[Hiring] Research Environmental Engineer @Research Triangle Institute

Role Description

We are seeking a Research Environmental Engineer to join our Forecasting and River Operations team. This team develops operational river forecasting systems, hydrologic and reservoir models, data workflows, and decision-support tools for water management agencies, hydropower utilities, and other clients.

In this role, you will combine project leadership, senior technical input, client engagement, establishing and maintaining strategic partnerships, and business development. You will lead project teams, coordinate technical contributions across the group, and manage scope, budgets, and schedules to deliver high-quality solutions.

• Internal leadership, development, and project oversight
• Provide senior input across multiple projects, helping define the technical direction on projects, interpret results, manage project risks, and produce high-quality deliverables.
• Serve as a senior client-facing lead, building trusted relationships through strong technical judgment, dependable project execution, and clear communication to understand client needs.
• Manage complex implementation and research projects from scoping through delivery, including planning, staffing, budget and schedule oversight, risk management, quality review, and communication with clients and partners.
• Provide senior leadership across three or more key technical areas such as:
  • Hydrologic model development
  • Deterministic and ensemble forecasting
  • Data assimilation
  • Forecast verification and uncertainty characterization
  • Reservoir operations and river system management
  • Forecast-informed decision support
  • AI/ML and hybrid modeling for forecasting systems
• Coordinate effectively with our multidisciplinary team and with external research or operational partners.
• Mentor technical staff and project managers.
• Identify emerging research with potential for implementation in client systems.
• Represent RTI in client meetings, technical workshops, conferences, working groups, and collaborative research activities.
• Establish and maintain client relationships, building trust and understanding their evolving needs and priorities.
• Identify and develop new opportunities with current and prospective clients.
• Lead or make substantial contributions to capture planning, proposals, and business development.
• Help shape new service offerings, partnerships, and investment priorities that expand RTI’s forecasting and operations portfolio.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and 12 years of experience, master’s degree and 10 years of experience, PhD and 8 years of experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Relevant fields include civil engineering, environmental engineering, hydrology, water resources engineering, environmental science, computer science, geography, or a related discipline.

Requirements

• Deep expertise in core aspects of operational water forecasting and decision support.
• Proven experience leading technical projects involving multiple contributors and stakeholders.
• Success working directly with clients, sponsors, operational agencies, utilities, or research partners.
• Experience contributing to business development through activities such as opportunity identification and client engagement.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to develop and articulate new technical or research ideas.
• Ability to provide constructive senior review, mentorship, and technical guidance to project teams.
• Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States without current or future visa sponsorship.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with ensemble hydrologic prediction, probabilistic forecasting, uncertainty characterization, bias correction, post-processing, or forecast verification.
• Experience developing AI/ML or hybrid process-based and data-driven methods for hydrologic forecasting or water management.
• Experience applying data assimilation methods to hydrologic, snow, meteorological, hydraulic, or reservoir forecasting problems.
• Experience with reservoir system modeling, forecast-informed reservoir operations, or optimization.
• Experience with forecasting and modeling platforms or tools such as Delft-FEWS, National Weather Service forecasting models and workflows, RiverWare, HEC platforms, or comparable systems.
• Experience with coastal modeling, urban/stormwater modeling, or groundwater modeling.
• Working knowledge of Python, geospatial tools, cloud computing, or data engineering.
• Experience working with federal water agencies, River Forecast Centers, reservoir operators, or hydropower utilities.
• Experience leading or contributing to collaborative research involving academic, government, nonprofit, and private-sector partners.
• A record of technical publications, conference presentations, workshops, or leadership in professional and research communities.

Benefits

• Competitive base salary
• Generous paid time off policy
• Merit-based annual increases
• Bonus opportunities
• Robust recognition program
• Competitive range of insurance plans (health, dental, life, short-term and long-term disability)
• Access to a retirement savings program such as a 401(k) plan
• Paid parental leave for all parents
• Financial assistance with adoption expenses or infertility treatments
• Financial reimbursement for education and developmental opportunities
• Employee assistance program
• Numerous other offerings to support a healthy work-life balance

Hiring Salary Range

$137,000 - $155,000