join our team

The Opportunity 

At a large firm, “water resources engineer” often means running models and drafting for projects you’ll never see built. We’re offering the opposite. As our water resources engineer, you’ll be a seller-doer scoping the hydrologic and hydraulic work, designing the grading, structures, and water-control features that make a restoration work, talking clients through it, and standing in the field as it’s constructed. The design is yours from the first calc to the day water flows through it. 

You’ll work directly with our interdisciplinary team on stormwater management, flood mitigation, stream restoration, water quality improvement, and mitigation banking across Minnesota and Wisconsin. As MWI’s water resources practice expands, so does your opportunity to shape it professionally and financially. If you want to own the whole design and watch it come out of the ground, let’s talk. 

The Structure — Honest About Where We Are, and Where This Goes

We’re hiring this role as a part-time, project-based role to start, sized to our current project load and growing as the work does. For the right experienced professional, that’s the opportunity, not the catch: build this practice and you can have a direct path to full-time and your own team to lead if you want it. If you’re an established professional who can bring a book of work with you, we should especially talk since there’s room to grow faster. Tell us what you’re looking for and we’ll build the role around the right person. That’s something only a small firm can credibly offer. 

What You’ll Do

Design & Modeling 

• Perform hydrologic and hydraulic modeling using HEC-RAS (1D/2D), HEC-HMS, SWMM / PCSWMM, HydroCAD, and TR-55 / TR-20 methods. 
• Conduct 100-year floodplain analysis, culvert and road-crossing hydraulics (HY-8, FHWA Hydraulic Toolbox), and scour analysis to support design and regulatory compliance. 
• Design stormwater management systems and BMPs, including green infrastructure / low-impact development (bioretention, infiltration, filtration, ponds, and wetland treatment). 
• Perform water quality modeling (WinSLAMM, P8) and pollutant load-reduction analysis. 
• Design stream and channel restoration projects using natural channel design and fluvial geomorphology to design grade control, bank stabilization, and fish passage projects. 
• Design grading, water-control structures, and hydraulic features that make wetland restorations and mitigation sites function. 
• Produce plan sets, details, and specifications in AutoCAD Civil 3D. 

Permitting & Regulatory (MN + WI) 

• Minnesota: Experience with the MPCA Construction Stormwater General Permit, the Minimal Impact Design Standards (MIDS) and Minnesota Stormwater Manual, watershed district / WMO permits, MnDOT drainage standards, DNR Public Waters Work Permits, and WCA coordination. 
• Wisconsin: Experience with WDNR Chapter 30 waterway and wetland permits, NR 151 runoff management and NR 216 stormwater discharge, construction-site erosion control, and WinSLAMM-based water quality standards. 
• Prepare permit submittals and design memos, and coordinate directly with regulatory agencies to keep projects on track. 

Construction & Delivery 

• Prepare cost estimates, bid packages, and construction specifications. 
• Provide construction-phase support: submittal review, site inspections, resident project representation, as-built verification, and pay-application review. 

Client, Business & Team 

• Scope projects, communicate directly with clients, and lead from concept to completion. 
• Contribute to proposals, client relationships, and business development as the practice grows. 
• Collaborate with scientists, ecologists, and landscape architects; mentor junior staff. 
• Stay current with modeling advances, design standards, and regulatory trends. 

What You Bring 

Required 

• Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering, or a related field (Master’s a plus). 
• Professional Engineer (PE) license in Minnesota and/or Wisconsin, or the ability to obtain within 6 months; reciprocity in the second state is a plus. 
• 7–10 years of water resources engineering experience, including stormwater management, flood control, and water quality projects. 
• Proficiency with hydrologic and hydraulic modeling tools (e.g., HEC-RAS, HEC-HMS, SWMM). 
• Proficiency with AutoCAD Civil 3D for plan preparation and grading design. 
• Proficiency with ESRI ArcGIS Pro for spatial analysis and CAD/GIS integration. 
• Strong technical writing for reports, design memos, and permit submittals. 
• Ability to self-direct, manage multiple priorities, and meet deadlines in a flexible environment. 
• Valid driver’s license and willingness to travel to project sites for field visits and construction observation across Minnesota and Wisconsin (occasional overnight travel required). 

Preferred 

• Certified Floodplain Manager (CFM) credential or eligibility. 
• Certified Professional in Erosion and Sediment Control (CPESC) or in Storm Water Quality (CPSWQ). 
• Experience with WinSLAMM, P8, HydroCAD, HY-8, and the FHWA Hydraulic Toolbox. 
• Natural channel design, stream restoration, or fluvial geomorphology experience (Rosgen training a plus). 
• Familiarity with watershed district permitting, MIDS, MnDOT drainage standards, and WDNR Chapter 30 / NR 151. 
• Experience preparing cost estimates, bid packages, and construction specifications. 
• Genuine interest in ecological restoration, green infrastructure, and sustainable design. 
• Dual MN/WI PE licensure, or willingness to pursue it. 

How to Apply 

Send a resume, brief cover note, and a few examples of relevant work to lucius@midwestwetlands.com. Please put “Water Resources Engineer” in the subject line, and tell us what you’re looking for – part-time, project-based, full-time, or building your own practice so we can shape the right conversation.

Application timeline: Open until filled. 

The Opportunity 

A large firm will slot you into one stage of the process; you delineate, and someone else designs; you monitor, and someone else oversees construction and maintenance. At MWI, you’ll do all of it. As our wetland scientist, you’ll run delineations, carry permits through agency review, support mitigation banking design and approvals, complete hydrology and mitigation monitoring, write the environmental review documents that tie it together, and oversee contractors. Often on the same project, start to finish. 

