Senior or Principal Coastal Engineer

We are excited to announce an opportunity for a Senior or Principal level coastal engineer to join our team at NSD, a team of scientists and engineers who strive to have a positive impact through landscape scale restoration of ecosystems. We are looking for a mission driven and experienced individual to lead and grow the design side of our coastal program. Founded in 2003, we are an interdisciplinary team of over 50 people with office locations in Seattle, Bellingham, and Port Angeles, Washington.  

Position Summary:   

We are looking to expand our Coastal Group leadership as we grow our backlog of innovative coastal and nearshore analysis and restoration projects. This position is an excellent opportunity to provide leadership in your design practice with the support of our existing engineers and scientists – including coastal geomorphologists, hydrologists, and biologists – focused on ecosystem restoration. We work primarily with agencies, tribal clients, and non-profits, providing them with coastal and nearshore expertise to restore more functional and resilient nearshore habitats.

Our current coastal services include:  

• Coastal, nearshore, beach, lake shore, and estuary assessment and restoration  
• Coastal structure and nature-based design   
• Coastal engineering, ecological assessment, and effectiveness monitoring  
• Sea level rise/coastal flooding analysis, vulnerability assessment, and adaptation design   

As a Senior or Principal, you will:  

• Manage and deliver coastal and nearshore design projects.  
• Provide leadership and strategic direction within our coastal group.  
• Lead or co-lead business development efforts to maintain our existing relationships and position for new clients and projects.  
• Mentor and develop junior engineering staff, fostering a culture of growth and excellence.  

Qualifications:  

• Minimum 10+ years of experience in coastal engineering.  
• Proven track record of project delivery for coastal and nearshore design projects.  
• Management experience within an organization.  
• Experience with project management on complex projects.   
• Collaborative workstyle within multidisciplinary project teams. 
• Experience with business development, proposal preparation, and project interviews. 
• Excellent communication, leadership, and business development skills.  
• A commitment to restoration and innovation in science-led engineering solutions.  
• Experience with nature-based design solutions.   
• Familiarity with gravel and mixed gravel-sand beach dynamics and beach design.   
• Experience with construction oversight of coastal projects 
• Registered Washington PE or ability to receive within 6 months.  

Preferred Qualifications:   

• Puget Sound region professional experience in coastal engineering.  
• MS. or Ph.D. in coastal, civil, or ocean engineering, oceanography, or related discipline.  
• Preferred candidates will have more than 15 years of coastal design project and management experience.  
• Proficiency with analysis of aerial imagery data and other coastal mapping, LiDAR data, and long-term MetOcean data.  
• Proficiency of developing design concepts/alternatives in ACAD or other drafting software.  
• Coastal modeling experience, including experience with SWAN, XBeach, Delft 3D, GenCade, USACE Coastal Modeling System, SMS, etc.  
• Basic understanding of ESRI ArcGIS Pro, including acquiring and importing geospatial and remote sensing data, geospatial analysis.  
• Demonstrated understanding of and sensitivity to a range of perspectives on relationships and interconnections with the natural world and traditional cultures, such as local indigenous knowledge.  

Position Location:  

Seattle, Bellingham, or Port Angeles, Washington; and/or Remote  

NSD is currently using a hybrid model of in-office and remote work from home. For this position, our preferred candidate is located near one of our three office locations, but we are open to a fully remote working location anywhere in the Puget Sound Region for the right candidate with the commitment of some travel, when needed, to one of our Washington office locations and field sites.  

Compensation:  

NSD offers competitive salary and benefits, including up to a 4% match on 401(K), 8 paid days off, and a generous tiered paid time off policy. Wage ranges are negotiated based on the candidate's experience, qualifications, and sector knowledge (fluvial, coastal, etc.). They are Senior: $120k - $130k, Associate Principal: $130k - $150, Principal: $150k - $165k.  

Start Date:   

Negotiable depending on the right candidate.   

Hours: 

We trust each other as professionals and respect each other as people. For us, this means staff have the autonomy to manage when they come into the office and when they work from home. Our staff have flexibility as exempt hourly positions. Hourly means when needed you could work less than a 40-hour week and conversely, additional hours worked beyond 40 hours are compensated at a 1.5x hourly rate. Some variable travel to project sites and office locations is expected.   

Closing Date:  

Applications accepted until hiring needs are met.   

We are an equal opportunity employer. Candidates who identify with groups that are frequently underrepresented in the science, engineering, technology, and math fields are highly encouraged to apply. All candidates will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, or protected veteran or disabled status or any other category protected under law. In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification document form upon hire.  

Why NSD? Here are a few reasons why you might want to work with us:  

Advocacy and Actions: 

We take pride in our work to make the world a better place, and we advocate, with our clients, for the actions needed to make that happen. 

Challenging Projects with Rewarding Clients: 

We have a constant stream of challenging and interesting projects with great clients. We solely work on projects that benefit the environment and communities and only select project partners for collaboration that align with our vision and values. 

Culture: 

We strive to be an inclusive, welcoming, and understanding group of individuals who are proud of our culture, passionate about our clients, and dedicated to the impact-driven purpose of our work. We're clear on who we are, why we're here, and what we want most to experience in our daily lives.  

Flexibility: 

How, when, and where you work best - works best for us. We invest in honesty and integrity, with each of us holding personal responsibility. We are accountable to ourselves, each other, and our clients. 

Innovation and Excellence: 

We have developed a regional reputation for being purpose-driven and delivering innovative and excellent work. Our projects require holistic, innovative problem solving, and are often ones that don't follow a linear development path. Here is where you will find us excel.  

Interdisciplinary Teams: 

We work in highly interdisciplinary teams and aim to consider ecological, geomorphic, hydrological, and engineering perspectives on every technical challenge. We rely on team values in all aspects of our work, and share knowledge and experience with, and across, project teams. 

Investment in Growth: 

We are invested in the wellbeing of our staff, and support professional growth in technical skills, soft skills, leadership opportunities, and overall career advancement. We encourage initiative and openness to learning new things. 

Knowledge of Washington Waters: 

We know the waters of Washington State. We help shape the landscapes and communities in the places we work and live in. 

Restoration and Resiliency: 

We work exclusively on aquatic and floodplain habitat restoration, watershed analysis, and restoration planning and design, including integration of climate change risk and resiliency.  

Trust and Respect: 

Clear is kind. We trust each other as professionals and respect each other as people. We communicate with empathy, active listening, and timely follow up, and follow through on our deliverables.