Hydrologist job description

What is a hydrologist?

Hydrologists study water properties (e.g. volume, flow) on the earth’s surface or underground, and resolve water-related issues, such as contamination. They develop techniques to improve the quality and quantity of water in a designated area.

What does a hydrologist do?

Hydrologists collect water samples from several sources (e.g. lakes, soil) and measure levels of contamination. They analyze data with computer models and predict water supplies. Hydrologists work closely with other scientists and engineers to design water-related structures, such as hydroelectric power plants.

Hydrologist job duties also include:

• Forecasting floods, snowstorms, and droughts
• Designing methods to decrease environmental impact from erosion and water pollution
• Writing reports and presenting results

What skills do you need to be a hydrologist?

Hydrologists have excellent mathematical and analytical abilities. Critical thinking and effective problem-solving are also important skills for this role. For professionals in more senior positions, project management and team leadership are must-have skills. Finally, hydrologist education requirements usually include a degree in hydrology, engineering or relevant STEM field.

When preparing your own hydrologist job description template, make sure to mention these skills in the requirements section.

Job brief

Our team is looking for an experienced hydrologist to maintain and develop our water management techniques and strategy. Your primary responsibilities will be measuring water quantity and properties, such as streamflow. You’ll collect data and analyze it to detect the level of contamination.

With the use of computer-aided technology, you’ll also predict water supplies and forecast floods and droughts. Last but not least, you’ll collaborate with our engineering and scientific team in big projects, such as building irrigation systems.

To succeed in this role, it’s important to have computational and analytical skills. Experience in computer modeling and preparing reports are also necessary to complete your job duties.

If you are organized, resilient and have a genuine interest in environmental sustainability, we’d like to meet you.

Responsibilities

• Estimate water properties (e.g. volume, mass)
• Develop techniques to improve water quantity and quality
• Analyze water and soil samples and measure contamination levels
• Measure environmental impact of erosion, droughts and floods
• Predict floods, droughts, and snowstorms
• Monitor pollution levels in oceans, rivers, and lakes
• Run computer-aided models to analyze data
• Present findings to managers and policymakers
• Collaborate with engineers and scientists
• Participate in the construction of dams, hydroelectric power plants, etc.

Requirements and skills

• Previous experience as a hydrologist or in a similar role
• Working knowledge of GIS and GPS applications
• Hands-on experience running computer-aided models
• Familiarity with writing reports and giving presentations
• Computational and mathematical ability
• Critical thinking
• Ability to work well under pressure
• Degree in Hydrology or relevant STEM field; a Master’s is a plus