TWDB - 26-71: Surface Water Modeler (Hydrologist IV/Engineer III)

Company Description

The mission of the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) is to lead the state's efforts in ensuring a secure water future for Texas and its citizens. Our mission is a vital part of Texas' overall vision and the state's mission and goals that relate to maintaining the viability of the state's natural resources, health, and economic development.

To accomplish our goals of planning for the state's water resources and providing affordable water and wastewater services, the TWDB provides water planning, data collection and dissemination, financial assistance, and technical assistance services to the citizens of Texas. The tremendous population growth that the state continues to experience and the recurrent threat of severe drought only intensify the need for the TWDB to accomplish its goals in an effective and efficient manner.

Job Description

Only applicants who apply with a State of Texas application via the CAPPS online application system will be considered for this position. First time applicants will need to create an account https://tinyurl.com/CAPPS-Login in the CAPPS online application system at https://tinyurl.com/CAPPS-Jobs. Please visit our job opportunities page at https://tinyurl.com/How-to-Apply-in-CAPPS for more information about the Texas Water Development Board and answers to frequently asked questions. To view this position in greater detail, visit the CAPPS online application system.

Texas Water Development Board’s Mission - Leading the state’s efforts in ensuring a secure water future for Texas. 

The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) offers competitive compensation and benefits package including medical, dental, vision, 401(k), flexible spending, and flexible work alternatives so you can have a work/life balance! For more information about these benefits and more visit http://www.twdb.texas.gov/jobs/benefits.asp.

The Texas Water Development Board does not discriminate on basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, sexual orientation, age, or disability in employment or provision of services, programs, or activities. 

*Licensed Engineering candidates external to TWDB will be eligible to receive a $5,000 recruitment bonus if selected* 

**Must meet agency in-office requirements**

***Salary commensurate with experience and qualifications***

Salary Ranges:

• Hydrologist IV: $5,425.34/month - $7,750.74/month***
• Engineer III: $5,797.67/month - $7,750.74/month***

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

Performs highly complex to advanced (senior‑level) hydrologic, hydraulic, and hydrodynamic modeling, computational analysis, and programming in support of coastal water resources assessments, environmental flow evaluations, and water supply/flood planning initiatives. Work involves overseeing, maintaining, and applying a suite of numerical models across watershed, riverine, and estuarine domains. Develops, maintains, and improves models, data, methods, and automated workflows and supports model integration, visualization, and dissemination through agency data platforms. Emphasizes scientific computing, Python development, Linux/HPC modeling workflows, and interdisciplinary numerical analysis. May provide leadership in technical areas, serve as a liaison with stakeholders, and contributes to agency planning and emergency response modeling. Works under limited to minimal supervision with moderate to considerable latitude for the use of initiative and independent judgment. Reports to the Manager of the Coastal Science Department.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

• Oversees development, maintenance, and application of hydrologic, hydraulic, and hydrodynamic models of watersheds, rivers, estuaries, and coastal systems. 
• Writes, executes, and maintains Python, Fortran, and shell programs and scripts in a Linux/Unix environment. 
• Serves as Lead Oil Spill Coordinator for the Oil Spill Prevention and Response contract by modifying, testing, and implementing improved models and automated scripts to advance oil spill trajectory modeling; provides on-demand simulation of currents and spill trajectories for emergency response.
• Automates numerical models by porting legacy codes and scripts to modern Python based workflows. 
• Revises model source codes to implement new algorithms and improve model performance and functionality. 
• Runs large scale modeling workflows on Linux and high performance computing (HPC) systems, including parallel computing environments. 
• Coordinates with data scientists and analysts within the division to integrate modeled data and visualizations, including oil spill forecast simulations and other hydrodynamic model output, into Water for Texas Data.
• Acquires and processes input data for various models, including precipitation, flow, bathymetry, land use, soil characteristics, winds, tides, and other environmental datasets. 
• Conducts statistical and geospatial analyses to support environmental flow studies, water resource planning, and model validation. 
• Integrates modeled data and visualizations into agency data platforms, including TWDB agency and public web services. 
• May assist with approaches to determine sediment transport and geomorphic conditions in Texas waters.
• Writes, reviews, and evaluates technical memos, reports, work processes, and policy documents. 
• Coordinates with TWDB agency and external partners to develop and implement modeling studies and analyses. 
• Plans and participates in field studies, including planning, on site work, equipment installation, data acquisition, and data management. 
• Serves as liaison and provides data, models, information, and technical support to stakeholder groups, scientific committees, and customers. 
• Serves as contract manager for modeling, research, and monitoring contracts. 
• Delivers presentations to technical and non technical audiences. 
• Maintains confidential and sensitive information. 
• Ensures individual and team files (electronic and hard versions) are appropriately maintained and disposed of in accordance with records retention requirements. 
• Maintains required certifications and licenses and meets continuing education needs, including attending mandatory training. 
• May be required to operate a state or personal vehicle for business purposes. 
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with a bachelor’s degree in Hydrology, Engineering, Physical Science, or a related field.
• Professional Experience: 
  • Hydrologist IV - Seven years of demonstrated experience developing and applying hydrologic, hydraulic, and hydrodynamic models for watersheds, rivers, estuaries, and coastal systems. 
  • Engineer III - Five years of demonstrated experience developing and applying hydrologic, hydraulic, and hydrodynamic models for watersheds, rivers, estuaries, and coastal systems.
• License:
  • Engineer III - Licensed as a Professional Engineer in the State of Texas.
• Experience programming or scripting in Python.
• Experience processing, analyzing, interpreting, and displaying large scientific datasets using numerical or visualization tools.
• Relevant education and experience may be substituted for each other on a year‑for‑year basis.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Graduation from, or working toward completion of a graduate degree from an accredited college or university with major coursework in Hydrology, Engineering, Physical Science, or a related field.
• Experience developing, modifying, or running SCHISM (Semi-implicit Cross-scale Hydroscience Integrated System Model).
• Experience developing, modifying, or running hydrologic & hydraulic models (e.g., HEC‑HMS, HEC‑RAS, GSSHA, or similar).
• Experience conducting geospatial analysis of environmental and hydrologic data, using GIS software or programming tools (e.g., ArcGIS, QGIS, Python, R).
• Experience with remote sensing or geomorphology.
• Experience with command line work flows and shell scripting (e.g., Unix/Linux, Windows PowerShell).
• Experience running models on high-performance computing systems, including parallel computing (MPI or OpenMP).
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES (KSAs)

