Local recruitment: Watershed Scientist II

Job Category: Environmental

Requisition Number: WATER002516

Job Details

Description

ADVANCEMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Manager, Senior, Environmental Services
Watershed Scientist III

POSITION SUMMARY

We are adding to the Trinity River Authority’s Water Resources Team! The Trinity River Authority is seeking a motivated, dynamic, and results-driven individual to support impactful environmental projects, grant initiatives, and watershed protection efforts across the organization.

This role provides hands-on experience in applied watershed science, environmental data management, and data analysis, supporting projects that protect major water supply reservoirs such as Lake Livingston and Joe Pool Lake. Work is split between field, office, and stakeholder settings.

You will support watershed and flood-related projects, participate in outreach and stakeholder activities, help organize and manage environmental data, and assist with environmental sampling.

Required skills

• Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science, Biology, Hydrology, Ecology, or related field
• Minimum three (3) years of relevant professional experience
• Working knowledge of water quality, aquatic systems, watershed processes, and environmental data analysis
• Ability and willingness to conduct fieldwork and work outdoors in varying conditions
• Experience managing, organizing, and analyzing datasets
• Strong attention to detail and ability to follow established procedures
• Effective written and verbal communication skills, including public speaking
• Ability to work independently while coordinating across teams

Desired skills

• Familiarity with ArcGIS
• Exposure to watershed or water quality modeling tools such as SWAT, HAWQS, or CE-QUAL-W2 through coursework, research, or internships
• Experience with environmental data analysis, dashboards, or databases
• Field experience with water quality sampling or environmental monitoring
• Interest in grants, applied research, or stakeholder coordination

This position is a good fit for candidates who:

• Enjoy working outdoors and are comfortable on and around water
• Are organized, reliable, and interested in learning applied watershed science
• Are comfortable working both independently and collaboratively
• Interest in watershed management, water quality, and environmental work

Travel up to 15% of the time.

This role offers practical experience, mentorship, and a pathway for advancement within the Authority’s Technical Services and Basin Planning Department.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Develop and maintain workflow processes to ensure timely acquisition and reporting of raw-water supply availability and usage data by the Authority and customer cities. This includes information that the Authority is contractually or regulatorily obliged to provide. It will also include furnishing water sales information to Finance for the creation of customer city invoicing. 

2. Maintain water reuse accounting plans and raw-water availability and supply dashboards.

3. Assist in developing, upgrading, and maintaining water accounting software like ESRI Dashboards, Power BI, or similar. Has primary responsibility for making sure these communication outlets are up and running with minimum downtime. 

4. Assist in the procurement and management of watershed and flood risk reduction, response, and mitigation grants, 319 Non-point Source, and other state and federal grants as appropriate.

5. Perform and assist in the planning, coordination, and execution of field activities for ongoing Environmental Services and grants.

6. Perform and assist with education and outreach activities with landowners, NGOs, and federal, state, county, and local governmental officials to promote healthy watershed practices and minimize flood risks.

7. Analyze and interpret raw-water use and supply availability, and environmental data. Assist in the production of reports.  This will require the use of spreadsheets, statistical packages, databases, word processors, and other computer applications, as well as expert knowledge of water quality and aquatic systems.

8. Perform and assist in all aspects of raw water supply planning, watershed coordination, and flood-risk reduction activities.

9. Coordinate with staff from other agencies to streamline the acquisition of water use reporting data.

10. Coordinate with internal TRA staff and management to ensure data flow between customer cities and TRA.

11. Other duties as assigned.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES
None. 

FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
Limited.

QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION
Bachelor’s Degree required.

EXPERIENCE
Minimum 3 years of experience.

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS
Valid Driver’s License

KNOWLEDGE
This position requires a working knowledge of scientific principles, water quality, aquatic systems, databases, water quality models, and other analyses. It requires a degree of expertise in water rights and the ability to read and interpret permits and contracts.  

SKILLS AND ABILITIES
Must possess effective written and verbal communication skills.  This position also required strict attention to detail while possessing the ability to understand how each detailed component fits into the system as a whole.

GUIDANCE RECEIVED
Follows general professional standards and methods, QAPP requirements, contract requirements, and Authority Policies with assistance from supervisors. Follows periodic direct instructions and guidelines, uses policies and procedures that require some interpretation. Problems that cannot be addressed through an existing guideline, policy, or procedure are referred to a supervisor or a more senior position. Incumbent must exercise judgment about whether to escalate issues.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS
Working conditions include strenuous activities, including carrying heavy equipment, heavy lifting, and pulling in extreme environments, including bays, rivers, lakes, and floodplains.

WORKING CONDITIONS
Will function in both office and field environments.  Must be able to work in adverse conditions, including extreme heat or rain, and operate in difficult terrain.  Field activities will involve contact with water known to exceed water quality limits for certain parameters (e.g., E. coli).

TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT USED 
All manner of field equipment, including data sondes, electrofishing gear, boats, etc.  Science-oriented software such as spreadsheets, databases, GIS, and advanced statistical packages.