River Spill Response Fellow

The Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin (ICPRB) seeks an enthusiastic, detail-oriented scientist for a 1-year term position in its Spill Response team. The successful candidate will work with the Associate Director of Spills to protect drinking water supplies for over 6 million people in the Washington metropolitan area through spill response modeling and regional coordination. Examples of specific activities include providing technical support for the Emergency Response Spill Model (ERSM); assisting with the operational setup of the Potomac River 2D Spill Model (such as Delft3D); supporting the setup and integration of a FEWS (Flood Early Warning System) platform for automated spill modeling; maintaining and documenting the ICWater tool; and participating in real-time spill response drills and exercises. This is an exciting opportunity to apply technical and collaborative skills in an emergency response and large river basin context.

ICPRB was authorized by an Act of Congress in 1940 as an advisory, non-regulatory interstate compact agency of the Potomac basin states of Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia. The ICPRB mission is to enhance, protect, and conserve the water and associated land resources of the Potomac River and its tributaries through regional and interstate cooperation.

Successful candidates will meet the following requirements:

• A PhD in water resources, environmental science, hydrology, engineering, or a related field; or a master’s degree in the same field with three or more years of experience;
• Demonstrated understanding of applied surface water resources principles and concepts related to contaminant transport, spill modeling, source water protection, and/or hydrology;
• Applied understanding of water resources statistics;
• Proficiency with Python and/or R, GIS, Access and other Microsoft Office tools;
• Experience or willingness to learn hydrodynamic and spill modeling platforms such as Delft3D or FEWS;
• Demonstrated ability to communicate technical information to technical and non-technical audiences, both orally and in writing; and
• Ability to work cooperatively with staff at ICPRB and at other agencies and organizations.

This is a 1-year term position and includes benefits and opportunities for telework. The expected salary range is $75,000-$90,000, depending upon education and experience. ICPRB is an Equal Opportunity Employer that strives to maintain a diverse workforce. ICPRB is located in Rockville, Maryland.

Please send a cover letter, resume, and where you learned about the position to info@icprb.org by 5 PM on April 24, 2026.