Flood Modeling Engineer

About ERT/NGWPC
We are seeking a Flood Modeling Engineer to join our team building the next generation of flood inundation mapping capabilities for the federal government. In this role, you will be the key link between water science and software engineering, ensuring our software and data pipelines are both scientifically robust and computationally efficient. You will have the opportunity to deepen your expertise in hydraulic modeling while gaining hands-on experience with cloud platforms, high-performance computing (HPC), and modern software development practices alongside a mission-driven team.

About You
A motivated early or mid career engineer with a passion for applying technology to water resources problems. You are eager to grow your hydraulic modeling expertise while learning modern software and data best practices. You are passionate about contributing to a critical public-sector mission. You are collaborative, detail-oriented, and effective in a team environment.

Responsibilities

• Develop, optimize, and validate flood modeling tools and workflows.
• Analyze, evaluate, and recommend improvements to flood modeling and forecasting methodologies to enhance accuracy and performance.
• Process, analyze, and quality-control large geospatial datasets relevant to hydrology and hydraulics (e.g., terrain, AEP flows, flood maps).
• Support the integration of modeling workflows with cloud platforms (AWS) and orchestration tools.
• Collaborate with software engineers to design, test, and deploy scalable, operational solutions.
• Use GitHub for version control, code review, and collaborative development.
• Communicate effectively with team members to ensure alignment across technical and scientific disciplines.

Requirements

• Minimum 4 years of professional working experience, 8+ years preferred
• Strong foundational understanding of the science of water resources, flood modeling and forecasting
• Proficiency with hydraulic modeling software such as HEC-RAS, TRITON, LISFLOOD-FP, or similar
• Experience with Python for scientific computing and data analysis
• Proficiency with Desktop GIS Software (QGIS, ArcGIS Pro) and geospatial concepts
• Experience with geospatial programming libraries (e.g., GDAL, GeoPandas, Rasterio) and formats
• Experience using GitHub for version control and collaboration
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Must be a US Citizen or Permanent Resident and be able to pass a background investigation to obtain a security badge to enter the applicable government facility.

Desired

• Experience with workflow orchestration tools (e.g., Prefect, Airflow, AWS Batch, HashiCorp Nomad)
• Familiarity with cloud computing environments (AWS S3, EC2) and high-performance computing (HPC) concepts
• Exposure to GPU-based computational workflows
• Familiarity with API concepts and data services (REST, OGC APIs)
• Understanding of software testing principles as applied to scientific models
• Familiarity with Agile development methodologies

Education
Bachelor's Degree in computer science, hydrology, hydraulics, or related field, or equivalent.

Location
This is a remote position supporting work in Silver Spring, MD.

Compensation
The salary range for this role is approximately $110,000 - 190,000/year. This range is a good faith estimate based on similar roles across the organization. ERT uses several factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to, the position's scope and expected duties, a candidate's work experience, education/training, and key skills.

Benefits
All full-time employees are eligible to participate in our flexible benefits package, which includes:

• Medical, Rx, Dental, and Vision Insurance
• 401(k) retirement plan with company-matching
• 11 Paid Federal Government Holidays
• Paid Time Off (PTO)
• Basic Life & Supplemental Life
• Health Savings Account, Flexible Spending and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts
• Short-Term & Long-Term Disability
• Employee assistance program (EAP)
• Tuition Reimbursement, Personal Development & Learning Opportunities
• Skills Development & Certifications
• Professional Membership Reimbursement
• Employee Referral Program
• Competitive compensation plan
• Discretionary variable incentive bonuses based on factors such as individual performance, business unit performance, and/or the company's performance
• Publication and Conference Presentation Awards with bonuses

ERT is a VEVRAA Federal Contractor and Equal Opportunity employer - All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, or protected Veteran status.

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