Valley Water

  • Associate Engineer / Associate Water Resources Specialist

  • Valley Water
  • San Jose, California United States View Map

Job Description

Associate Engineer / Associate Water Resources Specialist

Valley Water

Salary: See Position Description

Job Type: Full-Time

Job Number: 02027-E

Location: 5750 Almaden Expressway, San Jose, CA, CA

Department: Watersheds Stewardship and Planning

Closing: 11/15/2026 11:59 PM Pacific

Description


Associate Engineer - Civil: $151,049.60 - $193,377.60 Annually
Associate Water Resources Specialist: $151,049.60 - $193,377.60 Annually

Overview:

Make an impact on flood protection and water resource management!

Valley Water is seeking an Associate Engineer/Associate Water Resources Specialist to support critical watershed and water utility projects through developing software tools. Applications may include flood forecasting, emergency alerting, database management, data ingestion, front-end GUIs, and digital twin development. Data would include both geospatial and time-series types. This primary function will work closely with a small team to push the boundaries of water management and emergency flood operations.

In addition, this position may involve hydrologic and hydraulic modeling, engineering, scientific data analysis, and field work near waterways. This position offers an exciting opportunity to unify the traditional water engineering field with software development to create tools that run for real-time operation and ad-hoc research. Our team also has the infrastructure resources to expand and iterate quickly. The ideal candidate will have experience in software development and data analysis, with a foundation and background in water resources. Knowledge of environmental data collection/management is highly desirable. A positive attitude and a collaborative spirit is also a must!

This is a single position, for which the incumbent would be hired as either an Associate Engineer or an Associate Water Resources Specialist. There are multiple ways a candidate may develop the skills and experience required to be successful in this role. Depending on the background and experience of the selected candidate, the exact classification will be determined at point of hire.

Our Commitment:
We are committed to building and sustaining a working environment where all individuals are respected and valued. We believe every member of our team brings unique perspectives that enhance our ability to serve the public effectively. By fostering a workplace with employees from the communities we serve, we broaden our collective understanding of the world around us and strengthen our mission to equitably provide safe, clean water, natural flood protections, and environmental stewardship.

About Valley Water:
Valley Water's mission is to provide Santa Clara County with safe, clean water for a healthy life, environment, and economy. The FY 2026-27 Adopted Budget of $1.284 billion supports approximately 876 employees. With headquarters in San José, Valley Water provides water supply, enhances streams and watersheds through creek restoration and habitat protection, provides flood protection for homes, schools, businesses and roadways, and partners with other agencies to provide trails and open space for the community.

Who We Are:
To learn how Valley Water provides safe, clean water and environmental stewardship for the Santa Clara community, please click https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=JZY6je-Bdog

Key Responsibilities may include, but are not limited to:

- Software feature development and maintenance/upkeep of existing water operation tools and systems.
- Develop new software tools for large scale hydrologic modeling and statistical analyses.
- Assist in wholistic management, collection, and review process for hydrologic data.
- Perform and review hydrologic and hydraulic modeling analyses.
- Perform stream restoration and geomorphic analyses.
- Perform field work and data collection.

Ideal Candidate's Background Includes:

Applicants whose experience and background best match the ideal experience, knowledge, skills, abilities, and education are considered ideal candidates for the position. To determine the top candidates, each applicant will be assessed based on the ideal candidate criteria as listed below.

Ideal Experience:

Associate Engineer: Four (4) years of professional water resources engineering experience

Associate Water Resources Specialist: Four (4) years of professional-level experience with environmental data collection, water supply planning or distribution, groundwater management, or hydrogeology.

Ideal experience for both classifications:

- Experience working with geospatial datasets and GIS software, such as QGIS or ArcGIS.
- Experience analyzing complex water resources data and communicating findings and recommendations.
- Experience processing large environmental time-series datasets and integrating data from multiple sources.
- Experience conducting field investigations and collecting data for water resources projects.
- Experience developing production-quality software to support water resources engineering and scientific applications, such as hydrologic modeling, water supply analysis, or environmental data analysis, using Python (including libraries such as Pandas and NumPy), Java, or a similar programming language is highly preferred.

Ideal Skills and Abilities for both classifications:

- Understand the water resources industry and the needs of collecting, analyzing, and interpreting environmental data water supply, flood protection, and environmental stewardship.
- Understand computer coding, data structures, and algorithms.
- Curious, self-motivated, and eager to learn new technologies and methodologies.
- Demonstrates punctuality and a strong sense of responsibility for deadlines and commitments.
- Ability to work effectively as part of a team in a collaborative environment.

Ideal Knowledge:

- Understanding principles, practices, theories, and concepts of water resources engineering and science.
- Data collection, telemetry, and calibration techniques for environmental datasets.
- Have familiarity with software engineering principles, modular architecture, system design, and unit testing, along with using Git, AWS, and database systems.

Ideal Training and Education:

Associate Engineer: Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with major coursework in civil engineering or a field related to assigned functional area(s).

