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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Water Resource Manager

💰 $ - $

EnvironmentalWater ResourcesManagement

🎯 Role Definition

The Water Resource Manager leads integrated water resource planning, implementation, and operations to ensure sustainable supply, protect water quality, and build climate resilience. This role directs watershed and stormwater programs, manages permitting and regulatory compliance (NPDES/MS4, Clean Water Act, Safe Drinking Water Act where applicable), coordinates capital improvements, supervises technical staff and consultants, and serves as primary liaison with agencies, utilities, developers, and community stakeholders. The ideal candidate blends hydrologic and hydraulic modeling expertise (HEC-RAS, HEC-HMS, SWMM, MODFLOW), GIS spatial analysis, field monitoring experience, and strong project and budget management skills to deliver measurable environmental and infrastructure outcomes.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Water Resources Engineer / Civil Engineer (entry to mid-level)
  • Hydrologist or Hydrogeologist
  • Watershed Planner or Stormwater Coordinator

Advancement To:

  • Senior Water Resource Manager / Program Manager
  • Director of Water Resources or Utilities
  • Chief Resilience or Sustainability Officer

Lateral Moves:

  • Stormwater Program Manager
  • Watershed Restoration or Habitat Conservation Manager
  • Regulatory Compliance Manager

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Develop, lead and implement comprehensive watershed and integrated water resources plans that balance water supply, flood risk reduction, water quality protection, habitat restoration, and community needs while incorporating climate-change projections and resilience measures.
  • Oversee design, permitting, construction and lifecycle management of stormwater and water infrastructure projects (channels, culverts, detention/retention basins, green infrastructure, pump stations), ensuring alignment with Capital Improvement Programs (CIP) and asset management strategies.
  • Manage regulatory compliance programs including NPDES/MS4 permits, TMDL implementation, SWPPP development and inspections, wetlands permitting, and reporting under federal, state and local environmental regulations.
  • Lead hydrologic and hydraulic modeling efforts (HEC-RAS, HEC-HMS, SWMM, MIKE, MODFLOW) to identify flood risks, evaluate mitigation alternatives, support master planning and inform design criteria.
  • Direct water quality monitoring programs: design sampling plans, supervise field sampling, ensure QA/QC of laboratory data, analyze trends, and translate findings into regulatory reports and adaptive management actions.
  • Prepare, review and submit technical reports, environmental assessments, permit applications, technical memoranda and presentations to elected officials, regulatory agencies and the public.
  • Develop and manage project budgets, forecasts and schedules; administer grants, loans and state/federal funding (including grant applications, reporting and compliance monitoring).
  • Supervise and mentor multidisciplinary teams of engineers, hydrologists, technicians and GIS analysts; establish performance metrics, conduct performance reviews and provide professional development.
  • Coordinate with utilities, planning departments, transportation agencies and developers to integrate water resource requirements into land development, public works projects and zoning/planning processes.
  • Serve as the primary point of contact for interagency coordination and stakeholder engagement, building and maintaining partnerships with state agencies, water districts, tribal governments, NGOs and community groups.
  • Oversee procurement and consultant selection: draft RFPs, evaluate proposals, negotiate scopes of work and manage consultant deliverables to ensure technical quality and schedule adherence.
  • Develop and implement stormwater and floodplain management policies, ordinances and standards; provide technical support to policy makers and draft language for regulatory updates.
  • Lead emergency response and incident management for flood events, drought declarations, contamination events and other water-related emergencies; coordinate response actions, post-event assessments and recovery planning.
  • Integrate nature-based solutions and low-impact development (LID) practices into planning and design to enhance stormwater infiltration, groundwater recharge and habitat connectivity.
  • Establish data management systems and GIS databases for hydrologic, infrastructure, permit and monitoring data; ensure data accessibility, integrity and use for decision support and reporting.
  • Conduct feasibility studies and life-cycle cost analyses for water supply augmentation, reservoir operations, groundwater recharge, stormwater harvesting and recycled water opportunities.
  • Implement and report on performance metrics, KPIs and adaptive management plans to measure program outcomes including reductions in pollutant loads, improvements in stream health, flood risk mitigation and water conservation.
  • Lead public outreach, community education and stakeholder workshops to solicit feedback, explain technical findings in plain language and build support for projects and regulatory measures.
  • Negotiate interlocal agreements, memoranda of understanding and water-sharing arrangements with neighboring jurisdictions and utilities to optimize regional water resource outcomes.
  • Oversee permitting and compliance for construction activities in waterways, floodplains and riparian zones including agency coordination, mitigation planning and monitoring of mitigation sites.
  • Manage groundwater resources: supervise monitoring networks, coordinate aquifer testing and modeling, evaluate pumping impacts and support conjunctive use and aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) projects.
  • Provide technical review and approval of development plans, grading and drainage plans, erosion and sediment control plans, ensuring adherence to water resource standards and best management practices.
  • Lead implementation of water conservation programs, drought contingency plans and demand management strategies including outreach, incentive programs and ordinance development.
  • Maintain up-to-date knowledge of regulatory changes, case law, funding opportunities and emerging technologies to inform program direction, policies and continuous improvement.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad-hoc data requests, GIS mapping requests and exploratory analysis to inform decision-making and public communications.
  • Contribute to the organization’s long-term water resource strategy and climate adaptation roadmap, aligning program goals with organizational objectives.
  • Collaborate with internal departments (planning, public works, parks, utilities) to translate water resource needs into design, procurement and construction requirements.
  • Participate in strategic planning, grant scoping, council briefings and agile or iterative project planning meetings to maintain alignment across projects and stakeholders.
  • Represent the organization at technical committees, regional planning groups and regulatory working groups; prepare briefing materials and provide expert testimony as needed.
  • Assist with training programs and capacity building for operations staff on new monitoring protocols, modeling tools and regulatory requirements.
  • Review and update standard operating procedures, construction standards and maintenance plans for stormwater and water-related assets.
  • Support continuous improvement initiatives in data workflows, field instrumentation (sensors/SCADA) and remote sensing applications (drones, LiDAR) for asset assessment.
  • Coordinate public information and media responses related to water incidents, construction impacts and program milestones.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Hydrologic and hydraulic modeling (HEC-RAS, HEC-HMS, EPA-SWMM, MIKE, MODFLOW) — setup, calibration, scenario analysis and interpretation for planning and permitting.
  • Geographic Information Systems (ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Online, QGIS) — spatial analysis, watershed delineation, geoprocessing and map production.
  • Water quality monitoring and laboratory QA/QC protocols — designing sampling programs, chain-of-custody, data validation and interpretation.
  • Regulatory knowledge and permitting expertise — NPDES/MS4, Clean Water Act Section 401/404, state water quality standards, TMDL implementation and wetlands permitting.
  • Stormwater design and LID/green infrastructure practices — infiltration systems, bioswales, permeable pavements and detention design per municipal standards.
  • Groundwater and surface water interaction and management — groundwater monitoring, ASR concepts, well permitting and aquifer testing basics.
  • Asset management and CIP planning — using systems like Cityworks, Lucity or similar and integrating lifecycle cost analyses.
  • Project management and budgeting — preparing scopes, schedules, cost estimates, and managing multi-disciplinary teams and consultants.
  • Technical writing and reporting — preparing environmental assessments, technical memoranda, grant proposals and regulatory submittals.
  • Data analysis and visualization — Excel, Python or R for data processing, trend analysis and generating dashboards/reports.
  • SCADA and sensor system familiarity — basic understanding of telemetry, real-time monitoring and data integrity issues.
  • Construction inspection and contract administration — field oversight, change order review and compliance monitoring.