We’re expanding our wetland sciences practice, and there’s genuine room to shape how it grows professionally and financially as MWI grows. If you’ve wanted to own projects instead of pieces of them, this is your job. 

The Structure — Honest About Where We Are, and Where This Goes 

We’re hiring this role as a part-time, project-based role to start, sized to our current project load and growing as the work does. For the right experienced professional, that’s the opportunity, not the catch: build this practice and you can have a direct path to full-time and your own team to lead if you want it. If you’re an established professional who can bring a book of work with you, we should especially talk since there’s room to grow faster. Tell us what you’re looking for and we’ll build the role around the right person. That’s something only a small firm can credibly offer. 

What You’ll Do 

Field & Technical 

• Lead and conduct wetland delineations on large- and small-scale sites following the Corps of Engineers Wetland Delineation Manual and the applicable Regional Supplements (Midwest Region and Northcentral & Northeast Region). 
• Identify and document hydric soils (Munsell colors, redoximorphic features), hydrophytic vegetation, and wetland hydrology indicators. 
• Perform wetland functional and condition assessments (e.g., MnRAM in Minnesota; rapid assessment methods in Wisconsin) and Floristic Quality Assessments. 
• Conduct vegetation surveys, plant community classification, habitat assessments, soil surveys, and rare / threatened & endangered species surveys. 
• Evaluate potential wetland mitigation, restoration, and bank sites for feasibility and ecological lift. 
• Collect and manage field data with sub-meter GPS / GNSS units and ArcGIS Field Maps / Survey123 to complete ArcGIS Pro / ArcGIS Online mapping and analysis. 

Regulatory & Permitting 

• Assess federal jurisdiction (Waters of the U.S.) and prepare Approved and Preliminary Jurisdictional Determination requests in the current post-Sackett landscape. 
• Navigate Minnesota Wetland Conservation Act (WCA) review, MN DNR Public Waters, and Technical Evaluation Panel (TEP) coordination. 
• Navigate Wisconsin’s nonfederal wetland program, WDNR wetland identification and confirmation, and ePermitting submittals. 
• Prepare and manage Clean Water Act Section 404 / 401 permit applications, state permits, and exemption requests. 
• Author environmental review documents—Environmental Assessment Worksheets (EAW), Environmental Assessments (EA), and Environmental Impact Statements (EIS)—under NEPA and Minnesota / Wisconsin state equivalents. 

Mitigation, Banking & Monitoring 

• Develop wetland replacement, restoration, and mitigation plans, and support wetland bank establishment (prospectus, banking instrument, credit accounting). 
• Coordinate with the Interagency Review Team (IRT) and MN BWSR or WI DNR on banking and credit approvals. 
• Conduct mitigation and monitoring site visits and prepare annual monitoring reports measured against performance standards. 

Client, Business & Team 

• Serve as project lead and communicate directly with clients and agencies and carry projects from scope to close. 
• Develop proposals and work plans and support business development and client relationships. 
• Mentor and build junior staff; provide QA/QC review of deliverables. 
• Stay current with evolving wetland science, delineation methods, and regulatory change. 

What You Bring 

Required 

• Bachelor’s degree in environmental science, ecology, biology, botany, soil science, natural resources, or a related field (Master’s a plus). 
• 5+ years of professional wetland delineation experience (consulting preferred); 10+ years preferred for a practice-leading role. 
• Demonstrated delineation experience using the Corps Manual and the applicable Regional Supplements. 
• Working knowledge of Minnesota and/or Wisconsin wetland regulations and permitting (WCA; WDNR nonfederal program; CWA Section 404/401). 
• Strong field skills in hydric soil identification, hydrophytic plant ID, and wetland hydrology indicators. 
• Strong technical writing for delineation reports, permit applications, and monitoring reports. 
• Proficiency with ESRI ArcGIS Pro / ArcGIS Online and GPS / GNSS field data collection. 
• Ability to self-direct, manage multiple projects, and meet deadlines in a flexible environment. 
• Valid driver’s license and willingness to travel to project sites for field visits and construction observation across Minnesota and Wisconsin (occasional overnight travel required). 

Preferred 

• Professional Wetland Scientist (PWS) certification through the Society of Wetland Scientists. 
• Minnesota Wetland Professionals Wetland Delineator status (or eligibility and willingness to obtain). 
• Wisconsin DNR Assured Wetland Delineator status (or eligibility and willingness to obtain).  
• Experience with wetland mitigation and banking (credits, banking instruments, IRT coordination). 
• NEPA / MEPA / WEPA environmental review experience (EAW, EA, EIS). 
• Familiarity with MnRAM, Floristic Quality Assessment, and state rapid-assessment methods. 
• Experience with threatened & endangered species, MN / WI Natural Heritage data, and rare plant surveys. 
• Ordinary High Water Mark (OHWM) / watercourse delineation, Phase I ESA, or related environmental due-diligence experience. 
• Familiarity with the 2025 proposed WOTUS rule and the heightened jurisdictional documentation it requires. 
• Strong background in wetland science across the Upper Midwest and Great Plains regions. 

How to Apply 

Send a resume, brief cover note, and a few examples of relevant work to lucius@midwestwetlands.com. Please put “Wetland Scientist” in the subject line, and tell us what you’re looking for – part-time, project-based, full-time, or building your own practice so we can shape the right conversation. 

Application timeline: Open until filled.