Geotechnical Engineer - Tailings/Dams
Denver
Permanent
$90,000 - $125,000 USD a year
Civil
PR/615638_1793911391
Geotechnical Engineer - Tailings/Dams
Project Geotechnical Engineer | Tailings and Dams
Location: Denver Metro Area, Colorado
Compensation: $90,000 to $122,000
Employment Type: Full-time
Compensation: $90,000 to $122,000
Employment Type: Full-time
The Opportunity
An employee-owned engineering consultancy is seeking a Project Geotechnical Engineer to support the design, evaluation, and ongoing performance of tailings storage facilities, heap leach facilities, water-retaining dams, and related mine infrastructure.
This position combines advanced geotechnical analysis, project management, field involvement, technical reporting, and client interaction. The engineer will contribute to projects in the United States and internationally while working alongside geotechnical, civil, water resources, hydrogeological, and geological professionals.
Depending on experience, the position may include technical lead responsibilities and support for Engineer-of-Record functions. It is well suited to an engineer who wants greater technical ownership while remaining directly involved in analysis, design, monitoring, and project delivery.
Key Responsibilities
Geotechnical Analysis and Design
- Develop and calibrate seepage, stability, deformation, and settlement models for tailings, heap leach, and water storage facilities.
- Perform static and seismic analyses using two-dimensional and three-dimensional limit equilibrium, finite element, and finite difference methods.
- Evaluate liquefaction potential using site-specific subsurface and seismic data.
- Support the development of constitutive relationships and material models for numerical analyses.
- Perform and review bearing-capacity and settlement analyses for mine infrastructure.
- Contribute to dam-breach evaluations, risk assessments, and dam-safety studies.
- Support the design of earthen dams, containment systems, embankments, and related civil and geotechnical infrastructure.
Site Investigation and Performance Monitoring
- Plan and support geotechnical investigations involving drilling, sampling, cone penetration testing, geophysical methods, and laboratory testing.
- Evaluate soil and rock properties using laboratory data, including compressibility, hydraulic conductivity, and shear-strength results.
- Develop instrumentation installation plans for monitoring facility performance.
- Review, interpret, and communicate instrumentation data and performance trends.
- Participate in dam-safety inspections, technical audits, field assessments, and construction-related activities.
Project Delivery
- Prepare and review engineering reports, technical memoranda, calculation packages, drawings, specifications, and presentations.
- Coordinate with civil, water resources, hydrogeological, geological, and construction professionals.
- Develop project-management plans and help maintain scope, schedule, budget, and technical quality.
- Support the preparation and review of construction drawings and technical specifications.
- Contribute to proposals, fee estimates, and scopes of work for mining and dam-related projects.
- Maintain familiarity with applicable regulations, technical guidance, and tailings-management standards, including GISTM.
Client and Team Leadership
- Serve as a reliable technical contact for clients throughout project execution.
- Help manage client expectations, project priorities, and technical communication.
- Mentor entry-level and staff engineers in analysis, fieldwork, technical writing, and project delivery.
- Provide task-level leadership and quality review based on project needs and experience.
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering, Geological Engineering, or a closely related field.
- Master's degree in Geotechnical Engineering or a related discipline is preferred.
- At least four years of relevant geotechnical engineering experience.
- Professional Engineer registration or a clearly established path toward licensure.
- Experience with geotechnical analysis and design for dams, tailings facilities, heap leach facilities, mine infrastructure, or comparable earth-retaining structures.
- Proficiency with commonly used geotechnical software such as GeoStudio and Rocscience.
- Familiarity with numerical modeling methods and software is strongly preferred.
- Working knowledge of geotechnical field-investigation methods and monitoring instrumentation.
- Ability to interpret geotechnical laboratory data, including compressibility, permeability, and shear-strength testing.
- Experience preparing technical reports, memoranda, proposals, calculations, drawings, or specifications.
- Basic familiarity with Civil 3D is helpful.
- Programming or data-analysis capabilities are beneficial.
- Ability to travel within the United States and internationally for field assignments and project support.
Preferred Experience
Candidates will be particularly relevant if they bring experience in one or more of the following areas:
- Tailings storage facility design and performance monitoring
- Heap leach facility design
- Earthen or water-retaining dams
- Seepage and slope-stability modeling
- Static and dynamic deformation analysis
- Liquefaction assessment
- Dam-breach analysis and risk assessment
- Geotechnical instrumentation and data interpretation
- Dam-safety inspections and technical audits
- Engineer-of-Record or Deputy Engineer-of-Record support
- Construction-phase engineering for mining or dam projects
Compensation and Benefits
The expected salary range is $90,000 to $122,000, depending on experience, technical qualifications, and professional registration.
The company offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes:
- Medical, dental, and vision coverage
- Employer-supported health savings account
- Traditional and Roth 401(k) options with employer matching
- Paid vacation, sick leave, parental leave, and company holidays
- Short-term and long-term disability coverage
- Life and accidental death insurance
- Performance-based bonus opportunities
- Employee ownership and profit-sharing participation
- Support for technical conferences, publications, training, and professional development
- Additional compensation for qualifying extended international assignments
- Health, wellness, and field-equipment allowances
About the Employer
The employer is an established, employee-owned engineering consultancy focused on technically complex mining, tailings, dam, and water-management projects. The organization provides engineers with direct access to senior technical professionals, multidisciplinary project teams, and opportunities to take on increasing responsibility as their capabilities develop.
FAQs
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