Sr. Water Engineer

Sr. Water Engineer 

Non-Union Position
WTR-Project Management; Portland, Oregon (US-OR)
Regular FT, Exempt
Posting # 5712

About Us:

NW Natural Water owns and operates water and wastewater utilities in communities throughout Texas, Arizona, California, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. Since 2018, we have acquired more than 30 utilities and today serve more than 190,000 people via 76,000 connections.

Our parent company, NW Natural Holding Company (NYSE: NWN) (NW Natural Holdings), is headquartered in Portland, Oregon and has been doing business for over 165 years. The company operates through NW Natural Gas Company (NW Natural), SiEnergy Operating (SiEnergy), NW Natural Water Company (NW Natural Water), NW Natural Renewables Holdings (NW Natural Renewables), and other business interests, serving a combined population of over 2.6 million people.

Position Summary:

The Senior Engineer provides advanced engineering and overall project leadership for major capital improvement projects and multiple projects of moderate scope with complex features. The position is accountable for project delivery from concept development through design, construction, commissioning, and closeout, including scope, schedule, budget, quality, risk, documentation, and stakeholder coordination. The Senior Engineer directs outside engineering consultants and contractors, reviews and approves complex technical deliverables, and exercises substantial independent professional judgment in resolving technical and project-delivery issues. This position is an individual contributor and provides technical and project leadership without direct supervisory responsibility.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

• Lead major capital improvement projects and multiple projects of moderate scope with complex features through concept development, preliminary and final design, procurement, construction, commissioning, closeout, and transition to operations.
• Develop and manage project scope, schedules, budgets, estimates, cost forecasts, work plans, status reports, risks, and project documentation for complex assignments.
• Lead or coordinate engineering planning studies, alternatives analyses, designs, plans, specifications, estimates, technical reports, contract documents, and bid packages.
• Select and scope outside engineering services in accordance with procurement requirements; direct consultants and review, approve, and accept complex engineering deliverables for assigned projects.
• Exercise advanced professional engineering judgment when evaluating designs, calculations, drawings, specifications, cost estimates, technical recommendations, risks, and proposed changes.
• Lead procurement and competitive bidding activities, consultant and contractor selection, contract administration, and maintenance of required procurement records for assigned projects.
• Manage project contracts, change orders, invoices, deliverables, and contractor performance within delegated authority; resolve significant variances and implement or recommend corrective action.
• Lead coordination among internal and external project participants, including operations, finance, procurement, legal, communications, regulatory agencies, community representatives, property owners, consultants, and contractors.
• Develop and lead public and stakeholder outreach for projects with significant or multifaceted stakeholder exposure; communicate technical issues, project impacts, risks, alternatives, and decisions to technical and nontechnical audiences.
• Provide construction-phase management for assigned projects, including field oversight, inspection coordination, constructability review, contractor direction, submittal and request-for-information review, quality assurance and quality control review, commissioning support, deficiency resolution, and closeout.
• Ensure project compliance with contract requirements and applicable federal, state, and local laws, rules, regulations, codes, permits, and safety requirements.
• Anticipate and address complex technical, financial, schedule, permitting, construction, operational, and stakeholder risks; evaluate alternatives and resolve ambiguous or high-impact issues within delegated authority.
• Lead the evaluation of complex engineering alternatives and project-delivery strategies; make or recommend decisions based on engineering analysis, business needs, operational impacts, stakeholder considerations, and project risk.
• Lead resolution of significant technical, construction, operational, regulatory, and stakeholder issues that may materially affect project outcomes, budgets, schedules, or business operations; escalate matters that exceed delegated authority.
• Maintain complete project records, including decisions, approvals, correspondence, design documents, field records, financial information, as-built documentation, and closeout materials.
• Act as a senior technical resource for Water Engineering and provide technical guidance, mentoring, project leadership, and peer review to engineering staff, consultants, contractors, and cross-functional project participants.
• Represent Water Engineering on major cross-functional projects, initiatives, and technical discussions as assigned.
• Conduct site visits and participate in meetings at project and business locations.

