Senior Geotechnical Engineer

At HDR, our employee-owners are fully engaged in creating a welcoming environment where each of us is valued and respected, a place where everyone is empowered to bring their authentic selves and novel ideas to work every day. As we foster a culture of inclusion throughout our company and within our communities, we constantly ask ourselves: What is our impact on the world?

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Each and every role throughout our organization makes a difference in our ability to change the world for the better. Read further to learn how you could help make great things possible not only in your community, but around the world.

We believe water is more than a resource, it's a shared responsibility. As part of our Water Business Group, you'll help shape how communities manage water for generations to come. From delivering safe drinking water and treating wastewater responsibly to developing sustainable water supplies and protecting lives and property through flood control, your work will directly support public health, environmental sustainability, and infrastructure resilience. We bring together experts across disciplines to solve complex challenges with bold thinking and technical excellence. Whether you're modernizing aging systems or pioneering innovative approaches, your contributions will make a meaningful difference in people's lives. This isn't just a job, it's a chance to lead change, drive progress, and leave a lasting legacy. In the role of Senior Geotechnical Engineer, we'll count on you to:

• Be viewed as a technical expert with recognized authority in an area of specialization that resolves problems of greater scope and complexity.

• Mentor Staff in technical and leadership development skills.

• Serve as a Technical Lead on projects.

• Take responsibility for proposal (scope and fee) development.

• Participate in marketing efforts of both internal and external clients

• Develop and lead geotechnical field exploration and laboratory testing programs.

• Lead and perform data analysis and engineering evaluating to support and inform engineering design, and project management as well as client management.

• Prepare technical documents geotechnical reports and technical memoranda containing geotechnical conclusions and recommendations.

• Have advanced working knowledge of geotechnical earthquake engineering concepts such as seismic hazard, seismic site response, and liquefaction.

• Have advanced working knowledge of Bay Area and California geology and soil conditions, including marine deposits (e.g., Young Bay Mud).

• Review geotechnical technical documentation.

• Plan and develop projects or design activities that have significant impact on major company programs as needed.

• Plan, organize and supervise work of a small to medium number of staff of professionals and technicians.

• May serve as Project Manager on larger projects, though project management is not sole focus of position.

• Bay Area business development.

• Perform other duties as needed.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering

• Master's degree in Geotechnical Engineering

• Licensed Geotechnical Engineer (in CA)

• 20 years of experience in California

• Experience with ArcGIS and/or Autodesk AutoCAD and Civil3D.

• Experience with the following software: gINT, GeoStudio (SLOPE/W, SEEP/W), Ensoft pile software (LPILE, APILE, SHAFT, GROUP), Settle3, CLiq, CPeT-IT.

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Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree
• 10 years of experience
• Requires professional engineering license recognized by the licensing board for the location of the position offered. Example: Professional Engineer (PE or P.Eng) license.
• Experience with Microsoft Office applications, GIS, and CADD, as appropriate
• Experience with GeoStudio/Ensoft slope stability, settlement, seepage, and deep foundation response software, as appropriate
• Experience with Bentley suite of geotechnical data management and visualization software (gINT/OpenGround/LeapFrog)
• Knowledge of advanced numerical modeling techniques such as Finite Difference, Finite Element, Discrete Element, etc. and commercial software for advanced numerical modeling (Bentley, PLAXIS, Itasca FLAC)
• An attitude and commitment to being an active participant of our employee-owned culture is a must

What We Believe
HDR is our company. Together, we build on each other's life experiences and perspectives to make great things possible every day. This shapes our collaborative culture, encourages organizational trust and connects us closer to the clients and communities we serve.

Our Commitment
As employee owners, we all have a role in creating an inclusive environment where each of us is welcomed, valued, respected and empowered to bring our authentic selves to work every day.

Our eight Employee Network Groups (Asian Pacific, Black, Hispanic/Latino(a), LGBTQ+, People with Disabilities, Veterans, Women, Young Professionals) help create a sense of belonging and foster a supportive environment where everyone is empowered to engage and contribute. Each group has an executive sponsor and is open to all employees. We provide a comprehensive benefits package that promotes employee ownership, employee health, performance, and success, which includes medical, dental, vision, short and long-term disability, life insurance, an employee assistance program, paid time away, parental leave, paid holidays, a retirement savings plan with employer match, employee referral bonus and tuition reimbursement. Stated benefits are for full-time regular positions. The expected compensation range for this position is $128,205.00 - $208,125.00 annually depending upon skills, experience, education and geographical location. Primary Location: United States-California-Walnut Creek Other Locations: United States-California-Oakland, United States-California-Folsom Industry: Water Schedule: Full-time Employee Status: Regular BusinessClass: Dams Levees Civil Works Job Posting: May 1, 2026