Associate Water Resources Specialist: Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with major coursework in water resources management, natural resources management, planning, civil or other field of engineering, geology, physical sciences, earth sciences, natural sciences or a field related to assigned functional area(s).

Required License or Certificate


Possession of, or ability to obtain, an appropriate, valid California driver's license. Individuals who do not meet the driver's license requirement due to a disability will be considered for a reasonable accommodation on a case-by-case basis.

To review the Classification Specification for the Associate Engineer - Civil, please click https://tinyurl.com/bdd4uzu6
To review the Classification Specification for the Associate Water Resources Specialist, please click https://s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/valleywater.org.us-west-1/s3fs-public/CS%20Associate%20WRS%2011-2025.pdf https://get.adobe.com/reader/

Hydrology, Hydraulics and Geomorphology Unit (Position Code 402)
Valley Water Telework Program: Eligibility for telework will depend on the type of work performed, operational needs, and the ability for the employee to perform the essential functions of their job duties while teleworking. Employment with Valley Water requires employees to live within 150 miles of their primary physical work location located in San Jose, California by their start date.

This position is eligible for a hybrid telework schedule, typically working 40% remote and 60% onsite (after a month).

Selection Process


(1) The selection process may include one or more of the following: application review, application assessment, performance exercise, written exercise and/or interview.
(2) The Employment Application, Qualifying Information Questions and/or Supplemental Questions will be evaluated based on the ideal candidate criteria listed above. Resumes are highly recommended.

NOTE: Position and start date is subject to availability of funds. Valley Water retains the right to repost this position as deemed necessary.
Consideration may be given to existing applicant pools within the same classification.
Valley Water's Equal Opportunity Non-Discrimination Policy is available for review upon request.

Valley Water will make reasonable efforts in the examination process to accommodate persons with disabilities. Please advise Human Resources in advance of any special needs by calling 408-630-2260.

Please be aware that once submitted all application materials become the property of Valley Water and will not be returned. Human Resources staff are not authorized to make copies of application materials for applicants.


To apply, please visit https://apptrkr.com/9915152


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Valley Water

Valley Water

The Santa Clara Valley Water District, now known as Valley Water, is a special district, governed by a seven-member board of directors, and is responsible for water supply, flood protection and watershed management in Santa Clara County. The district encompasses all of the county’s 1,300 square miles and serves the area’s 15 cities, 1.7 million residents and more than 200,000 commuters. Our responsibilities flow from our dual missions: to provide high quality water, and to manage flood and storm waters along the county’s 700 miles of creeks and rivers.

The mission of the district is a healthy, safe, and enhanced quality of living in Santa Clara County through the comprehensive management of water resources in a practical, cost-effective and environmentally sensitive manner.

The Santa Clara Valley Water District, now known as Valley Water, manages an integrated water resources system that includes the supply of clean, safe water, flood protection and stewardship of streams on behalf of Santa Clara County’s 2 million residents. The district effectively manages 10 dams and surface water reservoirs, three water treatment plants, a state-of-the-art water quality laboratory, nearly 400 acres of groundwater recharge ponds and more than 275 miles of streams.

We provide wholesale water and groundwater management services to local municipalities and private water retailers who deliver drinking water directly to homes and businesses throughout Santa Clara County.

Who We Are

A seven-member Board of Directors governs Valley Water. We are an ethnically diverse, family friendly organization with employees who are committed to public service and work collaboratively with other agencies (all levels of government, community-based organizations, and neighborhood organizations) in carrying out our mission.

Be a Part of It

Valley Water strives to attract, develop and retain a talented and diverse workforce. Many of our employees have worked at the district for more than 20 years. Our employees come from diverse, cultural and professional backgrounds. The district promotes high performance, diversity and equal employment opportunities. We offer careers in a wide range of fields.

We Value Our Employees 

  • The district’s salaries and benefits are highly competitive. 
  • The district supports employee development through tuition reimbursement, certification, management development training, safety training, on-line training and apprenticeship programs. 
  • Please use the links at left to explore our current job openings, salary and classification information, benefits packages, Diversity, Inclusion and Equal Opportunity programs.

We Value Excellence

The district values Excellence in Innovation, Integrity, Transparency and Teamwork. Our Workforce Development Program helps to guide our employees into the future by providing a systematic framework to facilitate the efficient, effective use of resources, which guides the development of a training curriculum based on business needs to enhance job knowledge and skills of the District’s workforce, and promotes professional development.

We Support Veterans

The Veteran’s Employee Resource Group provides assistance and supports Veteran affairs at Valley Water. Over the past ten years the district has participated in external support activities including care package drives for troops stationed overseas, as well as participating in the “Cell Phones for Troops” program.

In recognition of our employees who are veterans, a celebration is held annually around Veteran’s Day and features speakers and topics of historical interest.

We Value Diversity

The district is committed to creating an inclusive work environment which recognizes and supports the diversity of our community and enriches our perspectives.

 

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