Principal Technical Consultant, Senior Hydrogeologist

Shape the future of integrated water management across Canada. Lead high-impact hydrogeology work that influences major capital projects, strengthens client partnerships, and helps guide ERM’s national growth.

If you’re ready to bring senior technical leadership to complex water and environmental challenges, this opportunity offers the platform to make a meaningful strategic impact. As a Principal Technical Consultant, Senior Hydrogeologist based in Calgary or Vancouver, you will play a key role in advancing ERM’s hydrogeology practice across Canada—helping clients make critical decisions on some of their most important capital projects while contributing to the growth of ERM’s technical depth, market presence, and integrated water management capabilities.

Why This Role Matters

ERM is expanding its hydrogeology practice across Canada, and this role sits at the center of that growth. As a senior technical leader, you will help shape the delivery of high-visibility water-related environmental assessment and permitting projects, bringing together hydrology, hydrogeology, geochemistry, aquatics, and toxicology to support sophisticated field investigations, assessments, and modelling.

Reporting to ERM’s Technical Director, you will use your technical expertise, client relationships, and business acumen to strengthen ERM’s reputation, expand our hydrogeology practice, and serve as a strategic advisor to key clients. This is a role for someone who wants to influence both project outcomes and long-term business direction.

What Your Impact Is

• Lead technical execution for major environmental assessments and permitting programs tied to large-scale capital developments.
• Serve as a trusted client advisor by strengthening long-term relationships and expanding ERM’s market presence through high-quality delivery and strategic insight.
• Mentor, develop, and inspire a growing hydrogeology technical team.
• Drive innovation and integrated water solutions in collaboration with ERM’s global network of water resources experts.
• Help shape the future of ERM’s environmental impact assessment, permitting, risk assessment, and water resources management services.

What You'll Bring

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in earth science, environmental engineering, or related field.
• Registered professional in a Canadian jurisdiction and eligible to sign reports in Alberta and British Columbia.
• 6+ years of consulting experience in physical and contaminant hydrogeology, including groundwater impact assessment, groundwater resource management, permitting, aquifer management, groundwater supply evaluation, hydrogeochemistry, and contaminant site assessment.
• Hands-on experience designing and executing hydrogeological field programs, including monitoring wells, drilling oversight, groundwater sampling, and hydraulic testing such as slug, step, and pumping tests.
• Strong analytical skills in hydrogeological data interpretation, including aquifer properties, sustainable yield, inflows, and fate and transport.
• Ability to develop coherent, defensible conceptual site models.
• Application of hydrogeology principles for mining, oil & gas, and industrial sites.
• Excellent technical writing skills, with experience preparing complex reports and winning proposals, and mentoring junior team members.
• Demonstrated ability to build client trust, influence decision-making, and deliver high-quality outcomes.
• Knowledge of regulatory frameworks relevant to groundwater and mining sector permitting.
• Established reputation and credibility with clients and regulators.
• Collaborative mindset, integrity, and commitment to contributing to ERM’s success as a global organization.
• Driver's License Required: This position requires a valid driver's license and/or the ability to operate a company vehicle due to the nature of job duties, which include frequent travel to various client locations across a large geographical area.

Preferred

• 10+ years of consulting experience preferred in physical and contaminant hydrogeology, including groundwater impact assessment, groundwater resource management, permitting, aquifer management, groundwater supply evaluation, hydro geochemistry, and contaminant site assessment.
• Experience with groundwater numerical modelling (MODFLOW, FEFLOW).
• Experience hiring, managing, and developing technical teams.
• Demonstrated history of business development success, including proposal strategy and client growth.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as the lead hydrogeologist for technical execution of environmental assessments and permitting programs for major capital projects.
• Delegate work, manage project performance, and provide senior technical review to ensure delivery meets scope, budget, schedule, and quality expectations.
• Lead, mentor, hire, and inspire hydrogeology team members to support long-term team success.
• Advance ERM’s integrated water management and hydrogeology services in Canada and act as a core member of the national water resources practice.
• Leverage existing client relationships and develop new ones to grow ERM’s market share through excellence in delivery and business development.
• Identify and pursue new opportunities; prepare high-quality technical proposals and participate in client-facing growth initiatives.
• Engage in ERM’s global water resources technical community, collaborating with multidisciplinary teams across the organization to execute complex projects.