Advance your career, your community, and a healthy environment

Who We Are

Our most valuable resources are the people that make Straughan thrive. We believe every individual truly enriches the team with their knowledge and experience. Straughan team members are ever-curious, life-long learners. We are creative, inventive, and agile enough to address changing needs of project priorities.

We are driven to provide our very best. In the environmental industry, Straughan strives to set the standard through our professionalism, integrity, and innovative strategies. We never lose sight of our mission – to advance sustainable and resilient communities.

Diversity of thought

Straughan believes diversity makes us stronger. A diverse workplace improves innovation, creativity, productivity, and professional growth. We strive to challenge our assumptions and develop innovative solutions to common problems. We build project teams with diverse expertise and backgrounds to create and test ideas that improve the status quo. 

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Commitment

We recognize the pain, injustices, and divisions within our communities due to inequalities, racism, and intolerances of all kinds. We cannot have strong communities without equality and justice for all.

As we build our team, we are committed to the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion. We are open-minded and care about your capability, your drive, and your desire and determination to contribute your gifts, talents, and perspective.

Straughan is committed to continuous learning, support, and outreach that contributes positively to creating a work environment, community and a society that understands and values the human spirit in all its forms.

Have fun. Make a difference.

We celebrate successes. We learn and grow every day. We welcome challenges. We support each other. We seek divergent ideas and input. We care deeply about sustainability. We lead and support our communities. We encourage personal enrichment and renewal.

straughanSOCIAL

We believe that engagement is important whether you work in the office, are entirely remote, or do a little of both. straughanSOCIAL is our place for game nights, coffee meetups, seed swaps, kickball games, wellness events, and much more!

Flexible Work Arrangements

The way we work is changing, and we understand the increasing demands you face in your personal and work life. Straughan provides flexibility in work arrangements whenever possible.

Environmental Initiatives

If there’s one thing all Straughan employees have in common, it’s our enthusiasm for the environment. We seek to implement environmental best practices in every aspect of our work for our clients, our company, and our communities. We also have an active employee Green Team who volunteer to further our environmental practices.

Professional Development

In a constantly changing and unpredictable world, we hope to develop future leaders who care about improving the field of environmental science, management, and engineering. We encourage our staff to learn in a variety of ways and offer staff-led lunch & learns, webinars, training, tuition reimbursement, coaching, professional society membership, and more.

working with us

Our Commitment

Quality, customer service, safety, and management commitments for every project.

Creative Strategies

Strategies to improve outcomes for the environment and communities, while often reducing project costs and schedules.

Comprehensive Capabilities

Versatile environmental expertise – from project planning and design through construction and program management.

benefits

At Straughan, we invest in the entire you.

To better understand our workforce, we are committed to continuously evolving and creating practices, providing benefits, and policies that meaningfully address the needs and desires of our team. We invest fully in you for your today and your tomorrow. Here are some of the ways we support all of our team:

401(k) retirement plan with an employer match

Medical and dental insurance

Tuition assistance

Short- and long-term disability insurance

Continuous development

Maternity/Paternity leave

Generous paid time off, including 8 holidays

Health savings and flexible spending accounts

Employer-paid life and voluntary life insurance

Flexible work arrangements

Professional society membership

“I became interested in working at Straughan after talking to existing employees who enthusiastically described a company culture that is inclusive, friendly, collaborative, and rewarding. Since Straughan also shares my passion for environmental sustainability, it was an easy decision to join the team. I am lucky to work with an incredible group of scientists, planners, engineers, and sustainability and cultural resource specialists on projects that make an impact.”
Lauren Wirth Director, Natural Resources

“I joined Straughan because I wanted to start my career with a company that could help me gain experience in a variety of areas. Over 6 years later, I’m still here because the company culture is amazing. Straughan continues to support me and my career development, I feel so fortunate to work here!”
John Bishop Water Resources Engineer