Department Specific Duties:

• Manage major Water capital improvement projects or several projects of moderate scope with complex features, based on technical competency and stakeholder exposure.
• Review complex design work completed by outside engineering firms and provide approval within assigned authority.
• Serve as a senior technical and project-delivery resource across Water utility systems and operating locations, including review of complex or high-impact engineering matters.
• Lead or contribute to capital planning, project prioritization, cost forecasting, risk evaluation, and continuous improvement of engineering and project-management practices.
• Provide advanced technical direction and project leadership to consultants, contractors, and cross-functional project participants without direct personnel supervision.
• Identify emerging engineering, infrastructure, and project-delivery needs and recommend solutions, engineering standards, design criteria, or process improvements.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering or a closely related engineering discipline from an accredited institution.
• Eight or more years of progressively responsible engineering and capital project-delivery experience.
• Certification as a Professional Engineer, or ability to obtain certification within six months of appointment.
• Experience independently managing major engineering or infrastructure projects, or multiple projects of moderate scope with complex features, through design and construction.
• Experience directing engineering consultants, reviewing and approving complex technical deliverables, and leading contractors and multifaceted stakeholder groups.
• Advanced working knowledge of civil engineering methods and practices used for engineering planning studies, designs, plans, specifications, estimates, and reports.
• Advanced working knowledge of project-management principles and the application of engineering technical principles and practices.
• Working knowledge of technical drafting principles and the interpretation and use of engineering plans, maps, and specifications.
• Working knowledge of governmental procurement, competitive bidding, contract administration, and applicable federal, state, and local laws, rules, regulations, and codes.
• Working knowledge of project and program budgeting, cost estimating, cost tracking, forecasting, and financial analysis.
• Ability to lead complex negotiations, exercise independent professional judgment, resolve ambiguous issues, manage competing priorities, and communicate effectively with technical and nontechnical audiences.
• Valid driver’s license and ability to travel to project and business locations.

Preferred:

• Engineering or project-delivery experience in the drinking water, wastewater, utility, public works, or related infrastructure industry.
• Experience with public or governmental procurement, competitive bidding, and capital construction contracts.
• Project Management Professional certification or comparable formal project-management training.
• Experience providing technical guidance, peer review, or project leadership to engineers and other project professionals.
• Ability to support emergency response when needed; emergency response is not expected to be a frequent responsibility.

Physical, Environmental & Scheduling Requirements:

• Requires approximately 10% to 20% travel to project sites and other business locations.
• Approximately 35% of work may involve construction sites, field oversight, inspection, commissioning, quality review, or contractor coordination for assigned projects.
• Work may be performed in office, remote, field, operational, and active construction environments and may require use of personal protective equipment.
• Must be able to safely access project and construction locations and work in varying weather, terrain, noise, and environmental conditions, with reasonable accommodation as required.
• Work generally occurs during regular business hours but may occasionally require early morning, evening, weekend, or emergency availability based on project or operational needs.

Safety & Compliance Requirements:

• Perform work in accordance with company safety policies, project safety requirements, contract requirements, and applicable laws and regulations.
• Maintain required professional licensure and job-related training or certifications.
• Follow site-access, personal protective equipment, driving, and contractor-safety requirements applicable to assigned work.
• Additional background screening, drug testing, driving-record review, or regulatory requirements may apply based on employing entity, location, project, or customer requirements.

What we offer:

Health & Wellness –

• Rich health insurance benefits with competitive employer contribution
• Free access to an online wellness resources platform 

Work Life Balance -

• Start at 20 Vacation Days 
• 80 Hours of Sick Time 
• 13 paid holidays
• 3 weeks paid parental leave

Financial -

• Competitive 401K company contribution and match 
• 15% discount on NW Natural stock through Employee Stock Purchase Program
• Up to $5250 a year in tuition reimbursement

Base salary range: $123,500.00 - $175,950.00 per year, depending on qualifications 

Annual Target Incentive: 10.0% target



 

Application Process:   To be considered for this position, submit a complete electronic application including cover letter and resume via our website.

Deadline:  9/24/26

Disclosure: We are a drug free workplace and we comply with Federal Drug Free Workplace Act and Department of Transportation regulations. NW Natural Water participates in E-Verify. Individuals hired will have their Form I-9 information submitted to E-Verify. E-Verify is an Internet-based system that compares information from an employee’s Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, to data from U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Social Security Administration records to confirm employment eligibility.

E-Verify Information
NW Natural participates in E-Verify. Individuals hired will have their Form I-9 information submitted to E-Verify. E-Verify is an Internet-based system that compares information from an employee’s Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, to data from U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Social Security Administration records to confirm employment eligibility.

All applications must be submitted through NW Natural Water’s Electronic Application System. Resumes submitted via email, fax or mail will not be accepted in lieu of an electronic application.

We are an equal employment opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.

NW Natural Water does not accept unsolicited submissions or assistance from search firms for posted positions. Resumes submitted by search firms working under a valid and current written contract with NW Natural Water valid written Statement of Work in place for this position from NW Natural Water HR/Employment will be deemed the sole property of NW Natural Water. No fee will be paid in the event the candidate is hired by NW Natural Water as a result of the referral or through other means.