Principal Hydrogeologist | Water Resources

A well-established, employee-owned environmental and water resources consulting firm is seeking a Principal Hydrogeologist – Water Resources to lead and expand hydrogeologic consulting services throughout Colorado and the Rocky Mountain region. This is a senior technical and client-facing leadership position for an experienced hydrogeologist with deep knowledge of Colorado water rights, groundwater resources, water supply planning, and groundwater modeling .

Reporting to the Regional Director, the Principal Hydrogeologist will lead complex technical projects, develop and mentor hydrogeologists and groundwater modelers, strengthen client relationships, and help grow the firm's water resources practice in Colorado.

Projects may include:

• Groundwater management and development
• Basin and aquifer characterization
• Groundwater flow and numerical modeling
• Colorado water rights engineering
• Water supply planning and development
• Integrated water supply strategies
• Managed aquifer recharge
• Water reuse
• Well design, construction, and testing
• Groundwater sustainability planning
• Expert testimony and litigation support

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Technical Leadership

• Lead complex hydrogeologic and groundwater resource investigations throughout Colorado and the Rocky Mountain West.
• Direct the development of conceptual hydrogeologic models, groundwater budgets, numerical groundwater models, and water resource assessments .
• Lead projects involving Colorado water rights, groundwater development, water supply planning, and integrated water resource strategies .
• Oversee groundwater well design, construction, development, testing, and performance evaluation.
• Provide senior technical review and establish appropriate quality assurance and quality control standards for projects, reports, and proposals.
• Support technical evaluations associated with groundwater sustainability, managed aquifer recharge, reuse, and long-term water supply.
• Serve as a technical expert on complex regulatory, legal, and water-resource matters.
• Provide expert testimony and litigation support when required.
• Monitor regulatory, technical, and market developments affecting groundwater and water resources in Colorado.

CLIENT & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

• Develop, maintain, and expand long-term relationships with municipal, public-sector, industrial, legal, and private-sector clients .
• Identify new project opportunities and expand services within existing client relationships.
• Lead or contribute to proposals, scopes of work, project approaches, fee development, and contract pursuits.
• Demonstrate a successful record of winning consulting work and expanding client accounts .
• Represent the organization at client meetings, conferences, professional associations, industry events, and technical committees.
• Help define and execute growth strategies for the Colorado and Rocky Mountain water resources market.

TEAM LEADERSHIP

• Recruit, mentor, and develop early- and mid-career hydrogeologists, engineers, scientists, and groundwater modelers.
• Provide technical guidance and professional development to project teams.
• Strengthen groundwater and water resources capabilities across the organization.
• Support strategic planning, resource planning, and regional growth initiatives.
• Promote collaboration across multidisciplinary offices and project teams.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in Hydrogeology, Geology, Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Hydrology, Earth Sciences , or a closely related discipline.
• 15+ years of professional hydrogeology experience , with significant experience supporting water resources projects.
• Demonstrated hands-on knowledge of Colorado water rights, water planning, groundwater management, and water development .
• Strong background in groundwater resource evaluation and hydrogeologic consulting.
• Proven success developing business, winning consulting contracts, or expanding services within existing client relationships.
• Established client management skills and the ability to build long-term professional relationships.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary technical projects and project teams.
• Strong written, verbal, presentation, and technical communication skills.
• Ability to communicate effectively with clients, regulatory agencies, attorneys, subconsultants, technical professionals, and the public.
• Valid driver's license.
• Ability to travel approximately 25–40% , primarily within Colorado, including occasional overnight travel.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Master's degree in Hydrogeology, Geology, Engineering, Hydrology, or a related discipline.
• Active Professional Engineer (PE), Professional Geologist/Geoscientist (PG), or equivalent professional licensure.
• Significant consulting experience within Colorado and the Rocky Mountain West.
• Experience with groundwater numerical modeling and basin-scale groundwater evaluations.
• Experience supporting water-rights proceedings, expert testimony, or technical litigation matters.
• Existing professional relationships within Colorado's municipal, water district, regulatory, legal, or water-resource communities.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

This position operates in a professional consulting environment where priorities may shift quickly and multiple projects may have overlapping deadlines. The successful candidate should be comfortable balancing technical leadership, project delivery, client development, and team mentorship.

The role requires the ability to travel for client meetings, project work, field activities, conferences, and other business needs. Occasional project support may also occur in California, Washington, Texas, and New England.

COMPENSATION

The anticipated base salary for this position is $170,000–$190,000 ( depending on experience, qualifications, technical expertise, and location) + Annual Performance Bonus

BENEFITS

• Annual performance bonus
• Employee ownership through an ESOP
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Life insurance
• Traditional and Roth 401(k) options
• Annual company retirement contribution
• Professional development and mentoring
• Career advancement opportunities
• Employee wellness program
• Strong emphasis on work-life balance

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

• Base Compensation: $170,000 - $190,000 Per Year (based on experience)

• Annual Bonuses

• Medical

• Dental

• Vision

• Life Insurance

• Traditional and Roth 401K

• Paid Holidays

WHY JOIN?

• Employee-owned (ESOP), a strong differentiator

• People-focused culture and strong work-life balance

• Wellable wellness program: one-on-one health coaching, health challenges & year-end prizes

• Annual bonuses that are often paid (need more details on this)

• Strong training, mentoring and skills development, especially for early-career staff