How to hire a drainage engineer

Drainage engineer hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring drainage engineers in the United States:

In the United States, the median cost per hire a drainage engineer is $1,633.
It takes between 36 and 42 days to fill the average role in the US.
Human Resources use 15% of their expenses on recruitment on average.
On average, it takes around 12 weeks for a new drainage engineer to become settled and show total productivity levels at work.

How to hire a drainage engineer, step by step

To hire a drainage engineer, consider the skills and experience you are looking for in a candidate, allocate a budget for the position, and post and promote the job opening to reach potential candidates. Follow these steps to hire a drainage engineer:

Here's a step-by-step drainage engineer hiring guide:

Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
Step 3: Make a budget
Step 4: Write a drainage engineer job description
Step 5: Post your job
Step 6: Interview candidates
Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new drainage engineer
Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a drainage engineer do?

A drainage engineer is primarily responsible for the construction of drainage systems and sewage. They are involved in the planning and designing of drainage systems, allocating the budget for its creation, and, together with the construction team, build the design on the location specified. They oversee the construction, making sure all instructions are followed. They are also responsible for maintaining the system, repairing if there is damage. They also check for any improvements in the market and apply them to the constructed drainage system.

Learn more about the specifics of what a drainage engineer does

Post a drainage engineer job for free, promote it for a fee

Identify your hiring needs

First, determine the employments status of the drainage engineer you need to hire. Certain drainage engineer roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

Determine employee vs contractor status

Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

A drainage engineer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, drainage engineers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

This list presents drainage engineer salaries for various positions.

Type of Drainage Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
Drainage Engineer	Civil engineers design, build, supervise, operate, and maintain construction projects and systems in the public and private sector, including roads, buildings, airports, tunnels, dams, bridges, and systems for water supply and sewage treatment.	$28-50
Civil Designer	A Civil Designer plans, scales, and drafts drawings and maps for roads, bridges, and other construction projects. They work with engineers and project managers in determining material, labor, and other costs of the assigned projects.	$19-38
Structural Designer	A Structural Designer designs, develops, and supervises the construction of new buildings and bridges, or extensions to existing properties or other structures. They review and update construction drawings as well as communicate project problems and flaws to managers.	$22-40

Create an ideal candidate profile
Common skills:
- Hec Ras
- HEC-RAS
- Autocad
- Engineering Design
- Cost Estimates
- HEC-HMS
- FDOT
- Storm Water
- GIS
- Design-Build
- Conveyance
- Roadway Design
- Water Quality
- Icpr
Check all skills
Responsibilities:
- Manage a geotechnical investigation that include determining boring locations and soliciting bids.
- Perform slope stability drilling investigations, site inspection and supervision of slope stabilization construction of berms and concrete caisson piles.
- Finalize designs and calculations for a stormwater conveyance system and stormwater detention basins for a new power plant in Pennsylvania.
- Assist site supervisors in the evaluation of submittals, RFI's if require.
More drainage engineer duties

Make a budget

Including a salary range in the drainage engineer job description is a good way to get more applicants. A drainage engineer salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

For example, the average salary for a drainage engineer in Tennessee may be lower than in Alaska, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level drainage engineer. Additionally, a drainage engineer with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

Average drainage engineer salary

$80,313yearly

$38.61 hourly rate

Entry-level drainage engineer salary

$60,000 yearly salary

Updated December 15, 2025

Average drainage engineer salary by state

Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	Colorado	$88,871	$43
2	Washington	$85,262	$41
3	Missouri	$81,795	$39
4	California	$79,887	$38
5	Minnesota	$76,957	$37
6	Texas	$76,165	$37
7	Utah	$75,602	$36
8	Nevada	$74,489	$36
9	North Carolina	$73,046	$35
10	Virginia	$72,752	$35
11	New Mexico	$72,728	$35
12	Arizona	$72,666	$35
13	Florida	$71,567	$34
14	Illinois	$70,899	$34
15	South Carolina	$68,296	$33
16	Wisconsin	$61,534	$30

Average drainage engineer salary by company

Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
1	Parsons	$88,099	$42.36	234
2	Whitman	$85,069	$40.90	77
3	WGI	$84,688	$40.72	19
4	Colliers Engineering & Design	$82,342	$39.59
5	Wsp USA Buildings Inc.	$82,125	$39.48	356
6	CDM Smith	$81,343	$39.11	598
7	CONSOR Engineers	$81,270	$39.07
8	P B Holdings	$81,270	$39.07
9	Jacobs Enterprises	$81,270	$39.07	523
10	Florida Transportation Services Inc	$81,270	$39.07
11	Snc-lavalin Project Services, Inc.	$81,215	$39.05
12	My Florida Regional Mls	$80,372	$38.64
13	Fishbeck	$79,862	$38.40	7
14	City of Auburn	$79,401	$38.17
15	HDR	$78,765	$37.87	94
16	Stantec	$78,297	$37.64	520
17	Michael Baker	$78,197	$37.59	35
18	David Evans and Associates	$77,751	$37.38	21
19	AECOM	$77,423	$37.22	426
20	HNTB	$76,788	$36.92	92

