland and aquatic resource projects, and working in a team setting, collaborating with engineers, botanists, wildlife biologists, soil scientists, geomorphologists, landscape architects, hydrologists, and planners. The Senior Restoration Engineer will provide technical support for habitat restoration projects including feasibility assessments, conceptual and detailed design, construction oversight, and maintenance and performance monitoring.
The Senior Restoration Engineer will also support business development efforts including client outreach and lead generation, and proposal preparation. You will also have a strong understanding of Colorado and neighboring states.
Your Key Responsibilities

• Lead, coordinate, and project technical oversight of the preparation of plans and specifications for ecosystem restoration including stream restoration projects.
• Lead, author, and assemble technical reports including writing narratives, describing analytical findings, producing exhibits, and providing potential recommendations.
• Lead or support dam removal, fish passage, and aquatic organism passage (AOP) planning, design, regulatory coordination, construction oversight, and monitoring.
• Interact and interface with environmental regulators and clients; proactively assess and resolve concerns.
• Manage tasks and projects according to approved scopes of work and deliver quality reports on schedule and within budget.
• Apply technical and business knowledge and methods to develop creative, effective, and economical solutions to address current and potential project issues.
• Assist in analyzing current and emerging technical issues, and implementing actions to proactively address market, business, regulatory, and/or economic issues.
• Champion Health, Security, Safety and Environment (HSSE) Policies, Procedures, Standards and Guidelines in the execution of all work.
• Provide supervision, training, technical direction and mentoring to more junior staff.
• Contribute to and lead business development activities, including proposals, pre-qualifications, and relationship building with clients and prospective clients and industry colleagues.

Your Capabilities and Credentials

• At least 15 years of experience successfully executing technical aspects, design and implementation oversight of complex projects in Colorado and/or other neighboring states.
• Skilled in communications and technical information exchange with clients, engineers and scientists, government regulators and agencies, and academia, as well as non-technical communication to the public.
• Excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills (i.e., strong writer)
• Demonstrated experience with leading planning projects and ability to motivate self and others to overcome obstacles and achieve goals.
• Demonstrated ability to work well under pressure and to prioritize and balance sometimes heavy workloads to achieve goals while keeping up with a highly mobile and changing environment.
• Experience and ability in collaborative problem solving, with teammates, stakeholders, and clients.
• Must be proficient in Microsoft Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
• Familiarity with fluid mechanics, hydrology, and hydraulic processes
• Experience with CAD design software (AutoCAD Civil 3D, MicroStation)
• Ability to communicate clearly via phone, email, and in person to internal and external clients and agency personnel
• Experience with highly complex projects focusing on ecosystem restoration with state and federal permitting regulatory entities.

Bachelor's degree in environmental, ecological, or civil engineering, or related field, and at least 15+ years of related experience.
Professional Engineer (PE) license in the State of Colorado and have or have the ability to obtain PE licensure by comity/reciprocity in other western states (e.g., NM, UT, WY, AZ, NV, CA) as project needs require
15+ years of experience, preferably in environmental consulting, or working for a federal/state environmental agency. Experience with additional regulatory requirements and state resource permit processes a plus.
Preferred Qualification
Master of Science (M.S.) degree in Civil, Water Resources, or Environmental Engineering or a related degree
Rosgen Training - Levels 1 through 4, or similar stream restoration implementation training
Experience with multiple stream design approaches
Experience with hydrologic and hydraulic models, including HEC-RAS (1-D & 2-D)
Experience with ESRI software, including ArcGIS.
Experience with dam removal and/or fish passage projects.
Experience coordinating with fisheries agencies, tribes, and federal land managers
This description is not a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that may be required of the employee and other duties, responsibilities and activities may be assigned or may be changed at any time with or without notice.
About Stantec
Stantec is a global leader in sustainable engineering, architecture, and environmental consulting. The diverse perspectives of our partners and interested parties drive us to think beyond what's previously been done on critical issues like climate change, digital transformation, and future-proofing our cities and infrastructure. We innovate at the intersection of community, creativity, and client relationships to advance communities everywhere, so that together we can redefine what's possible.
#StayInquisitive
Pay Range:
• Locations in MN, OH, VT, & Various CA, NY Areas-$128,600.00 - $192,900.00 Annually
• Locations in CO, HI, IL, MD & Various CA, NJ Areas-$141,500.00 - $212,200.00 Annually
Pay Transparency: In compliance with pay transparency laws, pay ranges are provided for positions in locations where required. Please note, the final agreed upon compensation is based on individual education, qualifications, experience, and work location. At Stantec certain roles are bonus eligible. Actual compensation for part-time roles will be pro-rated based on the agreed number of working hours per week.
Benefits Summary: Regular full-time and part-time employees (working at least 20 hours per week) have access to medical, dental, and vision plans, a wellness program, health saving accounts, flexible spending accounts, 401(k) plan, employee stock purchase program, life and accidental death & dismemberment (AD&D) insurance, short-term/long-term disability plans, emergency travel benefits, tuition reimbursement, professional membership fee coverage and paid family leave. Regular full-time and part-time employees will receive ten paid holidays in each calendar year. In addition, employees will be eligible to accrue vacation between 10 and 20 days per year and eligible for paid sick leave (and if more generous, in accordance with state and local law).
Temporary/casual employees have access to 401(k) plans, employee stock purchase program, and paid leave, in accordance with state and local law.
The benefits information listed above may not apply to union positions because benefits for such positions are governed by applicable collective bargaining agreements
Primary Location: United States | CO | Denver
Other Locations: United States | CO | Fort Collins
Organization: BC-2037 EnvSvcs-US Mountain
Employee Status: Regular
Business Justification: New Position
Travel: Yes
Schedule: Full time
Job Posting: 08/05/2026 04:05:50
Req ID: 1005789
Stantec provides equal employment opportunities to all qualified employees and applicants for future and current employment and prohibit discrimination on the grounds of race, colour, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, genetic information, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. We prohibit discrimination in decisions concerning recruitment, hiring, referral, promotion, compensation, fringe benefits, job training, terminations or any other condition of employment. Stantec is in compliance with laws and regulations and ensures equitable opportunities in all aspects of employment. At Stantec we are committed to ensuring our recruitment process is accessible to all. If you require reasonable adjustments to be made during the recruitment process then please inform a member of our Talent Acquisition team.