• Knowledge of local, state, and federal laws and regulations relevant to the Coastal Science Department.
• Knowledge of the principles and practices of public administration.
• Knowledge of the practical application of scientific, engineering, statistical, modeling, and hydrologic principles as well as hydraulics, hydrodynamics, water quality, and water management as applied to watersheds and bay systems. 
• Knowledge of data quality assurance/quality control and relevant modeling and statistical procedures. 
• Skills in using Microsoft Office programs such as Word, Excel, and Access.
• Skills in use of internet, email, word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, and database software.
• Skills in developing, applying, or running hydrodynamic and salinity transport models (e.g., ADCIRC, SCHISM, ROMS, SUNTANS, DELFT3D, ADH) or other computational/numerical models.
• Skills in developing, applying, or running hydrologic and hydraulic models (e.g., HEC-HMS, GSSHA, HEC- RAS) or other computational/numerical models.
• Skills in programming and scripting languages, especially Python, and in collaborative coding environments such as GitHub.
• Skills in statistical and/or spatial data analysis techniques (e.g., QGIS and ArcGIS).
• Skills in parallel computing (MPI or OpenMP) or High Performance Computing (HPC) systems.
• Skills in using numerical/visualization tools (e.g., SciPy/NumPy, Matplotlib, Gnuplot).
• Skills in project management and grant/contract administration, including time-management and prioritization.
• Skills in scientific data collection, management, and interpretation, including that of modeled or statistical data.
• Skills in writing technical memos, reports, work process, and policy documents.
• Skills in critical thinking. 
• Ability to maintain the security or integrity of critical infrastructure within Texas.
• Ability to meet agency in-office requirements.
• Ability to adhere to work schedules, follow procedures with respect to leave and submit accurate timesheets by prescribed deadlines. 
• Ability to make mature, objective decisions and identify areas of potential problems. 
• Ability to perform effectively and willingly when changes occur in scope and nature of the work and work environment.
• Ability to perform routine and non-routine work assignments accurately and on-time with little or no supervision. 
• Ability to perform assigned duties and improve work habits and/or output. 
• Ability to complete assigned work, on time, neatly and with infrequent errors. 
• Ability to interpret policies, procedures, and regulations. 
• Ability to provide prompt, courteous and accurate assistance and clear and concise communication to all stakeholders both verbally and in writing. 
• Ability to work and cooperate with others in a team environment.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks.
• Ability to stand/sit/move to perform activities such as retrieve/replace files in a large file system for boxes up to 30 lbs.
• Ability and willingness to travel 5% of the time, primarily within the State of Texas.
• Ability to operate a vehicle (state or personal) for state business and maintain a driver’s license and driving record that complies with state and agency requirements.
• Ability to work shifts that may exceed 8 hours, including early mornings, nights, and weekends.
• Ability to train others.

Additional Information

All interested candidates should apply with a State of Texas application via the CAPPS online application system. First time applicants will need to create an account https://tinyurl.com/CAPPS-Login in the CAPPS online application system https://tinyurl.com/CAPPS-Jobs. Please visit our job opportunities page https://tinyurl.com/How-to-Apply-in-CAPPS for more information about the Texas Water Development Board and answers to frequently asked questions. To view this position in greater detail, visit the CAPPS online application system.

Texas Water Development Board, Stephen F. Austin Building

1700 North Congress Ave., Room 670, Austin, Texas 78701

Please contact Human Resources for accommodation requests.

Phone: (512) 475-2142

Email: HR(AT)twdb.texas.gov