Senior Coastal H & H Engineer

GFT is seeking a Senior Coastal Engineer - Technical Lead to join our Geotechnical Dams & Hydraulics Team in Chicago, IL! This role follows a hybrid work model, requiring regular attendance at our Chicago Office.

Joining the dams and hydraulics team at GFT means contributing to innovative solutions for sustainable water management and infrastructure. Our team excels in dams and levees, advanced water and wastewater treatment, stormwater management, and conveyance, collection, and transmission. With a focus on integrating technology, sustainability, and compliance, we consider each water resources and environmental remediation project a chance to innovate and evolve to protect public health and enhance quality of life. Explore some of our signature water resources and environmental projects here.

What you'll be challenged to do:

We are seeking a Senior Coastal Engineer - Technical Lead with 20+ years of experience in coastal engineering, hydraulics, and water resources to lead and grow our coastal engineering capabilities.

This is a highly technical leadership position for an accomplished engineer who can provide technical direction on complex coastal, waterfront, and hydraulic projects while mentoring engineering staff and helping establish best practices across the organization.

The position offers a flexible work environment with a combination of in-office and remote work.

In this capacity, you will be responsible for the following:

• Serve as the technical lead for coastal and hydraulic engineering projects.
• Lead engineering analyses, modeling, design, and technical decision-making for complex coastal and waterfront projects.
• Provide expertise in coastal processes, waves, tides, currents, storm surge, flooding, sediment transport, erosion, scour, and hydraulics.
• Lead or review hydrodynamic, wave, coastal, and hydraulic modeling.
• Lead the development and design of shoreline protection, seawalls, revetments, breakwaters, waterfront facilities, dredging/navigation improvements, flood protection, drainage, and coastal resilience projects.
• Establish design criteria, technical approaches, and engineering standards.
• Provide senior-level QA/QC and technical review of calculations, models, reports, plans, and specifications.
• Mentor engineers and develop the technical capabilities of the coastal engineering team.
• Serve as a trusted technical advisor to clients and represent the firm in technical meetings and design reviews.
• Support project pursuits, technical proposals, and development of coastal engineering opportunities.

What you will bring to our firm:

• Bachelor's degree in Civil, Coastal, Ocean, Water Resources Engineering, or a related engineering discipline; advanced degree preferred.
• 20+ years of relevant engineering experience, with significant coastal and hydraulic engineering experience.
• Professional Engineer (PE) license required.
• Recognized technical expertise in coastal engineering and hydraulics.
• Strong understanding of hydrodynamic, wave, hydraulic, and coastal-process modeling.
• Experience with tools such as Delft3D, ADCIRC, SWAN, MIKE, HEC-RAS, XBeach, or comparable modeling platforms.
• Demonstrated experience leading complex engineering analyses and designs.
• Strong engineering judgment with the ability to evaluate modeling results, challenge assumptions, and develop practical and constructible solutions.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and mentor technical staff and communicate effectively with clients, agencies, and multidisciplinary teams.

Compensation: The salary range for this role is $190,000 - $210,000. Salary is dependent upon experience and geographic location.

Featured Benefits:

• Hybrid (in-person and remote) work environment.
• Comprehensive benefits package including wellness programs, parental leave, and pet insurance, in addition to medical, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance.
• Tax-deferred 401(k) savings plan.
• Competitive paid-time-off (PTO) accrual.
• Tuition reimbursement for continued education.
• Commitment to professional development, access to internal and external training programs, and support of active participation in professional organizations
• Incentive compensation for eligible positions.

At GFT, a privately held AEC firm, we innovate where transportation, water, power, and buildings converge. We call this the Infrastructure of Life. We measure our success by the strength of our relationships - that’s why we’re the employer of choice for 5,000+ of the industry’s brightest engineers, planners, architects, inspectors, designers, and more.

Our clients choose us for our expertise and prefer us for our nimble approach, creativity, and personal touch. Backed by over a century’s experience, together we’re building a lasting legacy for future generations: stronger communities, a healthier planet, and better lives.GFT: Ingenuity That Shapes Lives™ is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veterans’ status or other characteristics protected by law.

Unsolicited resumes from third party agencies will be considered the property GFT.

GFT does require the successful completion of a criminal background check for all advertised positions.

Location: Chicago, ILCore Business Hours: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM Employment Status: Full-Time