Principal, Hydrotechnical

PRINCIPAL, HYDROTECHNICAL

Location: Vancouver, BC

Full-time, Permanent

About the role

PRI Engineering Corp. is an independent, Canadian-owned multidisciplinary engineering and environmental consulting firm of roughly 150 professionals across eleven offices in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, and Nova Scotia. We are hiring a Principal, Hydrotechnical to lead the technical side of our Hydrotechnical practice as we grow toward a national firm of 300.

Dams and mining are central to this role. The practice delivers Dam Safety Reviews, dam safety inspections, inflow design flood and dam breach assessments, and dam design and construction support for water retention dams, hydropower and diversion structures, and tailings storage facilities. Alongside that sits flood hazard mapping and river engineering, debris flow and steep creek hazards, municipal stormwater and drainage planning, coastal work, water supply and reservoirs, and fish passage design.

Clients include mining and energy companies, municipalities, provincial and federal agencies, First Nations, and developers.
You will be the senior technical authority the team turns to, the mentor who develops EITs into registered professionals, and the person who ensures every deliverable stands up to regulatory and professional scrutiny. Our sector VPs own client relationships and growth. You carry no sales target.

What you'll do

• Act as senior technical authority for the practice, with oversight of complex and high-consequence work across all offices
• Own technical review and professional sign-off on dam safety reports, hydraulic and hydrologic models, flood hazard mapping, drainage designs, and calculations
• Lead and seal Dam Safety Reviews and inspections, and act as, or support, Engineer of Record for dams and tailings storage facilities
• Direct inflow design flood and PMF analysis, dam breach and inundation mapping, consequence classification, spillway and outlet works design, OMS manuals, and Emergency Preparedness Plans
• Design and assess embankment (earth-fill and rock-fill) and concrete (gravity, arch, buttress, RCC) dams across energy and mining, including upstream, downstream, and centreline tailings raises, working closely with our Geotechnical practice
• Lead mine water management: site-wide water balance, diversions, tailings facility hydrology, and closure drainage and spillways
• Direct flood hazard mapping, river engineering, debris flow assessment, and stormwater master planning
• Own the practice's technical standards, modelling and checking protocols, and quality management system
• Mentor engineers, EITs, and technologists across offices and support them toward P.Eng. with EGBC, APEGA, and PEO
• Manage utilization and workload planning with sector VPs and Project Managers, and lead recruitment and succession for key technical roles
• Provide technical strategy and content on major pursuits and act as a trusted advisor to clients
• Champion 2D and 3D hydraulic modelling, LiDAR terrain analysis, and AI-enabled hydrologic tools while safeguarding engineering judgment

Standards you'll work to

CDA Dam Safety Guidelines and Technical Bulletins (including the mining dams bulletin); BC Dam Safety Regulation and EGBC guidelines for legislated Dam Safety Reviews and flood assessments; Alberta Dam and Canal Safety Directive; Ontario Lakes and Rivers Improvement Act and MNR dam technical bulletins; GISTM and the MAC Tailings and OMS Guides; HSRC for Mines in BC; and the federal Fisheries Act.

What you bring

Required

• P.Eng. in good standing with EGBC, or eligible for registration; APEGA or PEO registration a strong asset
• Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering with a water resources or hydrotechnical focus
• Minimum 12 years of hydrotechnical experience with a record of sealing consequential work
• Direct experience leading and sealing Dam Safety Reviews and inspections, and working knowledge of the CDA guidelines and the dam safety regulations of at least one of BC, Alberta, or Ontario
• Minimum 5 years of technical or team leadership
• Deep knowledge of hydrology, open channel hydraulics, flood hazard mapping, river engineering, and Canadian codes and guidelines
• Willingness to travel to project and mine sites, including remote, fly-in, or camp-based work
• Excellent communication skills and a commitment to technical excellence and public safety

Preferred

• Engineer of Record experience for dams or tailings facilities; familiarity with GISTM and the MAC Tailings Guide
• Mine water management experience, including water balance and closure drainage
• Specialization in hydropower, fish passage, coastal engineering, steep creek hazards, or climate adaptation
• HEC-RAS, HEC-HMS, SRH-2D, MIKE, or PCSWMM, plus GIS-based floodplain mapping
• Experience building quality systems, technical standards, or training programs; multi-jurisdictional experience across BC, Alberta, and Ontario

Why PRI

• Technical leaders lead technically; sector VPs own the commercial side
• Dam safety, mine water, and flood work with real public-safety consequence
• One team across Geotechnical, Civil, Environmental, and Geomatics on tailings and dam projects
• Investment in 2D and 3D modelling, remote sensing, AI-enabled tools, and your professional development
• Competitive compensation, comprehensive benefits, and a seat at the table as the firm grows to 300

PRI is an equal-opportunity employer committed to building a diverse and inclusive team. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates and particularly encourage applications from Indigenous professionals.