Senior Water Resources Engineer – Imperial, Edmonton, AB
Location: Edmonton, AB | Company: ExxonMobil
Imperial is hiring a Senior Water Resources Engineer for an engineering position based in Edmonton, Alberta. This senior technical opportunity supports the Kearl oil sands operation and focuses on planning, assessing and designing surface water management infrastructure for future mine development.
The successful candidate will guide water management work across a planning horizon of approximately one to fifteen years. The role involves integrating new infrastructure with existing site systems, supporting regulatory applications and providing technical direction during design, construction and operations.
About This Water Resources Engineering Role
The Senior Water Resources Engineer will support the long-term development and resilience of Kearl’s site-wide water management network. The position covers the full engineering lifecycle, beginning with conceptual planning and continuing through detailed design, construction support and operational troubleshooting.
Kearl is a large oil sands mining operation located north of Fort McMurray. Its water systems must operate alongside mine plans, roads, pipelines, utilities and processing infrastructure. The engineer will help ensure that future water movement, storage and discharge requirements are coordinated with broader site development.
Key Areas of Responsibility
The role combines strategic planning, infrastructure design, technical assessment and multidisciplinary coordination. The successful candidate will complete some work directly while also overseeing engineering performed by internal teams and external consultants.
Water Management Planning
Develop strategies for moving, storing and managing surface water within existing and future mine development areas over mid- and long-range planning horizons.
Infrastructure Definition
Identify required sumps, pumps, pipelines, discharge systems and related infrastructure and determine suitable routing, sizing and implementation timing.
System Integration
Coordinate water management infrastructure with roads, pipelines, utilities, mine development sequencing and other site systems to support integrated project delivery.
Existing System Assessment
Review current infrastructure and determine which assets should be retained, modified or upgraded to maintain system capacity and performance.
Engineering Design Support
Lead or review technical work from conceptual through detailed design and provide troubleshooting guidance during construction and operations.
Regulatory and Technical Support
Contribute technical information to regulatory applications, complete water-related assessments and represent Imperial in industry groups or external forums when required.
Water Balance and Hydraulic Modelling
The Senior Water Resources Engineer will help maintain and update the site water balance while assessing how planned mine development may affect inflows, storage requirements, pumping capacity and discharge needs. This work supports both project planning and operational decision-making.
Candidates should understand hydrologic and hydraulic modelling and have experience with HEC-HMS or a comparable tool. Working knowledge of AutoCAD, Deswik or similar design and mine-planning applications may also help the engineer evaluate layouts and communicate infrastructure requirements.
Skills That May Help Candidates Succeed
This position requires an experienced engineer who can independently define complex problems, compare alternatives and make recommendations that account for technical, operational, environmental, cost and schedule considerations.
Strong knowledge of hydrology, drainage, water storage, pumping, pipelines and discharge infrastructure within large industrial or mining environments.
The ability to evaluate how individual water infrastructure components interact and develop coordinated plans that support future site development.
The ability to frame technical problems, assess alternatives and make defensible recommendations using incomplete or evolving project information.
Strong planning and project-management skills for leading water resources scopes within multidisciplinary projects and overseeing consultant work.
The ability to collaborate with engineering, mine planning, operations, environmental and regulatory teams and explain technical findings clearly.
Qualifications, Experience and Benefits
Imperial requires a Professional Engineer designation with APEGA and more than ten years of relevant experience in water resources, civil engineering or mining-related engineering. Candidates should understand surface water infrastructure planning and design, water balance modelling and technical leadership within multidisciplinary projects.
Knowledge of open-pit mining, provincial and federal regulatory frameworks, consultant oversight, climate resilience and risk-based trade-off analysis is considered valuable. Imperial lists competitive compensation, training, mentorship, relocation assistance where required, flexible working arrangements and access to employee resource groups. The official description also notes that Imperial’s corporate offices are expected to relocate from Calgary to Edmonton around 2028. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}
How to Apply
Interested candidates should submit an application through Imperial’s official careers website. Application materials should highlight senior water resources experience, surface water infrastructure planning, hydraulic modelling, mine development support and leadership of multidisciplinary or consultant-led engineering work.
Applicants who receive an employment offer must be eligible to work in Canada on a regular full-time basis without restrictions affecting the start date. Imperial may request current proof of work eligibility and provides reasonable accommodation during the recruitment process. Joblyz does not collect applications or participate in hiring decisions.