Description
As a Geotechnical Engineer - Dam Break Specialist at WSP, you will work as part of a diverse team of engineers, scientists, and modellers from conceptual design through to detail design and engineering.
Your role will involve providing specialised technical input focused on tailings management facilities, heap leach facilities, water impoundments, and waste rock dump design, soil mechanics, soil improvement methods, geosynthetic materials engineering, and related civil engineering work for projects worldwide.
Key responsibilities include:
- Managing your involvement in projects, including time, budget, and quality control
- Preparing technical reports, drawings, specifications, bill of quantities, and cost estimates
- Travelling within the UK and internationally to assist clients in solving engineering problems and support construction of WSP designs
- Developing and maintaining good relationships with new and existing clients
- Liaising with the Mining Team networks, including specialists within WSP both nationally and internationally
- Providing mentoring and coaching to other team members of graduate level
- Assisting others in carrying out business development activities, including preparation of technical proposals
In terms of skills and experience, you will be expected to:
- Undertake dam breach and flood modelling studies, including breach parameter development, model setup, simulation, and result interpretation
- Develop and manage hydraulic and debris-flow models
- Perform consequence assessments, including inundation mapping, impact classification, and consequence evaluation
- Support risk analysis activities, including failure mode definition and consequence evaluation
- Interpret and apply material characterisation and rheological laboratory test data for use in numerical models
- Prepare clear, concise technical reports, figures, and appendices suitable for regulatory submission and independent review
- Collaborate with geotechnical, hydrology, and water management specialists across projects
The ideal candidate will have experience in dam breach analysis, tailings breach modelling, or flood consequence assessment, as well as demonstrated capability in one or more of the following software packages: QGIS, FLO-2D, HEC-RAS, Civil 3D.
Desirable experience includes:
- Experience with tailings storage facilities (TSFs) or dam safety projects
- Familiarity with international guidelines and frameworks, such as GISTM, CDA / ANCOLD / ICOLD guidance
- Experience working on mining or large infrastructure projects