Writing a drainage engineer job description
A good drainage engineer job description should include a few things:
- Summary of the role
- List of responsibilities
- Required skills and experience
Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a drainage engineer job description:
Drainage engineer job description example
Dewberry is seeking a Transportation Drainage Engineer to join our growing Orlando office. This is an excellent career opportunity to join one of the area's top engineering firms. The successful candidate will have career advancement opportunities, an excellent working environment and the chance to work with a collaborative and successful team of engineers working on a variety of central Florida's transportation projects.

Dewberry is a leading, market-facing professional services firm with more than 50 locations and 2,000 professionals nationwide. What sets us apart from our competitors are our people. At Dewberry, we seek out exceptional talent and strive to deliver the highest quality of services to our clients. Whether you're an experienced professional or a new graduate, you'll have the chance to collaborate with the best and brightest and work on innovative and complex projects at the forefront of the industry. Our commitment to excellence stems from our personal integrity and from other defining attributes, which we call "Dewberry at Work," that have inspired our employees to be successful for more than a half-century.

+ Design of stormwater management systems, storm drain systems, open channel conveyance, culvert analysis, bridge hydraulics, scour and floodplain compensation

+ Prepare drainage design documentation and plans preparation to the FDOT's criteria and procedures; Drainage Manuals, Design Standards Indices, and FDOT Design Manual.

+ Prepare drainage analysis documentation required for the various Water Management District permitting.
+ Estimating pay item quantities utilizing FDOT's Basis of Estimates Manual.

+ Meet with clients and permitting agencies as needed.

+ Perform research and prepare preliminary designs for project pursuits.

+ BSCE in Civil Engineering or related field.

+ 2-5 years of relevant drainage design experience.

+ EIT is preferred.

+ Experience with FDOT drainage design criteria.

+ Experience with Florida Water Management Districts permitting requirements.

+ The applicant should be proficient in MicroStation, Geopak Drainage, ICPR, and Microsoft Office software. Open Road Designer and 3D modeling, HY-8, PONDS, ArcGIS, and HEC-RAS, a plus.

*At this time, Dewberry will not sponsor a new applicant for work authorization.

*Dewberry is an Equal Opportunity/ Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, gender identity or sexual orientation.

*Only recipients of an offer of employment from Dewberry, will be required to submit to a background screening which may include, but is not limited to, employment verification, educational and other credential verification, driving record check, criminal background check, and an investigative consumer report. These screenings will be conducted by Dewberry's background vendor of choice and will be conducted in compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local law.

ID: 10570

Relocation Bonus Eligible: No

Service Line: IES

External Company URL: www.dewberry.com

Street: 800 North Magnolia Avenue
Post your job
There are a few common ways to find drainage engineers for your business:
- Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
- Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
- Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
- Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.
Post your job online:
- Post your drainage engineer job on Zippia to find and recruit drainage engineer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
- Use field-specific websites such as dribbble, authentic jobs, working not working, coroflot.
- Post a job on free websites.
Interview candidates
Recruiting drainage engineers requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.
It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.
The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.
Send a job offer and onboard your new drainage engineer
Once you've selected the best drainage engineer candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.
It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.
After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new drainage engineer. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.
Go through the hiring process checklist
- Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
- Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
- Define job responsibilities and requirements
- Establish budget and timeline
- Determine hiring decision makers for the role
- Write job description
- Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
- Promote the job internally
- Process applications through applicant tracking system
- Review resumes and cover letters
- Shortlist candidates for screening
- Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
- Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
- Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
- Conduct background checks on top candidates
- Check references of top candidates
- Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
- Extend offer to top candidate(s)
- Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
- Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
- Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
- Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)
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How much does it cost to hire a drainage engineer?

Recruiting drainage engineers involves both the one-time costs of hiring and the ongoing costs of adding a new employee to your team. Your spending during the hiring process will mostly be on things like promoting the job on job boards, reviewing and interviewing candidates, and onboarding the new hire. Ongoing costs will obviously involve the employee's salary, but also may include things like benefits.

You can expect to pay around $80,313 per year for a drainage engineer, as this is the median yearly salary nationally. This can vary depending on what state or city you're hiring in. If you're hiring for contract work or on a per-project basis, hourly rates for drainage engineers in the US typically range between $28 and $50 an hour.

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Updated December 15, 2025

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How to hire a drainage engineer