Soft Skills

  • Clear and persuasive written and verbal communication for technical and non-technical audiences.
  • Stakeholder engagement and consensus building with regulators, elected officials, community groups and partner agencies.
  • Strategic planning and problem-solving with ability to synthesize complex technical information into actionable recommendations.
  • Leadership, staff development and mentoring to build high-performing multidisciplinary teams.
  • Negotiation and conflict resolution for interagency agreements, developer conditions and stakeholder disputes.
  • Adaptability and resilience in emergency response and rapidly evolving regulatory environments.
  • Strong attention to detail and quality assurance mindset.
  • Public speaking and facilitation skills for community meetings and technical workshops.
  • Time management and prioritization across concurrent projects and regulatory deadlines.
  • Ethical decision-making and commitment to environmental stewardship and equity.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Hydrology, Hydrogeology, Water Resources, Environmental Science, or a closely related field.

Preferred Education:

  • Master’s degree in Water Resources, Hydrology, Environmental Engineering, or Public Policy with water resource focus; professional certifications (PE, CFM, PG) and continuing education in GIS/modeling encouraged.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Civil Engineering (Hydraulics/Water Resources)
  • Environmental Engineering
  • Hydrology / Hydrogeology
  • Watershed Science / Environmental Science
  • Urban Planning with water focus

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 5–12 years of progressively responsible experience in water resources planning, stormwater management, hydrologic modeling or related fields.

Preferred:

  • 7+ years with demonstrated program management, permitting and field monitoring experience.
  • Experience supervising technical staff and managing consultants.
  • Proven track record with regulatory compliance (NPDES/MS4, TMDL) and successful grant management or capital project delivery.
  • Demonstrated experience working with municipal utilities, regional water agencies or state regulatory programs.
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