From the St. Johns River Water Management District
In Summary:
The St. Johns River Water Management District has announced several new job openings designed to strengthen its scientific and engineering capacity as Florida’s population and water needs expand. The roles range from a leadership engineering position and a paid internship focused on geospatial data, each contributing to the district’s mission of safeguarding water sources and ecosystems. These hires reflect the agency’s increasing reliance on analytical tools, long-term planning, and a skilled pipeline of future water-resource professionals.
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The St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD), the state agency responsible for protecting and managing water resources across a large stretch of Northeast and Central Florida, is hiring — and the available positions reveal just how complex and urgent Florida’s water future has become. From engineers designing long-term supply strategies to college interns for geospatial data, the district is seeking skilled professionals who can balance the region’s rapid growth with the fragile ecosystems that sustain it.
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This month, the agency announced two notable openings: Supervising Professional Engineer based in Apopka, Jacksonville, or Palatka, and a College Intern position working with water-resource data in Apopka. Each role represents a different facet of the district’s mission — protecting drinking water sources, managing withdrawals, and planning for a future in which demand continues to rise and natural systems must still thrive.
Jobs Built Around Water — and the Future of Florida
The Supervising Professional Engineer position takes that data and turns it into planning. This job doesn’t just examine Florida’s water systems — it leads a team of scientists, engineers, and hydrologists to decide how much water the region can safely use and what mitigation steps are needed to protect springs, rivers, lakes, and wetlands. With a starting salary range of $100,000 to $123,000, the district is targeting engineers capable of overseeing surface- and groundwater assessments, engaging stakeholders, and developing conservation or alternative water-supply strategies. It is, in short, a leadership role shaping how growth will — or won’t — impact natural resources.
At the other end of the experience spectrum, the College Intern position offers students a paid opportunity to work 20 hours a week for up to 32 weeks building a system to organize aerial imagery data. While the salary is more modest — $15 per hour — the work has significant implications: Florida’s water decisions increasingly rely on geospatial data, land-use changes, and pattern analysis. For students in Library and Information Sciences, it’s a rare chance to contribute to environmental management without a science degree.
Why These Positions Matter
SJRWMD’s work often happens out of the spotlight, but its decisions affect nearly every resident in the region — from how much water a new development can use, to the clarity of a natural spring, to whether floodwaters recede or linger after heavy rains. Florida’s population growth, coupled with climate volatility, makes water supply and conservation some of the defining challenges of the next several decades.
These job postings signal not just vacancies, but priorities:
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Deeper scientific modeling to predict the consequences of water use
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Professional leadership capable of navigating regulatory, environmental, and growth-driven pressures
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Pipeline development for the next generation of water-resource professionals
In an era when growth is both an economic engine and an environmental stressor, the district is clearly investing in people who can match both the complexity and urgency of the moment.
Regional Employer With Broad Impact
Covering 18 counties and more than 12,000 square miles, the St. Johns River Water Management District isn’t just another state agency — it’s a stewardship organization managing one of Florida’s most defining natural elements. These new positions offer a rare opportunity not just for a job, but for a role in shaping how Florida grows, drinks, irrigates, recreates, and protects the very resources that make the state what it is.
Applications are open now and will be accepted until the positions are filled.
Key Points:
- The district is hiring for two positions: Supervising Professional Engineer in multiple cities, and a College Intern in Apopka.
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The Supervising Professional Engineer will lead a multidisciplinary team to develop supply planning and protection strategies, earning up to $123,000.
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The intern will organize aerial imagery data, reflecting the growing reliance on geospatial information to guide water-management decisions.
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The hiring push aligns with the district’s need to meet rising water demand while protecting natural resources across 18 Florida counties.
