Coal & Noncoal Operations Project Engineer 2025-00730

With statewide responsibilities, perform technical reviews of permitting actions for coal and noncoal operations with an emphasis on engineering topics such as analyzing mass balance calculations, postmine topography (PMT), slope analyses, hydrologic designs for reclaimed drainages, stream channels, and impoundments.  Emphasis will be centered on coal mining operations in the Powder River Basin.

As a State of Wyoming employee, you will enjoy a competitive benefits package, including Medical, Dental, and Life Insurance; and paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays. Benefits also include a State Pension and a Deferred Compensation Program.  Wyoming is one of only seven states with no state income tax.

• Statewide engineering duties related to coal and non-coal related to mass balance calculations, slope stability analyses, and hydrologic calculations. 
• Assist with technical reviews of permitting actions for coal and noncoal operations with an emphasis on engineering procedures for end-of-mine reclamation and closure plans.
• Responsible for completing engineering design and construction-related reviews of impoundments, stream channels, and reclaimed surface topography for LQD District III coal and non-coal mine permits.
• Serve as permit coordinator for one or more coal and non-coal mining operations as assigned by the District Supervisor.
• Participate in the development of guidance documents and regulations focusing on surface water hydrology-related topics and issues.
• Coordinate efforts with other state and federal agencies on mine engineering-related issues for coal and non-coal permitting actions and NEPA procedures.
• Perform and coordinate interdisciplinary technical reviews for complex permitting actions.
• Will recommend approval of complex permits and reclamation performance bond estimates and assist in regulating district exploration and delineation drilling programs. 
• Conducts technical review of documents, reports, and data to ensure they are in accordance with agency policies, rules, and state statutes.
• Conducts inspections of various mining operations to determine compliance and writes detailed inspection reports. 
• Write appropriate and necessary enforcement actions (Conference and Conciliation, Notice of Violation, Order, etc.) in a timely fashion; this may include the development of a Settlement Agreement when appropriate.
• Represents LQD in public meetings and provides appropriate recommendations for resolving permitting and enforcement-related issues.
• Confer with public officials, government agencies, representatives of private industry and consultants in the resolution of permitting issues relevant to the LQD program.
• Respond to and resolve, within delegated authority, concerns raised by the public and other government agencies.
• May serve as an expert witness related to engineering in contested case hearings.
• Additional duties as assigned by the District Supervisor.

Preference will be given to those applicants with a Bachelor’s degree related to environmental/civil/mechanical/mine engineering or surface water hydrology.     

• Knowledge of engineering design and construction principles related to surface mining operations.
• Knowledge of surface water hydrology, erosion, and pollution control, watershed management, water chemistry, fluvial geomorphology, and channel modeling as related to surface mining operations.
• Understanding of permitting, regulating, and enforcing state environmental law and the practices of mining operations and reclamation procedures.
• Skill in the application of scientific principles to effectively analyze problems and situations which potentially threaten the environment due to mining related activities.
• Ability to prioritize workload, resolve conflicts, solve complex problems, travel, and work in the field.
• Experience with global positioning systems (GPS), Geographic Information Systems (GIS,) and maintenance and design of relational databases.
• Skill in the use of personal computer for word processing, database and spreadsheet applications; and query and mapping from GIS databases.
• Ability to communicate, work cooperatively with staff and the regulated community, prioritize workload, resolve conflicts, solve complex problems, travel, and work in the field.
• Is solution-oriented in the resolution of complex issues.

• Some field site visits are necessary and the candidate must be physically capable of site inspections that may include hiking over rough terrain.

• FLSA: Exempt 
• The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality may use a video interview as a mandatory first step of our process. If chosen for a video interview you will receive an email with all the necessary information to complete the process.  
• The successful candidate may reside in Cheyenne, Sheridan or surrounding areas to those offices.