“I came to Straughan with a background and passion in environmental science. I immediately saw the passion that my fellow coworkers had for the environment, their projects, and the production of high-quality work. We have an experienced team of professionals with a good sense of teamwork willing to teach one another.”
Lauren McMahon, CEP-IT Environmental Analyst

“What brought me to Straughan was the obvious sustainability-oriented culture that I observed during my interview, and that culture is why I can’t think of a better place to work to this day. Whether working on projects with clients and the public, or on our internal sustainability initiatives at Straughan, we are able to place sustainability at the forefront of what we do and work towards building a sustainable world.”
Andrew Sankowski, PE Water Resources Engineer

“I came to Straughan with a background in archaeology and the company has supported my professional development goals to expand into other areas of cultural resource management including architectural history and preservation planning. I work with a diverse group of environmental resource scientists, planners, and engineers and collaboration with them leads to sustainable and creative approaches to projects that enhance the documentation and preservation of our cultural heritage.”
Sarah Michailof Cultural Resources Specialist

“I came to Straughan to collaborate with a great team that is passionate about protecting, preserving, and restoring natural resources – both in our work and in our daily lives. At Straughan, sustainability is more than a mindset, it is a movement that we are actively advancing. We take on big challenges and work on fulfilling projects that make the world a better place to live.”
Joe Arrowsmith, PE Director, Ecosystem Restoration

top workplace

Together we can create a sustainable world.

We believe successful, productive employees create a successful, productive company. We work closely to develop and support employees to reach their full potential, and we are proud of the reputation our employees have earned and the high degree of our collective success.

View Open Positions

Columbia, MD

Mid-Level Coastal / Water Resources Engineer

Posted: May 19, 2026 Columbia, MD

Mid-Level Coastal / Water Resources Engineer

Who We Are

Straughan Environmental, Inc. is a successful, rapidly growing, woman owned business that provides high quality and cost-effective consulting services to a wide variety of clients in the governmental and private sectors. Straughan is committed to advancing sustainable and resilient communities. We are experts in environmental planning, design, assessments, and policy. Our staff consists of wildlife and wetlands scientists; geomorphologists and hydrologists, civil and environmental engineers; inspectors; biologists and botanists; planners; cultural resource specialists; and GIS and CAD professionals. This combination of technical expertise and an understanding of policy make Straughan a highly competitive firm and a great place to advance your career.

Job Purpose

Straughan is seeking a highly motivated and versatile Mid-Level Coastal / Water Resources Engineer with experience in nature-based solutions (NbS) and resilience design to join our Engineering department. This individual will support the planning, design, and implementation of sustainable and resilient projects that integrate ecological processes into engineering solutions. These will include planning and design of various projects including coastal wetland restoration, living shorelines, built and natural infrastructure resilience, coastal and compound flooding solutions.

The ideal candidate will have a strong understanding of coastal and watershed systems, climate resilience challenges (e.g., flooding, sea-level rise), and a passion for delivering innovative, sustainable solutions. This role includes collaboration with multidisciplinary teams to perform field assessments, modeling, design, and permitting for a variety of projects. The understanding of grant-based projects and how to pursue grants is a plus.

Straughan operates under a flexible, hybrid workplace strategy. Employees work primarily from home with schedules approved by their supervisor. While all candidates will be considered, we have a strong preference for candidates residing in one of the following areas: Coastal Delaware, Coastal Maryland, Northen Virginia (NOVA), or Coastal Virginia. Office reporting locations are our Headquarters (Maryland) and/or the Newark, DE office. Occasional travel for field work and client meetings is expected.

Straughan Benefits

One of the ways Straughan supports our staff is by providing generous benefits such as Medical, Dental and Vision Insurance, 401k Retirement plan with an employer match, tuition assistance, PTO, 8 holidays, Parental leave, HSA, FSA, Flexible work schedule, employer paid short and Longterm disability.

Compensation Range for this position is $90,000 – $150,000. The compensation for this role is commensurate with experience.

