Title- Habitat Environmental Engineer
Classification- Environmental Engineer 3
Job Status- Full-Time / Permanent
WDFW Program- Habitat Program 
Duty Station- Spokane Valley, Washington – Spokane County
Hybrid/Telework- The selected candidate may be able to telework remotely up to 2 days per week at the discretion of the supervisor.
Posting Timeframe- This recruitment is scheduled to be posted until May 3, 2026. The first review of applications will take place on April 17, 2026. Application review is ongoing, submit your application materials as soon as possible, recruitment may be closed at any time.

Learn more about being a member of Team WDFW!

Are you an experienced engineer with a passion for aquatic habitat and environmental restoration? 

Join our team in Region 1, where you’ll apply your professional engineering expertise to design and evaluate projects that include fish passage, screening, habitat restoration, and water crossings.

In this role, you’ll provide technical guidance to agency staff and partners, conduct field investigations and engineering analyses, and help promote consistent, high-quality aquatic habitat practices statewide through collaboration, training, and mentorship.

What to Expect-
Among the varied range of responsibilities held within this role, the Habitat Environmental Engineer will,

Provide Technical Assistance:

• Serve as the Department’s Habitat engineering representative for Region 1, Eastern Washington. 
• Act as a registered Professional Engineer to review, approve, and provide final engineering designs and decisions on a diversity of fish passage, fish screening, fish habitat restoration, and water crossing structure projects.
• Evaluate and recommend approval or disapproval of plans, proposals, and designs for fish passage, screening, water crossing, bank protection, erosion control, fish habitat enhancement and restoration, flood hazard reduction, and other instream projects.
• Prepare professional engineering designs and permit documents for fish passage (e.g., fish ladders, fishways roughened channels, grade control weirs), erosion control, bank protection, gravity and pump fish screening for various fish species and life history stages, and habitat restoration projects.  
• Serve as a liaison with agency staff, state and federal agencies, and local governments to resolve complex engineering issues; provide expert testimony as needed. 
• Offer technical assistance for designs of proposals for work affecting fish and wildlife habitats.        
• Negotiate for plan, project and/or design specifications.  

Project Design:

• Develop and manage habitat restoration, fish passage, and bank protection projects, applying engineering, biological, and project management principles.
• Perform hydrologic, hydraulic, structural, and geomorphic analyses; evaluate design alternatives.
• Conduct topographic surveys, soils and geomorphic studies, and oversee project development and construction.
• Prepare design reports, engineering plans, specifications, cost estimates, and perform construction inspection.

Training and Documents:

• Research, write, and participate in development of aquatic habitat guidelines and standards.
• Prepare and deliver training, presentations, and materials for agency staff, partners, and the public.
• Stay current on emerging technologies that protect fish and wildlife including new passage and screening designs and technologies.
• Review peer design documents to ensure quality and consistency.

WORKING CONDITIONS:

Work Setting, including hazards:

• Approximately 70% office work and 30% field work.
• Field duties include hiking and wading in streams, often in rough weather conditions, and walking over uneven terrain for short distances (less than 1 mile) regularly or occasionally over long distances (several miles). Physical capacity to work in remote forested and aquatic environments. Must be able to safely operate a vehicle to conduct field review of project sites. 
• This position may involve working in or near water, including tasks that require navigating, negotiating, and performing duties related to water environments.

Schedule:
This position is full-time, working 40 hours per week. The standard work schedule includes the potential for occasional evening or weekend work as needed. Alternative schedules may be considered based on business needs. Work hours may often exceed the standard 8am to 5pm workday.

Travel Requirements:
Travel throughout the state to evaluate site conditions and attend meetings is required. Periods of overnight travel may be required.

Tools and Equipment:
Phones, computers, GPS, surveying equipment, clinometer, digital camera, pressure transducers, and flow meters.

Customer Interactions:
Frequently interact with tribes, federal, state and local governments, politicians, engineers, biologists, scientists, restoration groups, and the public.

Required Qualifications: 

Option 1 – All of the following:

• An Engineer-In-Training Certificate.
• Registration as a Professional Engineer in the state of Washington or another state based on registration requirements equivalent to those in Washington.
• Four (4) years of experience in environmental engineering.

Option 2 – All of the following:

• A bachelor’s degree with a major study in one (1) of the following engineering fields: sanitary water resources, civil, geotechnical, environmental, chemical, mechanical, or a related field.
• Registration as a Professional Engineer in the state of Washington or another state based on registration requirements equivalent to those in Washington.
• Four (4) years of experience in environmental engineering.

Option 3 – All of the following:

• A master’s degree with a major study in one (1) of the following engineering fields: sanitary water resources, civil, geotechnical, environmental, chemical, mechanical, or a related field.
• Registration as a Professional Engineer in the state of Washington or another state based on registration requirements equivalent to those in Washington.
• Three (3) years of experience in environmental engineering.

Please Note: 

• A Ph.D. in one (1) of the above engineering fields may substitute for two (2) years of environmental engineering experience. 
• Requirements for professional registration as an engineer in the state of Washington are eight (8) years of professional experience (which may include up to four years of college-level engineering education) and successful completion of sixteen (16) hours of professional licensing exams. 
• Applicants qualifying through the licensing equivalency option must achieve professional registration as an engineer in the state of Washington within six (6) months of appointment to this class.

In addition to the options above, the following competencies are required:

• Facilitation and negotiation skills: Demonstrated ability to apply negotiation and conflict resolution skills in contentious work settings, including leading consensus and de-escalating conflict.  
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to understand and consider diverse perspectives; recognize the value of others’ input; demonstrate appropriate assertiveness; and maintain a commitment to public service, the agency mission, and team success.

Preferred Qualifications:
In addition to the required qualifications, our ideal applicant will possess some or all the following:

• A Ph.D. with major study in one (1) of the following engineering fields: water resources, civil, geotechnical, environmental, chemical, mechanical, or related field.
• Demonstrated skill supervising, leading, and coaching staff including, excellent self-awareness to understand and related to different personalities in a manner that produces team cohesion, trust, and solution-oriented thinking.

Include the items below with your application materials:

• A completed online application showcasing how your qualifications align with the job requirements.
• An up-to-date resume.
• A cover letter detailing your interest in the position, your relevant skills and experience, and why you are the ideal candidate.
• At least three professional references with current contact information.

About Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is dedicated to preserving, protecting, and perpetuating the state’s fish, wildlife, and ecosystems while providing sustainable fish and wildlife recreational and commercial opportunities. Headquartered in Olympia, the department maintains six regional offices and manages dozens of wildlife areas and hundreds of water access areas around the state, offering fishing, hunting, wildlife viewing, and other recreational opportunities for the residents of Washington. Department staff work to exemplify the following values: - Accountability, we hold ourselves and each other responsible for acting consistent with our values and mission. - Service, we add value to Washington communities and seek to improve the public’s experience. - Professionalism, we serve in a manner that reflects positively on the Department and on ourselves. - Integrity, we are consistently open, honest, ethical, and genuine in our actions. - Respect, we treat each other with dignity. - Empathy, we take time to understand and appreciate others. Learn more about working at WDFW at https://wdfw.wa.gov/about/jobs

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