River Forecast Engineer

Role Responsibilities

Delivery of Provincial River Forecasting Program

• As part of a rotating on-call position, this position will lead the River Forecast Centre, providing a 24x7 contact point during the open water operational season (mid-April to mid-November) for river related emergencies (flooding, dam emergencies, contaminant spills, low flows, etc.) and contacting both Government of Alberta and external water managers.
• During both routine and event forecasting operations, the River Forecast Engineer will manage the resources available to the River Forecast Centre and maintain the partnerships upon which the Centre relies. The River Forecast Engineer will evaluate and interpret real-time meteorological and hydrological data for use in watershed simulation models to develop temporal river flow and water level forecasts. Regardless of situation (storm driven event, dam breach, low flow conditions etc.), data availability or data quality, a high level of judgement must be employed when interpreting results, developing forecasts and providing specialist advice during extended periods.
• Throughout the open water operational season, the River Forecast Engineer will clearly and effectively communicate with partners, clients, government officials, the media and the public. This will be accomplished through numerous products (Advisories, Warnings, Forecaster's Comments, etc.) and means of communication (phone, email, etc.) to provide specialist advice and contextualized information as necessary.
• Utilize technical expertise to assess forecasting events in order to provide contextual and comparative information to ensure an understanding of a given event. This may include preparing reports or providing verbal briefings on flood events and presenting findings in various formats including data summaries, graphical displays, and maps.
• Provide technical expertise and advice to regional and operational partners regarding river forecasting related issues (e.g. development, calibration and application of seasonal or daily natural flow computational procedures, support to hydrometric committees, etc.).

Development and maintenance of River Forecast Centre's Hydrologic Models, Tools and Techniques

• This position will focus on developing, programming, documenting and maintaining the various models used by the River Forecast Centre for a variety of temporal scenarios and physical conditions. Through the application of hydrological theory and expertise, the River Forecast Engineer will ensure that the modelling network is operationally reliable and scientifically sound.
• By maintaining an understanding of the Quality Assurance/Quality Control process, the River Forecast Engineer will be able to effectively and reliably speak to the contextual availability and reliability of the data, as well as the resources required to enact the process.
• Lead the documentation, implementation and maintenance of the processes and protocols that are employed to disseminate forecasts and river related information to clients and partners. This is crucial to understanding the resources required to communicate essential information as well as the capability and limitations of the River Forecast Centre to respond to a given request or event.

Delivery of the Seasonal Natural River Volume Forecast Program

• Develop, document and maintain the models and procedures used to create and disseminate spring runoff conditions, short-term and seasonal Natural River Flow volumes.
• This position may perform the data analysis and interpretation necessary to prepare the requisite monthly, seasonal and summary Seasonal Natural River Flow Volume reports.

Role Responsibilities (cont'd)

Maintain Flood Operating Procedures for Dams owned and operated by the Government of Alberta

• The River Forecast Engineer will assess the performance of flood routing procedures under historical and predicted flood conditions. This assessment will allow for the documentation of flood operating procedure manuals to ensure that safety of these structures while maximizing downstream flood reduction.
• This position will develop and provide training sessions for dam operators, water managers and other forecasters through the implementation of special flood drills in the forecasting office and update training materials as necessary. Provide expertise on river hydrologic processes • This position may represent the Department on teams and/or committees related to emergency preparedness, irrigation, hydro-power operations, community outreach and government groups. This position will work closely with the modelling and monitoring teams.
• Partnerships with hydrologic research groups are important to the development of river process knowledge within the department. This position will maintain working relationships with identified science, academic and research groups that have similar interests or projects of specific interest to the department.

Support and lead other branch, department and Government of Alberta priorities and initiatives, as required

• Support water environment and natural resource management work of the Government.
• Support engineering and assessment work of the Government.