Duties & Responsibilities

Lead tasks or components of projects focused on nature-based and hybrid infrastructure solutions
Support project managers with planning, budgeting, and execution of coastal and water resources projects
Perform hydrologic and hydraulic modeling (e.g., HEC-RAS, SWMM, coastal/storm surge models)
Design and support development of:
- Living shorelines
- Coastal and upland wetland and floodplain restoration projects
- Green stormwater infrastructure (bioswales, buffers, BMPs)
Conduct alternatives analyses comparing gray and nature-based solutions
Integrate climate resilience considerations (sea level rise, extreme precipitation, flood risk)
Perform field assessments, site investigations, and data collection
Prepare engineering plans, specifications, reports, and visualizations
Coordinate with ecologists, planners, GIS specialists, and stakeholders
Support environmental permitting at local, state, and federal levels
Participate in stakeholder and client meetings, presenting technical findings
Mentor junior engineers and support staff development
Support proposal development, cost estimating, and business development efforts
Assist with construction phase services, including submittal review and site visits
Being able to communicate effectively with team

Qualifications

Education: Bachelor’s degree in Civil, Environmental, Coastal, or Water Resources Engineering (or related field)

Experience:

Minimum 5+ years of relevant experience in water resources, coastal engineering, or resilience planning
Strong communication and interpersonal skills
Experience with engineering design software (AutoCAD, MicroStation)
Proficiency with H&H and/or coastal modeling tools (HEC-RAS, SWMM, ADCIRC, Delft3D, or similar)
Experience conducting field work and site evaluations
Familiarity with nature-based solutions, green infrastructure, or ecosystem-based design approaches
Environmental permitting experience

Certification

Professional Engineer (PE) required or ability to obtain within 1 year

Desired Qualifications

Experience with coastal processes, shoreline stabilization, or sediment transport
Design experience with:
- Living shorelines or oyster reefs
- Floodplain reconnection or wetland restoration
- Low impact development (LID) and environmental site design (ESD)
Familiarity with climate adaptation and resilience planning
Experience with federal or resilience-focused programs (e.g., FEMA, USACE, NOAA)
Hydrodynamic and coastal modeling experience (ADCIRC, Delft3D, HEC-RAS 2D)
GIS experience (ArcGIS Pro)
Experience with blue-green infrastructure and nature-based performance evaluation
Grant-funded project experience or resilience planning studies
Public outreach or stakeholder engagement experience
Familiarity with Mid-Atlantic region regulations and projects
Familiarity with Drainage, Stormwater Management, and Sediment Control Design

Requirements

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential function of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position as required by applicable law.

Prolonged periods standing
Physical ability to perform outdoor field work, on water, and in unpleasant field conditions
Physically able to conduct inspections and carry equipment used for inspections
Must be able to lift up to 50 pounds at a time
Must be able to traverse various types of terrain for extended periods of time

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

Apply Here

Equal employment opportunity (EEO), Affirmative action, and Diversity and Inclusion policy statement

Straughan is an equal employment opportunity and affirmative action and equal opportunity employer. Straughan affirms its long-standing commitment to maintain a diverse workforce reflective of the communities in which we operate, maintains a business culture that recognizes the contributions and interests of diverse cultural and social groups, and maximizes employee efforts by understanding individual differences and perspectives. It is the policy of Straughan not merely to refrain from employment discrimination as required by federal, state, and local enactments, but to take positive affirmative action to realize for women, people of color, individuals with physical or mental disabilities, sexual orientation, gender identity, and veterans’ full equal employment opportunity. It is also our goal to employ and advance in employment individuals with disabilities, sexual orientation, gender identity, and protected veterans, and to treat qualified individuals without discrimination on the basis of their physical or mental disability or veteran status.

EOE/AA Minorities/Women/Protected Veterans/Disabled/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity – We are an equal opportunity employer, but we are more than that. We are open-minded and care only about your capability, your drive, and your desire and determination to contribute your gifts and talents fully.