Engineer, Water Resources

Job Description and Duties

Why Choose Us: The single greatest advantage of working for the Department of Water Resources is that you can practice civil engineering in its purest form. Because we are the owner and operator of the facilities, our engineers are empowered to make the right choices in design, detailing, and materials to ensure public safety and longevity of the infrastructure. Our engineers are at the forefront on design and construction projects, and they make design decisions based on good engineering practice for safety, durability, and performance—in that order.

At DWR you will have the advantage of numerous resources to support your work and your professional growth—including training, organizational memberships, and knowledgeable colleagues, of which many are under one roof and all of which collaborate for project success.

We hope you’ll check out the Duties and Desirable Qualifications below and apply for this great career opportunity to join our team and help deliver water to over 26 million Californians as well as contribute to protecting our environment and species conservation efforts.

Duties: This position is open to engineers of varying levels of experience. Actual assigned duties will be commensurate with skill level. In this position, the incumbent performs engineering studies and analysis, writes reports, and prepares designs, drawings, and specifications for construction of a variety of public civil-works projects related to flood control, water storage and conveyance facilities, species conservation and habitat restorations, and recreation. Such work will include the design and analysis of site drainage, canals, check structures, levees, gates, weirs, siphons, pipelines, penstocks, turnouts, roads, culverts, spillways, retaining walls, fish screens, fish ladders, pump houses, site accessibility, and other related facilities. The incumbent must provide a broad working knowledge of civil design, reinforced concrete design, structural steel design, masonry design, hydrology and hydraulics, soils and rock mechanics, applicable design and building codes, and engineering analysis computer applications.

You will find additional information about the job in the .

Special Requirements

Must possess a valid California Driver's License to safely operate State and/or personal vehicles as part of the duties of the position. Travel on short notice and overnight lodging will be required on some trips.

Range D incumbents in this classification must possess a valid certificate of registration as a civil engineer issued by the California State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers.

The Department of Water Resources is committed to its mission and employees, and we are grounded in our commitment to public safety. Regular, consistent, and predictable attendance is essential to the successful performance in this position.

Desirable Qualifications

In addition to evaluating each candidate's relative ability, as demonstrated by quality and breadth of experience, the following factors will provide the basis for competitively evaluating each candidate:

Candidates will be evaluated based on their relative ability as demonstrated by the quality and extent of their experience. Therefore, our ideal candidate’s application and resume will clearly and concisely address as many of the following desirable qualifications as possible: Candidate will have relevant civil engineering/construction engineering work experience; possess strong written ,and verbal communication skills; has the ability to take direction; is engaged; works as a contributing team member; has strong problem-solving ability; is a highly-motivated self-starter and works autonomously; is detail and quality oriented; can manage multiple tasks and projects at the same time; is organized; goes the extra mile to meet deadlines and is conscientious of budgets; is dependable; has computer skills in spreadsheets, experience in computer-aided drafting (CAD), hydraulics and hydrology analysis programs, structural analysis programs, geotechnical analysis program, civil design software (InRoads/OpenRoads/Civil 3D, MicroStation, AutoCAD, SAP 2000, RISA, HEC-RAS, GeoStudio, ArcGIS), Microsoft Office, and has the ability to learn new computer applications; has a knowledge or experience with public works construction contracts and water projects; has knowledge and experience in Plans, Specifications, and Estimates Production for contract documents; has knowledge or experience writing and reviewing technical specifications; has knowledge or experience in construction inspection and support. Possession of a valid certificate of registration as an engineer-in-training (EIT) or Professional Engineer’s license for the State of CA is preferred but not required.

Benefits

to read about some of our outstanding benefits. We’re also located right next to Light Rail for an easy commute – we’ll even reimburse you for a portion of your monthly public transit pass!

Personal Leave Program 2025: Effective July 1, 2025, state employees are subject to temporary wage reductions in exchange for Personal Leave Program (PLP) accruals. The specific rate and hours earned were negotiated and agreed upon by each bargaining unit. The actual monetary impact of these temporary reductions can vary based on your bargaining unit and/or federal and state tax withholdings. For additional information please visit

Special Instructions

To be considered, submit a State Employment Application (STD 678) along with a resume and a cover letter briefly introducing yourself and explaining the qualities you possess that would demonstrate your ability to succeed in this position. Please reference SAP Position Number: 50093580 and Job Control Number: 531938 in the Explanations section of your application.

Failure to provide requested documents and information may result in automatic disqualification from the hiring process. Resumes, cover letters, and/or other attachments will not be accepted in lieu of a completed application. The hiring unit will receive only the documents specified in the Required Application Package Documents section.

The following basis of eligibility will be considered: List eligibility, transfer, LEAP, reinstatement, SROA/Surplus, and training and development assignment.

, clicking on Exam/Assessment Search, entering Exam Code “1684,” clicking “Search,” click to view the Exam Bulletin, and then clicking the “ Training and Experience Evaluation ” under the Taking the Examination section.

. This survey is for research purpose only and will not affect the application status.

Required Application Package Documents

The following items are required to be submitted with your application. Applicants who do not submit the required items timely may not be considered for this job:

• Current version of the State Examination/Employment Application STD Form 678 (when not applying electronically), or the Electronic State Employment Application through your Applicant Account at All Experience and Education relating to the Minimum Qualifications listed on the Classification Specification should be included to demonstrate how you meet the Minimum Qualifications for the position.
• Resume is required and must be included.
• Other - Cover Letter