Problem Solving

• Real-time monitoring, assessment and forecasting of river conditions through the application of hydrologic and meteorological theory. The position is required to execute clear analytical decisions in spite of incomplete data and limited response time for extended work periods.
• Develop and maintain models used by the River Forecast Centre for a variety of temporal scenarios and physical conditions.
• Ensures that the modelling network is operationally reliable and scientifically sound.
• When on duty, the position is expected to identify and solve problems independently following operating procedures and guided by the best available data and predictions. Others may not be available.
• While working on other problems the position may seek input on problem solving from peers within department, the River Forecast Specialist (Eng4), consultants, scientists, and others.
• While on-duty the decisions directly impact public safety. Data and products and advice inform provincial water management decisions.

Key Relationships

• This position will represent the Department at meetings and on committees, and provides technical support to the public, municipalities, industry and other government departments.
• Supervision received ranges from review of assignments and project progress to independent decision-making authority during a flood event and directly communicating with local authorities and the public.
• Given the emergency response component of this position, the River Forecast Engineer may be placed on standby on short notice or possibly be expected to work extended hours including weekend work and holiday work. Additionally, vacation during the open water operational season may be limited depending on the circumstance.

Please click on this link to view the job description for this position.

APS Competencies

Competencies are behaviors that are essential to reach our goals in serving Albertans. We encourage you to have an in depth understanding of the competencies that are required for this opportunity and to be prepared to demonstrate them during the recruitment process.

This link will assist you with understanding competencies: https://www.alberta.ca/system/files/custom_downloaded_images/psc-alberta-public-service-competency-model.pdf.

• Creative Problem Solving: Works in open teams to share ideas and process issues.
• Systems Thinking: Takes a long-term view towards organization’s objectives and how to achieve them.
• Build Collaborative Environments: Involves a wide group of stakeholders when working on outcomes.
• Develop Networks: Leverages relationships to build input and perspective.
• Agility: Proactively incorporates change into processess.

Qualifications

Specific experience, technical competencies, certification and/or training:

Required Qualifications:

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in a related field of engineering.
• APEGA Eligibility: Eligibility for membership with the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta (APEGA).
• Ability to work extended hours and be on standby for weekly time periods. This may make taking vacation during peak operational periods difficult.
• Ability to communicate technical knowledge to technical and non-technical audiences such as, managers, elected officials, and executive, emergency response personnel, media, and the public. This includes both verbal and written communication.
• Ability to apply professional judgement, during high stress situations where time and information is limited.
• Knowledge of hydrologic processes, hydraulic river processes and the current state of modelling capabilities.
• Ability to write new or modify existing hydrologic forecasting models utilizing proficient programming skills.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Graduate level training a related field such as hydrology or hydrologic engineering isbe an asset.
• Experience using the RAVEN hydrological modelling framework in a forecasting setting.
• Knowledge of rivers, meteorology and climatology and its impact on severe weather conditions and river processes in Alberta.

Minimum recruitment standards outline the minimum education and experience required for appointment to a job classification. Refer to https://www.alberta.ca/alberta-public-service-minimum-recruitment-standards.

Notes

This competition is for a permanent full-time position located in Edmonton, Monday – Friday, 7.25 hours per day/36.25 hours per week.

You will be based in an office located in downtown Edmonton. It is important to note, as emergency response is a component of this position, there may be times you will be expected to be on standby with short notice or expected to work extended hours including nights, evenings, weekends, and holidays. Vacation during the open water operational season may be restricted and will depend on operational requirements and circumstances.

Any costs associated with obtaining the required documents/checks as noted or interview travel expenses, will be the responsibility of the candidate. Out-of-province applicants can obtain the required documents/checks from the province they currently reside in.

Links and information on what the GoA have to offer to prospective employees.

• Working for the Alberta Public Service - https://www.alberta.ca/advantages-working-for-alberta-public-service.aspx.
• Public Service Pension Plan (PSPP) - https://www.pspp.ca.
• Alberta Public Service Benefit Information - https://www.alberta.ca/alberta-public-service-benefits.
• Professional learning and development - https://www.alberta.ca/professional-development-support-directive.
• Research Alberta Public Service Careers tool – https://researchapscareers.alberta.ca.
• Positive workplace culture and work-life balance.
• Opportunity to participate in flexible work arrangements such as working from home up to two days per week and modified work schedule agreement.
• Leadership and mentorship programs.